Fugue and African Song Cycle Project

The course offers students with advanced African and Western music composition skills in fugue and African song cycle writing. It examines the theoretical background of the development of fugues in the style of J S Bach. Besides offering skills in writing a fugue, its analysis is also part of the training. Students write and are supervised in writing at least two developments of a fugue (one in a major key and another in a minor key) in the style of J S Bach. In addition, the course examines the scoring music for both chamber and full orchestra. Students do exercises of scoring for both chamber and full orchestra; and have the exercises tried out by the orchestra for aural recognition and appreciation. Further, the course is directed to assisting students writing African song cycles according to the ideas, and themes developed by each student during the first semester.Objectives: 

1. To offer skills for writing a Development and conclusion of at least a three-voice fugue in both the major and minor modes, in the style of J S Bach.
2. To offer skills for writing for both chamber and full western orchestra
3. To offer skills for writing a song cycle using traditional African instruments as the accompaniment