Fugue Structure

hi everyone! i am currently writing a minor fugue. it is in 3 parts and the subject is 2 bars long. i've written 18 bars so far in the following manner: expo: S(am) A(em) delay S(am) A(em) episode: sequence leading to D, then am, D7, G7 middle entry: S© A(G)

that is in total 19 bars and 45 secs of music. i'm planning this to be sort of a tipical WTC fugue (liittle under 2 mins). my question is: which keys should i explore next and how many more S-As must i state (not including stretto and coda)

... and in which keys, to make it a proper fugue and add another say, 25 bars?

sorry for this, i didn't have enough space in the first message

seriously?

i am pretty sure a fugue should develop through closely related keys.

and eight is too much. and the diminution of that kind for my subject is impossible.

i am pretty sure a fugue should develop through closely related keys.

The so-called 'textbook'-fugues have rules that are rather consistent in this regard. For example, according to the 19th-century French system, your fugue in a minor would have the following structure just after the first episode following the exposition:

Subject in C - Answer in G - <episode> - Subject in d - Answer in F - <episode> - {{{optional: Subject in e}}} - Stretto

This is just one solution. Of course, in non-didactic fugues, anything else may occure; e.g. the Kyrie in Mozart's Requiem has modulations that are beyond the usual (dominant & subdominant, relative maj/min) frames.

thank you for your helpful answer! also, can stretto S statements be in the same key? (so it's like a canon) and are there any specific patterns of keys the stretto entries should be in that i should know about or i can put them in the same key, but start them on differnt pitches and adjust them tonally?

are there any specific patterns of keys the stretto entries should be?

According to textbooks, there's no modulation after the stretto section has started. It's in the tonic key (just like the exposition).

However, not every fugue theme is suitable for constructing stretti. As I don't know what subject you're using, I cannot say whether it has any possibilities within.

Don't forget to make the piece exactly three minutes and two seconds long. You are doing it wrong if you deviate from this.

stretto is possible, i was messing up with it and it can be done.

also, to what extent am i allowed to alter the subject in the stretto?

and following those rules, my fugue is too short. to prolongue it, should i add additional S-A pairs, or make the episodes longer? if first, in what keys? can i repeat the keys used in the exposition? if second, what hmm... tool other than sequence can i use?

thank you for all constructive answers, i appreciate them very much!

also, to what extent am i allowed to alter the subject in the stretto?

and following those rules, my fugue is too short. to prolongue it, should i add additional S-A pairs, or make the episodes longer?

If it leads to a musically more pleasant solution, you may alter the 'tail' (or 'body' or whatever it's called in English) of the subject. Modifications in the subject's 'head' are not really recommended - except, of course, for those ones that are necessary to make in order to obtain a tonal answer.

If you find your fugue too short, make the episodes longer. Or. Rather than using sequences, try to introduce imitations based on fragments of the subject & countersubject & codetta etc. Introduce a dominant pedal point just before the stretti start, a tonic pedal point at the coda section ending the fugue. You might even want to add a counter-exposition, although it may render the fugue a little bit monotonous.

yes well thank you.

my sub is 1.5 measures long, and my 1st episode is 6, 2nd 2, 3rd 6. i did some imitation and light sequences, and then stated the Sub in the dominant. ?

it will soon be done, and i will post it on the forums. thanks again for the help