January 13 Notes - Second Species Counterpoint

Thursday, January 14, 2016

8:29 AM

In this lecture, we started to learn about second species counterpoint (more than one note in
the counterpoint for each cantus firmus note).

Differences between First and Second Species

Second species allows harmonic dissonance on offbeats
Often starts with a half rest in the counterpoint
Neighbor tones and passing tones
Many rules are relaxed in second species.
Second Species Rules
The strong beat (the 1 in 2/2 time) has to be a consonant interval.
Avoid dissonant melodic leaps as in first species. (Augmented seconds especially)
Passing and neighbor tones are now allowed.
Passing/Neighbor tones

In this diagram passing tones are marked with a P and neighbor tones with an N.
Basically, passing tones are stepwise notes on offbeats that lead to the next bar. Passing tones
go in the same direction to the next bar's starting note, like in bar 1-2 (B-A-G) with A as a
passing tone.
Neighbor tones are like passing tones because they fall on offbeats. The difference is that a
neighbor tone goes back to the note before it. If a line goes stepwise up then down, it's an
upper neighbor like the second circled note. The three around it go G-A-G. Because these
notes are connected with steps, and the first and last are the same, it's a neighbor tone, and
because A is higher than G, it's an upper neighbor. If, for example, the notes went G-F-G,
however, it would be a lower neighbor.

Example of Second Species Counterpoint

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Example of Second Species Counterpoint

This music shows some examples of the unique parts of second species counterpoint. The
highlighted intervals are dissonances that wouldn't normally be allowed, but we use them as
passing tones. Notice how in bars 3-4 in the top and bars 2-3 and 5-6 in the bottom contain
highlighted passing tones that move stepwise. Also important to note is that closings usually
only have one note in each part, and still have to obey the closing rules of first species
counterpoint. These include a 3 or 6 interval before the close and a leading tone.

Homework
Next Monday, there will be no class. The homework due next class, Wednesday the 20th, is
sections 10.1-10.3 in the workbook and Chapter 10 in the textbook.

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