Fugue
fjuːɡ
noun
a polyphonic musical composition in which one or more themes are developed through intricate imitation and counterpoint
Fugues are known for their complex and structured form, often found in the works of classical composers like Bach. They require skillful handling of multiple melodic lines and are a prominent feature in the genre of classical music.
See how Stephen King, Frank Herbert and 4 other authors use "fugue", with its meaning, pronunciation and real book examples.
Examples from books
And what was played was a fugue—though Pétya had not the least conception of what a fugue is.
Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace
I believe―I hope―that she's going to come out of the mental fugue-state she's currently in.
Stephen King
The Stand
The auras had gone away-the bright gray gleams in Wyzer's eyes as he'd laughed at whatever Hong's receptionist had said had been the last. He was starting to think they had just been a mental fugue brought on by a combination of extreme tiredness and Wyzer's mention of hyper-reality. There was another reason for feeling good-he now had an appointment with a man who had helped this man through a similar bad patch.
Stephen King
Insomnia
As he lay back on the couch and listened, the lovely melody got to him, the subtle convolutions of the fugue stirring up something deep inside.
Haruki Murakami
Kafka on the Shore
I nodded. "Here's one more for good measure," she said, and for her fifty-first piece she played her favourite Bach fugue. When she was through, she said in a voice just above a whisper, "How about doing it with me, Watanabe?"
Haruki Murakami
Norwegian wood
He's a disassociative personality disorder. A psychogenic fugue state. Tyler Durden is my hallucination.
Chuck Palahniuk
Fight Club
It required every bit of his training to keep from falling into a nervous fugue.
Frank Herbert
Chapterhouse: Dune
He looked, and saw a spacious plain, whereon Were tents of various hue; by some were herds Of cattle grazing; others, whence the sound Of instruments that made melodious chime Was heard, of harp and organ, and who moved Their stops and chords was seen; his volant touch Instinct through all proportions, low and high, Fled and pursued transverse the resonant fugue.
John Milton
Paradise Lost