fugal

American  

[fyoo-guhl] / ˈfyu gəl /

adjective

Music.

1. of or relating to a fugue, or composed in the style of a fugue.

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fugal British  

/ ˈfjuːɡəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or in the style of a fugue

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Other Word Forms

• fugally adverb
• unfugal adjective
• unfugally adverb

Etymology

Origin of fugal

First recorded in 1850–55; fugue + -al ¹

Example Sentences

It’s a sharp-clawed, hard-edge, uncompromising 16 minutes, its fugal form an insufficient cage for Beethoven’s beast.

From Washington Post • Dec. 10, 2022

The fugal master of the age, and probably all time, was another German.

From Economist • Mar. 13, 2018

And listen to a fleeting fugal episode in the third movement, when his skills as a pristine Bach player come in handy.

From New York Times • Oct. 20, 2017

When the eight-woman ensemble entered for the fifth variation — also clad in gold — it was welcomed, as Jones' line formations and fugal patterns filled the room.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2014

Another fugal trick is ‘retrograde’ motion, whereby the tune is played backwards against its forward-playing self.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall