Little Fugue (J.S. Bach)
A lesson plan by Gary Penkala, Saint Ireneus, Oakmont, PA
TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:
Electronic Musical Instruments
Notation
Level:
Elementary
Equipment:
Sibelius 2
Duration:
15 Minutes
Prior Knowledge and Skills:
General background of Baroque music;
Awareness of Bach as compser
MENC Standards Addressed:
MENC 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
MENC 5: Reading and notating music.
MENC 6: Listening to, analyzing and describing music.
MENC 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and Culture
Materials:
Objectives:
Procedures:
Teach (or review) the mnemonic song “This Is Called the Little Fugue by J.S. Bach.” Introduce concept of “subject” as the main melody, “countersubject” as a companion melody. Look at occurrences of subject and countersubject in a score (displayed on Sibelius). Play score as students watch, pointing out subject and countersubject as music progresses.
Evaluation:
Can students pinpoint subject and countersubject at siht and on hearing. Have them place a visual graphic (a “PacMan-style” mouth) on the board at each occurrence.
Follow Up:
Introduce concept of “episode” as a “commercial break” from the main subject/countersubject music.
