fugue
n. countablen. a complex piece of music where a short melody is repeated and changed by different instruments. It is common in classical music and often feels very organized and busy.
n. a complex musical composition in which a short melody or phrase is repeated and developed in different voices. Characterized by the interplay of these voices, often resulting in a dense, intricate texture.
The pianist played a beautiful fugue from Bach.
In a fugue, the main theme, called the subject, is introduced and then imitated by each subsequent voice in the ensemble.
The composer's final movement is a masterful fugue, weaving the initial motif through several key changes and rhythmic variations before resolving into a triumphant conclusion.
Borrowed from French fugue, from Italian fuga (“flight, ardor”), from Latin fuga (“act of fleeing”), from fugiō (“to flee”); compare Ancient Greek φυγή (phugḗ). Apparently from the metaphor that the first part starts alone on its course, and is pursued by later parts. Doublet of fuga.