The Ricercar, The Ricercar Style, and The Tonally Stable Fugue
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Abstract
The innovative tendencies of 17th century European music were brightly manifested in the instrumental ricercar,
which shaped the ricercar style – a complex of traits of the ricercar, furnished with an abundance of contrapuntal
technique. It became not only an important form-generating factor, but also a bearer of substance in instrumental
music. The emergence of the ricercar and its obtainment of the forefront positions in the 18th century created the
foundations for the development of a number of instrumental genres, among which of special interest is the fugue.
There exists the opinion that the ricercar is the predecessor of the ricercar. The article brings forth the hypothesis
that it is not the ricercar that is the predecessor of the fugue, but the fugue is the descendent of the fugue. This kind
of interchange in the pair of “cause-effect” generates an important question: where does the boundary between the
ricercar and the fugue occur, and how is it ensured?
Analysis of a large number of ricercars makes it possible to find this boundary and determine the main reason
of its appearance: the formation of the tonal system. It exacerbates the importance of high-altitude relations between
the various sections of the forms, gradually replacing the traditional modal-hypomodal relations with tonic-dominant
ones, having created the conditions for emergence of tonal contrasts – new and quite effective ones – in the question
of form-generation.
The 17th century fugue, having appreciated the technical potentials of the ricercar and having made use of the
power of tonal contrasts, opened up a new page in music history.
Keywords: ricercar, ricercar style, motet, mass, modal system, mode-hypo-mode, tonal system, tonal plan, fugue.
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