Counterpoint In Composition

Felix Salzer & Carl Schachter
U781.42.S186C.c

Teaching methods seem to lack a workable relation between theoretical abstraction and concrete musical experience.If one deals only with abstractions, the result is a dry and unproductive theory for the sake of theory.If one excludes abstractions altogether, the student lacks the means to organize and articulate his musical experiences, and is led to the aimless verbalizing about music so prevalent nowadays.

Part1: The Techniques of Elementary Counterpoint(5 species-J.J.Fux)

-Cantus Firmus is the basic material to be set using polyphony. Polyphony is a musical texture consisting of several independent melodic voices,as opposed to music with just one voice(monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords(homophony).The term is usually used in reference to music of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance: Baroque forms such as the fugue.(most times described as contrapuntal/counterpoint)
-Counterpoint is a very general feature of music whereby two or more melodic strands occur simultaneously,in separate voices,either literally or metaphorically(if music is instrumental.)
-J.(Johann).Fux,1725,Gradus ad Parnassum,highly praised by Haydn,Mozart&Beethoven
-Popular during the 19th century but lost its appeal
-Heinrich Bellermann (1862), Der Kontrapunkt
-Counterpoint, the Polyphonic Vocal Style of the Sixteenth Century(1931),mainly on species counterpoint of Palestrina
-Heinrich Schenker's Kontrapunkt

Part2: The Techniques of Prolonged Counterpoint

Counterpoint in Composition 1
Counterpoint in Composition 2
Combined Species
Voice-leading Techniques in Historical Perspective (ca.1450- ca.1900)
-Binchois,Ockeghem,Josquin,Isaac,Palestrina,Victoria,Gibbons,Purcell,Bach,Beethoven,
-Schubert,Chopin,Wagner,Brahms,Faure,Scriabin

Ideally,it takes 3 yrs to complete this book but if by skimming through,may shorten to 2yrs.(*gulp*)
Note: Aim to complete/understand Cantus Firmus & First Species end this week.(TwoPart & ThreePart Counterpoint ,1st Spc.pp.37)