Fugue

This is a profoundly solemn four-voice fugue, imbued with a sense of sorrow. A distinctive feature of this fugue is the appearance of the subject in stretto with its original form, achieved through augmentation.

Augmentation refers to the process of extending the note values of a phrase to double or more of their original duration. The tenor in measure 14 and the bass in measure 19 exemplify this technique. Specifically, in measure 14, the original subject in the soprano is superimposed over the augmented subject in the tenor. A key performance tip is to ensure that this elongated subject is clearly audible above the other subjects, thereby making it more discernible to the listener.

Given its four-voice texture, an effective performance will involve differentiating the timbre of each voice, akin to four individuals with distinct vocal qualities singing together.