Fugue

A form of composition popular in, but not restricted to, the Baroque era, in which a theme or subject is introduced by one voice, and is imitated by other voices in succession. Usually only the first few notes of the subject are imitated exactly, then each voice deviates slightly until the next time it enters again with the subject. Generally the voices overlap and weave in and out of each other forming a continuous, tapestry-like texture."flight." a contrapuntal piece, in which two or more parts are built or "layered" on a recurring subject that is introduced alone, and followed by an answer, which is the subject (or theme) at a different pitch, usually the fifth(Fr), fuga literally "flight"; hence a complex and highly regimented contrapuntal form in music. A short theme (the subject) is introduced in one voice (or part) alone, then in others, with imitation and characteristic development as the piece progresses.