Reflections

This fugue is a beautiful study in counter material. With a subject and two very clear and persistent countersubjects, a three-part fugue becomes fully saturated counterpoint: each voice is, at all times, singing significantly. The long and bright subject is heard is isolation only once: the standard solo voice subject entry in the beginning of the exposition. The second entry is passed off to the next voice while the first voice continues with the first countersubject. A hand off occurs again with the third subject entry to the third voice (moving from upper to middle to lower), the second voice continues with the first countersubject and the first voice introduces the second countersubject. For the remainder of the fugue, every subject entry is accompanied by two other nearly equal partners, the two countersubjects. By visually examining these three melodic lines, you can see how they fit together, contrasting as they do in rhythm and pitch pattern. The last three bars are particularly pleasing, the easiest part of the three-voice texture to hear. The counterpart to this fugue, Book 2, No. 21 in B-flat-major, is a similar expression of pure three-part textures.