Puzzled Polyphony

Eight Fugues for Woodwind Trio
(Flute, Clarinet, Bassoon)
COMPOSER’S NOTES
I have been intrigued by counterpoint since my introduction to the 18th-century style when I was in college. The horizontal layering of independent melodic lines, along with the vertical harmonic structures those lines create, has been fascinating, as well as a challenge to me as a composer. The fugue, from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier to Hindemith’s Ludus Tonalis, has been of particular interest to me for years.
I have always related the composing of a fugue to putting together a jigsaw puzzle, with one exception - the composer gets to shape and arrange the pieces the way he/she wants. From this idea comes the title of this collection.
The pieces in this set are numbered, but, of course, don’t have to be presented in numerical order. Performers can certainly pick and choose what they would like to present. Since numbers have no real descriptive qualities, I decided to include some subtitles, hoping to give each piece a bit of humorous character.
The first fugue in this collection is unlike the others. It was written as an assignment for my 18th-Century Counterpoint class in college, many, many years ago. So, it imitates the style of Bach in its construction. I wanted to include it because it represents my first steps into this compositional form. The rest of the pieces follow a basic fugue format, but the harmony certainly doesn’t imitate that of traditional 18th-century music.
I hope you enjoy this collection of polyphonic puzzles.