Bach’s Fugue in G minor, commonly referred to as “Little” Fugue, is an organ piece and one of the composer’s best known fugues. Right from the beginning, the listener can distinguish four voices that enter the melody and continue to play throughout the work. The voices used in the piece vary in texture: some of them are “high” while others are “low.” The higher voices give the melody an upbeat, light-hearted sentiment while the lower ones add more depth to the fugue. The melody has an Italian feel to it, and its opening reminds of a violin melody. Bach’s great accomplishment with the “Little” Fugue is the harmony of voices. Every one of them sounds pleasing to the ear, and together, they create a balanced, multifaceted melody without conflicting with each other. A detail that is worth noticing about the “Little” Fugue is Bach’s use of the subject and the countersubject (Stinson, 2020). The subject is introduced with the first voice and then becomes taken over by the secondary theme. It only resurfaces around 2:38 and 3:18, though with slight variations in pitch.
References
Stinson, R. (2020). Bach’s legacy: The music as heard by later masters. Oxford University Press, USA.