The course helps the students in two directions: the analysis of works written as fugues - or with that concept in mind (fugati) - and the composition of fugues. From the very beginning, it intends to show the difference between Fugue as a form - in particular, a Baroque form - and Fugue as a concept - used as such in many distinctive musical languages (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Bartok, Ives, and Lutoslawski). The course is useful both for performers, providing them the analytical tools needed to understand this kind of work, and for composers, allowing them to use the concept of Fugue within the framework of their own creative needs. By the end of the semester, each student writes a fugue for string quartet.
