# Any modifications I need for the motific stretto?



## caters (Aug 2, 2018)

I am composing a fugue and I watched a series on youtube about composing a baroque style fugue and I am watching several counterpoint series. I have a motific stretto as the bridge between the second and third entries of the subject. I call it a motific stretto because I have the entries of a motif(in this case from the first countersubject) overlapping. It ends on a tritone, F#-C to be specific which is perfectly fine because the third entry is in G major, the 2nd entry is in D major, so that F#-C tritone acts as a 2 part voicing of D7 which resolves as it should to G.

But here are the intervals in the stretto:

7, 4, 6, 6, 9, 8, 8(this octave is a restatement of the previous one though), 5, 6(this 6th is arrived at by similar motion), 6, 9, 8, 8(another restatement of previous octave), 4, tritone(arrived at via similar motion)

It looks like I might need to modify the motif slightly so that I follow the rules of counterpoint in terms of how you can arrive at an interval. The reason I wrote 9 instead of 3? Well for one thing, this is in a 2 voice section. And another is that I am a pianist and knowing that it is a 9th means that I know I can play that interval with 1 hand because a 9th is the widest interval I can play with 1 hand. All the motion in the stretto except the motion I mention in the parentheses is contrary motion. But do I have to modify the motific stretto at all?﻿

Here is the mp3:

View attachment Motific Stretto.mp3


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

None of that is acceptable counterpoint in Baroque style.

Motivic, not motific.

One wouldn't use the word stretto for a short overlapping motive like that.


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## drmdjones (Dec 25, 2018)

I suggest listening to, playing, and analyzing many baroque fugues before attempting to compose one. A good place to start is Bach's Well-tempered Clavier, book one.


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