counterfugue

Etymology

From counter- + fugue.

counterfugue means A fugue in which the answer or imitation to the melody is played in an inverse manner. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.

Why this word is great

COUNTERFUGUE — [Noun] A fugue in which the answering imitation of the primary theme is presented in contrary melodic motion, ascending where the subject descends. From the English prefix counter- (meaning "contrary" or "opposite") + fugue (from Italian fuga, "flight"). Unlike a standard fugue, which pursues a theme through linear imitation, or a mere inversion, which is a technique rather than a formal structure, the counterfugue is a structured argument with itself, a dialectic given sound. It is a single melody simultaneously ascending a staircase and descending its own reflection; a flock of starlings wheeling in perfect, mirrored opposition; the profound disquiet of a familiar voice speaking perfect sense in a language of exact opposites. Here, conflict is not chaos but a higher, colder order.

noun

A fugue in which the answer or imitation to the melody is played in an inverse manner.