The choral fugue: A comparative study of style and procedure in works by J. S. Bach and W. A. Mozart

It is proposed that the fugal writing found in W. A. Mozart's choral movements of his major choral-orchestral works can be favorably compared to those of the earlier master composer J. S. Bach in terms of mastery of contrapuntal technique, fugal procedure, creative invention, and artistic inspiration. The primary differences in the style and procedures found in the choral fugues of Bach and Mozart result from the differing musical styles of their separate lifetimes and their unique and unusually gifted creative personalities. Seen through the medium of combined chorus and orchestra Bach's fugal writing will be seen to exist as a procedure, not a form, which allowed him to an amazing variety of music within this single genre. The reader will also be shown how Bach's fugal polyphony was disseminated to succeeding generations and how Mozart's exposure to the music of Bach coincided with changes in his choral fugal writing.