Page:Fugue by Ebenezer Prout.djvu/177

Chap. IX.] 334. The first thing to do is to lay out clearly in the mind the general plan of the fugue. We know that the first and the final sections will be in the keys of the tonic and dominant; but we ought also to decide on the keys and order of the middle entries, and not start on our journey like Abraham, not knowing whither we go, and trusting to luck to come out somewhere. As we do not intend any of our specimen fugues to be very long, we will content ourselves for the one in two parts with two groups of middle entries—one in A minor and the other in F major. The outline of the fugue will therefore take the following form:—

(1) Exposition, to which, as there are only two voices, we shall add a counter-exposition.

(2) First episode, modulating to A minor.

(3) First middle group of entries in A minor, with first stretto.

(4) Second episode, modulating to F.

(5) Second middle group of entries in F, with closer stretto.

(6) Third episode, modulating back to C.

(7) Final section of fugue; entries in C, with closest stretto.

335. Some such outline as this ought to be clearly in the student's mind before he begins to write. We now give the complete fugue.