ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Prelude and fugue

Prelude and fugue is a special kind of music that is often played on a piano or organ. It is like a game where you have two parts: the prelude and the fugue.

Let's start with the prelude. Imagine you have a big box of crayons. You can pick any crayon you want and make lots of different drawings with it. The prelude is just like that - it's a free and creative part of the music. The composer can play any notes they like and make different melodies. It's like they're trying out different colors from the box of crayons to see what looks and feels best.

Now, let's move on to the fugue. In the fugue, there are rules to follow, like a game. Imagine you have a set of blocks with holes and different shapes that fit into those holes. In the fugue, the composer chooses a musical melody called a subject and starts playing it. Then, a second musical melody called the answer comes in and fits with the first one. They play together, one after the other. This is like putting the blocks together, fitting one shape into the other.

But wait, there's more! After the subject and answer play a bit, they take a break, and a new melody called the counter-subject comes in. It's like adding another shape to the blocks. This counter-subject makes the music even more interesting because it adds another layer of sound.

But the fun doesn't stop there. The subject, answer, and counter-subject keep coming back, playing over and over again in different combinations. It's like building a tower with blocks and taking them apart, then putting them together in new ways. The composer can be very creative in how they combine these melodies, just like you can be creative in how you stack the blocks.

So remember, the prelude is like drawing with crayons, where the composer can make up any melodies they want. And the fugue is like playing a fun game with blocks, where they have to follow rules and fit different melodies together to make beautiful music.