Broadly stated, the aim of these manuals has been either to develop a facility with relations among tones, or to develop familiarity with a. Guidelines for fourth species counterpoint the pulse of fourth species counterpoint is in half notes, as is that of second species, but here the half notes are tied over the bar. Second species counterpoint first and secondspecies counterpoint avoid parallel and direct 8ves and 5ths from weak to strong contrapuntal motion oblique motion dissonances in secondspecies passing tones avoid parallel octave and 5ths on consecutive strong beats voice would move against the cf. Outline the study of counterpoint from joseph fuxs gradus ad. You have probably had to harmonise bach chorales as part of your studies, and. However, the student now adds two notes for each note of the cantus firmus so every other note is an offbeat onto which the student may introduce dissonances. Idiomatic ornamentation of ascending second on consecutive downbeats 2. The third species is four notes against one in the cantus firmus.
This syncopated halfnote rhythm must be maintained throughout, with the following exceptions. The principles and practice of modal counterpoint book. In a triple meter the moving voice will have three notes to one of the cantus firmus. When writing the cadence in second species counterpoint, you have to think about whether you are writing your counterpoint above or below the cantus firmus. Pdf the study of counterpoint download full pdf book. Unisons may occur on the second, third, and fourth quarters vii. Fuxdidnotinanywayinvent counterpoint or its teaching. Short example of second species counterpoint additional considerations in second species counterpoint are as follows, and are in addition to the considerations for first species. Music theory for nonmusic majors ii second species.
However, in the real contrapuntal practice of the 18th century all types of embellishments appear in 2. You may also need a sharp on the thirdtolast note to prevent an augmented second the origin of melodic minor. Fourth species of counterpoint note one two half notes are set against a whole note they the same tone across the bar line and connected by a tie first must occur on the upbeat beat 2 the second on the down beat beat 1 this species is called ligature or syncopation and can be either consonant or dissonant. An easy solution would be to start your counterpoint at the unison. The species is said to be expanded if one of these two shorter notes differs in length from the other. Most approaches limit themselves more or less closely to one style, making some attempt at graduated exercises, often derived from the species method of fux. An exceptional text for undergraduate and graduate music students, modal counterpoint, renaissance style uses a wide variety of carefully graded exercises to present guidelines for writing and analyzing 16thcentury music. The second of the following two workings of the same passage is vastly superior to the.
In secondspecies counterpoint, the counterpoint line moves in half notes against a cantus firmus in whole notes. It is permissible to begin on an upbeat, leaving a halfrest in the added voice. In this course youll learn how to write baroque and early classicalstyle counterpoint from a modern approach. Principles of counterpoint this book is the second in a series of short works on the teaching of musical. Modal counterpoint is the style of composition that was employed until the tonal revolution pioneered by bach. In second species counterpoint, the counterpoint line moves in half notes against a cantus firmus in whole notes. Species counterpoint definition of species counterpoint. The only species counterpoint text that draws directly on renaissance treatises, it provides a conceptual framework to guide students through composition and analysis as it. A pdf version of this book is available for download here. Species counterpoint exercises from fuxs gradus ad. Species counterpoint is the traditional method for learning how to write contrapuntal music.
The second halfnote in a bar may be dissonant, but only if it is approached and left by a step. The second minim may be dissonant if it is approached and left by step figure 1. Species counterpoint part 1 cantus firmus duration. The second species is two notes against one in the cantus firmus. Modes and monophony the single line counterpoint during the middle ages first species in two voices first species in three voices counterpoint during the fourteenth century second species in two voices second species in three voices counterpoint during the renaissance fourth species in two voices fourth species in three. Manuals of species counterpoint have been produced for two hundred fifty years, some to benefit primarily composers, others music historians, and still others theorists. A unison on the weak half note is acceptable in second species. The first halfnote in each bar must be consonant with. You will be writing mostly halfnotes in second species. Incorrectly handled weak beat unison suspension resolves stepwise, but upwards 4th spc. Leap after more than three 3 notes in same direction 3rd spc. Species counterpoint definition of species counterpoint by.
Relatively little is known about his early life, but likely he went to nearby graz for music lessons. Dissonant outline if weak weak, or involving leading. The craft of modal counterpoint is the companion book to benjamins the craft of tonal counterpoint, recently republished in a second edition by routledge. Summary of rules for species counterpointsummary of rules for. The species counterpoint method dates back several hundred years, but its still taught in universities and music schools across the world today, because of its simplified, stepbystep approach. The rst halfnote in each bar must be consonant with the cantus rmus. In fact, third species counterpoint corresponds almost exactly to the ancient tradition of differencias, wherein the. Composing a third species counterpoint in third species counterpoint, the counterpoint line moves in quarter notes against a cantus firmus in whole notes. This allows the composer a greater degree of melodic freedom. Composing a secondspecies counterpoint open music theory.
Second species, requires two notes for every given note in the cantus firmus. S econd species counterpoint involves placing two minims half notes against each note of the cantus firmus. In this video i discuss the rules that govern composing a work of second species counterpoint. Outline the study of counterpoint from joseph fuxs gradus. This distills the whole text of fux into a handful of basic rules, with all of fux cantus firmi given in every mode, species, and voice position for 2part, 3part, and 4part counterpoint.
Additional considerations in second species counterpoint are as follows, and are in addition to the considerations for first species. The first and third beats of the counterpoint must be consonant 3. The crucial thing to remember about these embellishments is that they are usually dissonant with the prevailing harmony, and they generally. Class notes for counterpoint carnegie mellon university. An even briefer guide to how species counterpoint affects analysis can be found here. Learning the art of counterpoint is primarily about going through all of these exercises. This creates a downbeat, where both notes occur coincidentally, and an upbeat, where the second half note of your composed line sounds on its own. Are augmented fourth allowed in second species counterpoint. Secondspecies counterpoint grading guidelines 3point mistakes. Its interesting to think about all of the counterpoint species as being di. Species counterpoint definition is a traditional method of instruction in 16thcentury counterpoint based on five increasingly demanding types of twovoice contrapuntal writing based on a preexisting cantus firmus called also strict counterpoint. Writing second and third species counterpoint second species counterpoint introduction.
If your cantus firmus ends in 21, then your counterpoint will end with 678. The first note and the last note must form either an octave or unison with the cantus firmus. Second species counterpoint consists of two halfnotes set against each whole note in the cantus firmus. In second species counterpoint, you will write two notes for every note in the cantus firmus, except for the last note. Counterpointsecond species wikibooks, open books for an. In second species counterpoint, two notes in each of the added parts work against each longer note in the given part. Second species two notes against one note most of the rules in second species remain the same as in first species. Broadly stated, the aim of these manuals has been either to develop a facility with relations among tones, or to develop familiarity with a musical style. In second species counterpoint one part moves in rhythmic values that are half those of the cantus firmus, assuming the meter is binary divisible by two. Youll first understand the elements that go into creating an effective solo melody line, and then add a second part while looking at how the parts combine with.
This learning music with ray video discusses the topic of second species counterpoint. In second species counterpoint, we write a half note line against the cantus firmus cf. Fuxdidnotinanywayinventcounterpoint or its teaching. For every one note of the cf, there are two notes written against it. Music theorycounterpointspecies counterpoint wikibooks. Therefore, these embellishments will be allowed in this class. Third species involves the use of three to one counterpoint, following much the same principles. Fux method does have pedagogical value, but its advantages are best understood. In classical species counterpoint only the passing tone is allowed in second species, and then only in its unaccented form.
The fourth species is the study of suspensions against a cantus firmus. Species counterpoint fux divided counterpoint into. It is an extremely valuable skill for a musician to study historical evidence shows that haydn, mozart, and beethoven all. Skipping into an octave by oblique motion on the 2nd beat is ok under normal circumstances, however, it leads to a really, really ugly ending for your counterpoint all those leaps up to the leading tone. The pedagogy of counterpoint the pedagogy of counterpoint is often a confused mix of style and method. The complete guide to counterpoint giorgio signorile. Summary of rules for species counterpointsummary of rules. In second species counterpoint, two notes are created for every one note in the cantus firmus. C p secondspecies counterpoint c p 57 c in secondspecies counterpoint, the contrapuntal voice uses rhythmic values 3 6 6 6 8 10 6 10 6 6 3 8 6 6 that 6 are 6 twice 6 6 as 6fast6as those of the cf, so for every note of the cf, there are twoparallel in the contrapuntal voice. Species counterpoint exercises from fuxs gradus ad parnassum. First species note against note in this species every note of the part added by the student must be consonant with the cantus firmus consonance and dissonance are explained here. Nevertheless, his species approach was pedagogically groundbreaking 1you may remember from biology that species is the most speci. Composing a secondspecies counterpoint in secondspecies counterpoint, the counterpoint line moves in half notes against a cantus firmus in whole notes. Counterpoint general rules in counterpoint, one voice is usually given.
Modal counterpoint spiral bound peter schubert oxford. Species counterpoint involves the addition of a melody above or below a. Fourth species of counterpoint note one two half notes are set against a whole note they the same tone across the bar line and connected by a tie first must occur on the upbeat beat 2 the second on the down beat beat 1 this species is called ligature or syncopation and can be either consonant or. The only species counterpoint text that draws directly on renaissance treatises, modal counterpoint, renaissance style, second edition, provides a conceptual framework to guide students through composition and analysis as it teaches them general structural principles. The second permits metrically unaccented dissonance in the form of passing tones. Feb 10, 2016 this learning music with ray video discusses the topic of second species counterpoint. However, the student now adds two notes for each note of the cantus firmus so every other note is an offbeat onto which the student may introduce dissonances this is because the two dissonant notes do not sound at the same time as they would in first species. Second species can also include writing three half notes against a cantus firmus of dotted whole notes in 32 3 2.
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