Prog Rock Fugues
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Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=116144
Printed Date: November 30 2024 at 09:20
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Topic: Prog Rock Fugues
Posted By: philipemery
Subject: Prog Rock Fugues
Date Posted: August 17 2018 at 13:13
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So at the moment I am working with a friend on our very first Progressive Rock album. One thing we are doing is exploring classical forms (me being from a classical background, and my friend just enjoying counterpoint beyond all natural reason). But he is, shall we say, somewhat unfamiliar with the art of composing a fugue and then maintaining the counter themes and expositions in harmony. He loves Progressive rock and has a brilliant ear for music, however. So I am wishing to get a good catalog of Prog Rock fugues to give to him, basically as homework for him to work on with his keyboard and guitar, so he gets the gist more fully. Currently the only ones I can name off the top of my head are: On Reflection - Gentle Giant Moog Fugue - Gentle Giant The Endless Enigma - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer Contrappunti - Le Orme Little Fugue in G Minor - as played by Styx But I don't know any by name beyond this. For those who don't know: A fugue is a contrapuntal piece, which begins with a main theme, which is then repeated in different pitches (this is called imitation), and this imitation happens at a minimum of two times throughout the piece (though Bach went beyond that on a dare and did a six part fugue as well), typically the voices occur in a descending order, highest to lowest. In most cases, particularly of the Baroque era, the order was (high) Tonic, (lower dominant), with a consistent decline in pitch, always following the tonic and dominant pattern. During this whole process the voice that was previously playing turns into a counter-theme to the main theme, creating two independent "tunes" if you will, which are interdependent on each other for strict harmonies, while also creating precise and very intricate rhythms. Another way to think of the pattern: So if your Fugue was in C, you'd start on high C, then the theme would be repeated again in G (below the high C), and if there were more voices it would continue to Middle C, and then the G below Middle C. There are variances of course (Bach occasionally started with a lower tonic and then rose up to the dominant, but the pattern was still the same: tonic-dominant). Anyways, suggestions? ------------- But the sun is eclipsed by the moon. -- Pink Floyd |
Replies:
Posted By: hellogoodbye
Date Posted: August 17 2018 at 15:32
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The Modern Jazz Society - Little David's Fugue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0rrrj87U8Q 
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Posted By: philipemery
Date Posted: August 17 2018 at 18:47
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Know that one, looking for more Prog Rock fugues, not jazz though. ------------- But the sun is eclipsed by the moon. -- Pink Floyd |
Posted By: philipemery
Date Posted: August 18 2018 at 10:54
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Thanks to more research I just discovered another one: Kevin Gilbert - Suit Fugue ------------- But the sun is eclipsed by the moon. -- Pink Floyd |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: August 18 2018 at 15:33
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The beginning of "Meurglys III - The Songwriter's Guild" by Van der Graaf Generator is a fugue. But the song does not stay in fugue mode for long.
-------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: August 18 2018 at 15:43
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Here a link to a little list: http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.14.20.3/lundberg_examples.pdf" rel="nofollow - http://www.mtosmt.org/issues/mto.14.20.3/lundberg_examples.pdf ------------- BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Cristi
Date Posted: August 19 2018 at 08:06
| Egg and Ekseption |
Posted By: NormalLight2683
Date Posted: May 13 2024 at 14:11
From what I'm learning in music class, there's a fugue-like section in Chris Squire's Safe (Canon Song) in the orchestral section of the song (however it does not last very long  )
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Posted By: Awesoreno
Date Posted: May 13 2024 at 22:58
| There is a fugue in Renaissance's Song for Scheherazade, the part called, fittingly, Fugue for the Sultan. And to be more specific, the ELP one is the track Fugue, which is sandwiched between the parts of Endless Enigma. However, it only becomes a fugue partway through (very obvious when it does), as I'm sure you know. |
Posted By: mellotronwave
Date Posted: May 14 2024 at 12:12
Marillion : Fugue-azi 
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Posted By: Moyan
Date Posted: May 17 2024 at 10:16
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"Jane Seymour" from Rick Wakeman's album "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" incorporates a fugue section, demonstrating the symphonic rock genre in all of its grandeur, as it showcases Wakeman's classical training and stands out for his virtuosity on various keyboard instruments, like church organ, MiniMoog, and harpsichord. |
Posted By: RockHound
Date Posted: May 19 2024 at 11:22
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Fugues are among the most challenging types of compositions to pull off. That’s a big part of the reason there are very few truly fugal compositions after the Baroque era. Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue for string quartet is an interesting study in post-baroque fugues. It is a very late career piece written by a deaf musical genius, and it should be no surprise that its theoretical foundation is extremely strong. As far as it being a performance piece, that’s a horse of another color. Many quartets have taken it on, but few succeed in making it sound. For example, the Guarneri Quartet, which is among the all-time greats, made it sound very sloppy. The Cleveland Quartet is the one that I think truly achieved Beethoven’s vision. This leads me to Emerson’s fugal section in the Endless Enigma, which is a blast but is plagued by timing errors, highlighting the challenge fugues present to post-Baroque composers. I admire your desire to pursue fugal composition. Succeeding will be a great contribution, and I think this is a very green field to pursue in the context of modern music. |