Why did the fugue become less popular during the late 18th century?

By the middle of the 18th century, the fugue had passed its peak in popularity as composers shifted their focus toward the emerging style of Viennese Classicism.1

The decline in the fugue's prominence was primarily driven by a stylistic evolution in symphony and sonata forms. Composers began favoring homophonic textures—characterized by a clear, melody-dominated style supported by chordal accompaniment—over the systematically maintained, intricate polyphony that defined the Baroque era. This shift toward simplicity, clarity, and balanced phrasing led to the development of new textural patterns, such as the Alberti bass, which replaced the complex contrapuntal lines of earlier periods.12

While the fugue was largely set aside in favor of these new aesthetic norms, it did not disappear entirely. It survived primarily within sacred music as a symbol of hallowed tradition and was occasionally utilized in the development sections of sonata-form movements, where contrapuntal techniques were still valued for their dramatic and structural potential.123