The Tonal Answer

7/23/2019 The Tonal Answer

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The melodic structure of the fugue subject mustestablish the key clearly.

Therefore, many fugue subjects emphasize members

of the tonic triad, particularly 1 and 5. A fugue subject often contains a rhythmic or

melodic characteristic (or both) that makes it easyto hear later in the piece.


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This restatement is almost always in the dominant

key (V or v) and takes one of two forms: An exacttransposition into the dominant key, called a real

answer.

A transposed version in the dominant key that contains

one or more slight alterations, called a tonal answer.


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First, if given a fugue subject to which you willwrite an answer, you will learn whether the subjectrequires a tonal answer, and

Second, if you need to write a tonal answer, youwill learn how to make the correct stylistic

alterations to the answer.


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Why do composers use tonal answers? Why notsimply transpose the answer to the dominant and bedone with it?

To begin to understand these questions, lets startwith a typical fugue subject.


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Here is J. S. Bachs subject to the Art of Fugue. Aswith most subjects, the tonic harmony is establishedright at the outset.


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Now here is a real answer to the above subject. Thesubject is simply transposed to the (minor)dominant key.


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In actual practice, the answer enters when the subjectreaches its final note:


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But theres a problem: when the answer enters in m.

5 the underlying harmony at that point is D minor,

which is no surprise since the subject ends on 1.The changes to a minor in the following measure.

The answers second note, E, clashes with this tonic

harmony:


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Change the subjects ending harmony (thus

destroying the sense of tonic associated with theending of the subject)? Or,

Alter the answer to accommodate the harmony?Composers opted for the second option:


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Note that we had to change only ONE note of theanswer to accommodate the underlying harmony.(This is the solution that Bach uses, by the way.)


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Assume that a fugue subject will take a real answerunless one of the following three conditions exist:

1. The subject begins on 5 and does not modulate.

2. 1 and 5 occur very close to one another at theoutset of the subject (very often the first two notes)and the subject do not modulate. Or,

3. The subject modulates to the dominant.


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Answers to these type of subjects usually requireonly a single alteration: start the answer on 1 andtranspose the rest of the subject to the dominant key.

Consider this subject by J. G. Walther (J. S. Bachsuncle):


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The subject starts on 5, so we begin the answer on 1.

(Although there are three eighth notes on 5, theyrepresent a single pitch, so we change all of thecorresponding notes to 1. )

Then transpose the remainder of the subject up a P5.


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These are a verycommon type of subject: thesubject starts on 1 and then leaps to 5.

Usually only one alteration is necessary: answer 5

with 1. Thus, if the subject begins 15, the answerbegins 51.

Write the rest of the answer up a P5.


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Consider the fugue subject by Bach:


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1 at the opening of the subject is answeredby 5.

5 at the opening of the subject is answered

by 1.

Although set in the dominant key, the answer isinitially harmonized with the tonic chord of thehome key, not the tonic key of the dominant. Theexchange of 1 and 5 remains in place as long as thehome key tonic is the underlying harmony.


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Modulating fugue subjects are uncommon

The new key is always V.

The answer MUST modulate back to I (i), because

to allow the answer to modulate up to its dominantis unacceptable so early in the fugue (C G D?).

At some point, the answer is transposed up only a

P4 instead of a P5 (C G C). There is no definite formula for answering

modulating fugue subjects that works in all cases.


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Charles Nalden (Fugal Answer, 1969) groups fuguesubjects into three melodic types, which determinewhere the P4 transposition will occur:

1. Subjects whose opening is marked with aprominently placed 1 and 5.

2. Subjects whose melodic line is marked by adivision (usually a rest or implied cadence).

3. Subjects with an indivisible or unyielding melodic

line.


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The alteration takes place at the beginning of theanswer. Once the typical exchange of 1 and 5 takesplace, transpose the rest of the answer up a 4th.

Consider this subject:


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Simply make the exchange of 1 and 5 and then

transpose the rest of the subject up a P4. (Note thatthe use of 1 in the answer already representstransposition by P4 anyway.)


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In the actual context it sounds:


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Look for a rest or implied cadence (on the tonicchord).

The alteration takes place immediately after this

point.

In this first example, the change takes place near thebeginning of the subject, following the eighth rest.

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The Tonal Answer