Stretto

In music, the Italian term stretto [ˈstretto] (plural: stretti) has two distinct meanings: The term stretto comes from the Italian past participle of stringere, and means "narrow", "tight", or "close".

[4] It applies in a close succession of statements of the subject in a fugue, especially in the final section.

For example, the C-major fugue from J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (BWV 846) opens with an initial succession of statements of the subject, each at a distance of six beats: As the musical argument proceeds, the gap between the entries closes to two beats: In the final bars, the entries are even closer, with the upper two voices following at a distance of just one beat: The complete C-major fugue may be heard here: In other instances, stretto serves to display contrapuntal prowess, as in the Fugue No.

Fugal stretto techniques may also be found in pieces that are not themselves fugues, such as the boisterous finale of Haydn’s Quartet in E flat, Op.

When repeated in bars 127–132, the viola and 'cello lead with the theme and the violins follow closely at one beat’s distance.