Which term describes a polyphonic contrapuntal form consisting of two or more voices where the subject enters at the beginning and is imitated by others in succession?

Which term describes a polyphonic contrapuntal form consisting of two or more voices where the subject enters at the beginning and is imitated by others in succession?

• A. Counterpoint/Contrapuntal
• B. Hemiola
• C. Rubato
• D. Fugue

Answer: (D)

Fugue is a polyphonic form built on imitation. It opens with a single subject stated in one voice, and that subject is imitated by the other voices in succession, often in different keys as the texture expands. The opening exposition lays out the subject in each voice, and later sections develop material through episodes while the subject keeps returning in varied contexts. This clear pattern of a subject entering at the start and being successively imitated is the defining feature of a fugue, setting it apart from general counterpoint, which is a technique rather than a formal structure. Hemiola concerns a rhythmic relationship, and rubato involves flexible tempo, neither of which capture the formal, imitative process of a fugue.

Fugue is a polyphonic form built on imitation. It opens with a single subject stated in one voice, and that subject is imitated by the other voices in succession, often in different keys as the texture expands. The opening exposition lays out the subject in each voice, and later sections develop material through episodes while the subject keeps returning in varied contexts. This clear pattern of a subject entering at the start and being successively imitated is the defining feature of a fugue, setting it apart from general counterpoint, which is a technique rather than a formal structure. Hemiola concerns a rhythmic relationship, and rubato involves flexible tempo, neither of which capture the formal, imitative process of a fugue.