The Art of Fugue

E55119
contrapuntal work fugue cycle musical composition

The Art of Fugue is an unfinished late contrapuntal masterpiece by Johann Sebastian Bach that systematically explores the possibilities of a single musical theme through a series of complex fugues and canons.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (3)

Surface form Occurrences
BWV 1080 1
Contrapunctus I 1
Die Kunst der Fuge 1

Statements (55)

Predicate Object
instanceOf contrapuntal work ⓘ
fugue cycle ⓘ
musical composition ⓘ
catalogueNumber The Art of Fugue self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: BWV 1080
commonInstrumentation chamber ensemble ⓘ
keyboard ⓘ
orchestra ⓘ
string quartet ⓘ
composer Johann Sebastian Bach ⓘ
compositionalTechnique augmentation ⓘ
canon ⓘ
contrapuntal inversion ⓘ
diminution ⓘ
invertible counterpoint ⓘ
mirror fugue ⓘ
stretto ⓘ
considered masterpiece of contrapuntal writing ⓘ
dateOfComposition c. 1740s ⓘ
dateOfFirstPublication 1751 ⓘ
finalFugueStatus breaks off unfinished ⓘ
finalFugueSubjectMaterial includes B–A–C–H motif ⓘ
genre canon ⓘ
fugue ⓘ
influenceOn later contrapuntal composition ⓘ
isUnfinished true ⓘ
key D minor ⓘ
languageOfTitle German ⓘ
movement The Art of Fugue self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Contrapunctus I

Contrapunctus II ⓘ
Contrapunctus III ⓘ
Contrapunctus IV ⓘ
Contrapunctus IX ⓘ
Contrapunctus V ⓘ
Contrapunctus VI ⓘ
Contrapunctus VII ⓘ
Contrapunctus VIII ⓘ
Contrapunctus X ⓘ
Contrapunctus XI ⓘ
Contrapunctus XII ⓘ
Contrapunctus XIII ⓘ
Contrapunctus XIV (unfinished) ⓘ
musicalForm contrapuntal cycle ⓘ
notatedFor open score ⓘ
numberOfCanons 4 canons (in first edition) ⓘ
numberOfMovements 14 fugues in the main cycle (in first edition) ⓘ
originalInstrumentation unspecified ⓘ
originalTitle The Art of Fugue self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Die Kunst der Fuge
period Baroque ⓘ
placeOfFirstPublication Leipzig ⓘ
publisher Bach’s heirs and associates ⓘ
structure series of fugues and canons ⓘ
subjectOf musicological analysis ⓘ
thematicMaterial single principal subject ⓘ
workNumberingVariant contains additional early version of Contrapunctus X in some editions ⓘ
contains chorale setting "Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein" in some editions ⓘ

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Art of Fugue → catalogueNumber → The Art of Fugue self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: BWV 1080
The Art of Fugue → movement → The Art of Fugue self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Contrapunctus I
Johann Sebastian Bach → notableWork → The Art of Fugue ⓘ
The Art of Fugue → originalTitle → The Art of Fugue self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Die Kunst der Fuge