fugue
noun
\ ˈfyüg
\
\
Definition of fugue
1a
: a musical composition in which one or two themes are repeated or imitated by successively entering voices and contrapuntally developed in a continuous interweaving of the voice parts
The organist played a four-voiced fugue.
b
: something that resembles a fugue especially in interweaving repetitive elements
a story that … is as rich and multilayered as a fugue— Heather Vogel Frederick
2
: a disturbed state of consciousness in which the one affected seems to perform acts in full awareness but upon recovery cannot recollect the acts performed
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Other Words from fugue
fugue
verb
fuguist
\ ˈfyü-gist
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of fugue in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His story is interwoven with his father’s Vietnam War past and his grandfather’s Korean War history in a drama that organizes itself along the mingling lines of a fugue. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "In 'Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue,' the silent pain of war echoes through three generations," 6 Feb. 2018 The testimony is conflicting, and Morris illustrates the various versions of the crime in reenactments backed by the fugue-like music of Philip Glass. — Peter Keough, BostonGlobe.com, "Doc Talk: More moon, more Morris, more music," 18 July 2019 Paired with Felipe’s fugue-like voice, the exchange in perspective becomes mimetic of the fraught reciprocations between then and now, mother and daughter, the memories of parents and those of their children. — Sean Mccoy, Los Angeles Times, "Review: An authoritarian leader’s shadow looms over a weary country in ‘The Remainder’," 18 July 2019 Djokovic's double-fault in the next game helped Federer break back, and the ensuing changeover was filled with a fugue of fans' voices chanting the first names of both. — Howard Fendrich, baltimoresun.com, "Novak Djokovic tops Roger Federer in historic 5th-set tiebreaker for Wimbledon title," 14 July 2019 Djokovic's double-fault in the next game helped Federer break back, and the ensuing changeover was filled with a fugue of fans' voices chanting the first names of both. — Howard Fendrich, Anchorage Daily News, "Djokovic tops Federer in historic final for 5th at Wimbledon," 14 July 2019 Centuries’ worth of contrapuntal development that led to Bach’s fugues and Bartok’s string quartets was discarded by the stroke of a musical anarchist. — Mark Swed, latimes.com, "Four radical and radically original pieces of music that blew up the modernist status quo in 1968," 21 Apr. 2018 Centuries’ worth of contrapuntal development that led to Bach’s sublime fugues and Bartok’s wondrous string quartets was seemingly discarded by the stroke of a musical anarchist. — Mark Swed, latimes.com, "Four radical and radically original pieces of music that blew up the modernist status quo in 1968," 21 Apr. 2018 In March, Melnikov will perform the complete preludes and fugues by Dmitri Shostakovich in one gulp. — Patrick Neas, kansascity, "Friends of Chamber Music announce a ‘Transcendant’ 2018-19 season," 2 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fugue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for fugue
fugue
noun
English Language Learners Definition of fugue
: a piece of music in which tunes are repeated in complex patterns
See the full definition for fugue in the English Language Learners Dictionary
fugue
noun
\ ˈfyüg
\
\
Medical Definition of fugue
: a disturbed state of consciousness in which the one affected seems to perform acts in full awareness but upon recovery cannot recollect them
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