Customer Reviews

The Technique and Spirit of Fugue: An Historical Study

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Anyone, student or Sunday composer (like myself) who has ever tried to understand the mysteries of one of music's most strict forms and has been thwarted by scholarly jargon filled tomes that can only be deciphered by college professors will appreciate Oldroyd's more practical approach. Each section of the fugue is presented as a whole and in detail so that a broad understanding of the material can be had before absorbing the details. There are many examples from JS Bach's "Well Tempered Clavier" to illustrate the common fugal practice as well as the many exceptions to the rules. Oldroyd is passionate about his subject and is able to transfer that passion to the reader. That makes the entire learning process a pleasurable experiance. The reader will look forward to every chapter and will no doubt be ready to compose his own fugue based on knowlege obtained from this book.

Oldroyd's book has flowery language, a literary style that doesn't immediately endear itself to a modern reader. But if you can get through the stolid prose this is one of the most incredible, practical, and (ironically) straightforward books on writing fugues available.

While primarily focusing on Bach, and specifically on the C minor fugue from the first book of the Well-Tempered Klavier, Oldroyd lays out literally every feasible compositional and contrapuntal device a composer may employ in composing any part of a fugue. The occasion the book is specifically written to address is to help grad level music students learn how to compose fugues in a Baroque style for examination requirements so if you're interested in a hard-core and practical survey of fugue-writing this is a must-have.