Class notes for counterpoint carnegie mellon university. The basis of counterpoint point against point is melody. The following discussion is a summary of some important elements of palestrinas style. Summary of rules for species counterpointsummary of rules for. Jazz, rock and entertainment music are also based on these principles. The cantus firmus is a given melodic phrase that is to receive contrapuntal treatment. The teaching of counterpoint has a long and illustrious history, but its pedagogy is all too often abstracted from musical reality. I believe this is the best, the most useful counterpoint book a composer can read, written by a prominent selftaught composer. Understanding basic music theory open textbooks for hong. Theory of musicbasic atonal theory jonathan dimond. Simple counterpoint lesson i counterpoint is the art of combining two or more melodies of equal melodic individuality. Counterpoint is the mediation of two or more musical lines into a meaningful and pleasing whole. Counterpoint changed from renaissance to baroque in some significant ways. Composing a firstspecies counterpoint open music theory.
The course begins with writing a simple melodic line that works with an existing melody. Studying counterpoint teaches us how to recognize and understand those lines. Harmony and counterpoint for hundreds of years have been the basics of music composition. My frustrations with learning counterpoint on my own from books some facts and assumptions about learning counterpoint my first counterpoint lesson hint. Pitchclass set theory and its contexts michael buchler a.
It includes a comprehensive set of blank staves associated with each of the six cantus rmi that aloysius, the master teacher, o ers young josephus. Use code metacpan10 at checkout to apply your discount. Ncr counterpoint course 307 customizing counterpoint. Write at least four measures of music in each time signature.
With those in mind we can move on to a general outline of the principles involved in combining melodies. A practical guide to musical composition presentation the following is the table of contents of my book. Although in twopart counterpoint we have to deal with intervals, rather than harmonies, still the harmonic progressions represented by these intervals should be regarded. Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Mar 16, 2015 a brief primer on the use of interval vectors in the analysis of atonal music. This can be such useful information that you will find many musicians who have not studied much music theory, and even some who dont read music, but who can tell you what the i one or the v five chord are in a certain. If you need some staff paper, you can download this pdf file. Henry cowell homage to iran 1959 three string quartets. Its aim is to discuss fundamental principles of musical composition in concise, practical terms, and to provide guidance for student composers.
Understanding basic music theory open textbook library. An advanced study of contrapuntal practice from the renaissance to the present. A theory professor once told me that harmony is a byproduct of the rules of counterpoint being used properly. A practical guide to musical composition dolmetsch. Basic music theory this document intermediate music theory advanced music theory this has been done for two reasons. Finally, we would recommend that any counterpoint exercise, from the simplest to the most elaborate, be discussed as a real composition, with a beginning, a development, and an end. Uniformity, balance, and smoothness in atonal voice. Set theory seemed like an interesting topic because of its applicability to atonal and posttonal music. Following are a few tips, terms, and common structures that will be helpful for analyzing early twentiethcentury atonal music, such as that composed by members of the second viennese school schonberg, berg, webern. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone.
Write each of the time signatures below with a clef symbol at the beginning of a staff. Berklee onlines counterpoint course explores the mechanics of basic contrapuntal technique, focusing on the horizontal aspects of composition. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. In modal counterpoint, renaissance style one finds exemplary scholarship coupled with effective pedagogical strategies. Modal counterpoint palestrina style1 it is widely stated that modal counterpoint reached its peak in the music of the italian composer giovanni pierluigi da palestrina c. Tmus recitals cannot be scheduled unless you are following the written plan on file in the graduate office. Althoughincounterpoint,ourattentionistakenupratherby intervals and melodicprogressionsthan by chords, still many points are made clearer by referringto chordsandchord progressions. John rahn basic atonal theory free ebook download as pdf file. In music, counterpoint is the relationship between voices which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and contour. Apr 19, 2012 species counterpoint is a type of so called strict counterpoint, developed as a pedagogical tool, in which a student progresses through several species of increasing complexity, always working a very plain given part in the cantus firmus latin for fixed melody. The term originates from the latin punctus contra punctum meaning point. Atonal music is relatively young, considering how old western music is. Project muse modal counterpoint, renaissance style by peter.
Perhaps more than any other musical discipline, counterpoint has bred ingrown academic traditions whose relevance to musical practice often seems painfully limited. Kodi archive and support file community software vintage software apk msdos cdrom software cdrom software library console living room software sites tucows software library shareware cdroms software capsules compilation cdrom images zx spectrum doom level cd. Since many people are uncomfortable reading bass clef, someone writing music that is meant to sound in the region of the bass clef may decide to write it in the treble clef so that it is easy to read. This series is dedicated to the memory of my teacher and friend marvin duchow, one of the rare true scholars, a musician of immense depth and sensitivity, and a man of unsurpassed kindness and generosity. Much more common is the use of a treble clef that is meant to be read one octave below the written pitch.
Project muse modal counterpoint, renaissance style by. The eight chapters of analyzingatonalmusicfollow something of anaba form, where chap. Atonality, in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day, where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale function independently of one another kennedy 1994. Musicatonalutil atonal music analysis and composition. A brief primer on the use of interval vectors in the analysis of atonal music. Sql fundamentals describes sql, and provides examples of the select, update. John rahn basic atonal theory entertainment general scribd. Message from the president the mission of the royal conservatoryto develop human potential through leadership in music and arts educationis based on the conviction that. This type of counterpoint consists in combining two similar melodies, of which one.
Species counterpoint exercises from fuxs gradus ad. Dec 22, 2009 basic atonal counterpoint funicelli, stanley a on. It has been most commonly identified in the european classical tradition, strongly developing during the renaissance and in much of the common practice period, especially in the baroque. The complete guide to counterpoint giorgio signorile. Customizing ncr counterpoint table of contents overview of class format and training materials section 1. Counterpoint is a broad term for interacting yet independent voices. Fill each measure with a different combination of note lengths. This book is easy to understand, comprehensive, and distinctly modern in its approach to the study of counterpoint. Summary of rules for species counterpointsummary of rules. Those are just basic mechanisms of independence, in real counterpoint one will subjectively recognize the melodies as being separate entities, i. The material covered by the different topics is of varying levels of complexity and targets different audiences. Even modern electronic music styles often use the basic schemes of harmony.
Given the diminishing role of modal counterpoint in the curricula of many university music 342 letters in canada 1999 programs, some of which no longer require even tonal b let alone modal b counterpoint in their core theory sequence, the potential for multiple use strategically positions this textbook for a market that is not exactly burgeoning. Missing more than three classes will result in the lowering of the grade by one full letter unless. Counterpoint is the basis of classical music theory, growing out of the early sacred music traditions of the catholic church into the common practice for composers of the 15th through 18th. Harmony is evident in counterpoint which, i suppose, is what is causing the confusion. Species counterpoint exercises from fuxs gradus ad parnassum 1 introduction this workbook supplements alfred manns the study of counterpoint from johann joseph fuxs gradus ad parnassum.
In firstspecies counterpoint, we not only write a smooth melody that has its own integrity of shape, variety, and goaldirected motion, but we also write a second melody that contains these traits. Two counterpoint examinations are offered, one in 16th. Even given that this is a basic text, more space could have been devoted to these topics, at the expense of others e. It will be helpful to look first at some basic principles that can guide the creation of a single melody. In second species counterpoint, you will write two notes for every note in the cantus firmus, except for the last note. This is the only way to evaluate counterpoint that will be consistently relevant to the real problems faced by a composer. We can really thank arnold schoenberg for developing atonality as a style of music. Simple counterpoint in two parts first species twopart counterpoint comprises a cantus firmus and a counterpoint. Learning counterpoint on your own art of composing. I hope you treat this crash course in counterpoint as an introduction to the art. Understanding basic music theory open textbooks for hong kong. As a valued partner and proud supporter of metacpan, stickeryou is happy to offer a 10% discount on all custom stickers, business labels, roll labels, vinyl lettering or custom decals. Look for counterpoint in some of your favorite music and pull it apart interval by interval to see what makes it work. It is an extremely valuable skill for a musician to study historical evidence shows that haydn, mozart, and beethoven all.
You will be writing mostly halfnotes in second species. In simple counterpoint all parts must remain in the same relative position to one another. Since the earliest forms of polyphony, musical textures have been made up of multiple lines of music or voices that combine to form vertical sonorities. He combines aspects of counterpoint and serial technique. Eimerts discussion of atonality differs from others of the same period because he. Species counterpoint exercises from fuxs gradus ad parnassum. The size of one single file was too large for download 2. This will not be a theory text, nor an analysis treatise, but rather a guide to some of the basic tools of the trade. This document was created with prince, a great way of getting web content onto paper.
A year later,and nearly a generation before the now chic aleatorists,cowell was pondering. Mar 07, 2012 now, for counterpoint, i would strongly suggest preliminary exercises in counterpoint by arnold schoenberg, which you can either download in pdf for free, or make a secondhand purchase it is now out of print. The frustration of learning counterpoint this article talks about. The exception is chapter 3 definitions, which only has one subheading each for such substantial topics as harmony and counterpoint. Many practical aspects of the craft of composition.
Topics counterpoint collection opensource language english. You may find ernst kreneks book, studies in counterpoint interesting. In tonal counterpoint for the 21stcentury musician, teresa davidian finally provides students a textbook that is quick, direct, and visuala direct reflection of the age in which they live. For many of you just these basic concepts will be enough to add a little more sophistication to your music.
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