Which statement describes a fugue?

• A. Polyphonic form popular in the Baroque era in which one or more themes are developed by imitative counterpoint
• B. A dramatic work in one act
• C. A religious hymn
• D. A solo aria

Answer: (A)

A fugue is a polyphonic form built on imitative entrances of a single main theme. The subject is stated, then taken up by other voices one after another, often in different keys, so each new voice repeats and develops the theme while the texture remains contrapuntal. As the piece progresses, the music may introduce countersubjects, episodes, and stretto sections where entrances overlap, and the material modulates through related keys. This intertwining of voices and the developmental feel are what give a fugue its distinctive Baroque character.

Other descriptions point to different kinds of works: a dramatic one-act piece is an opera or similar drama, a religious hymn is a congregational or liturgical song, and a solo aria is a single melodic line with accompaniment.