TH E AR T OF

C O UNTE R P O I NT
AN D I TS AP P L I C A T I O N AS
A D E C O RAT I V E P R I N C I P L E

C H
. . K I TS O N
MA
. . D M US
. . ( o xo m

OX F O R D
AT T H E C LAR E N D O N PR E SS
 H E N R"FR O WD E M A
, .

PU B L I SH R TO T U N I VERS IT "OF O
E HE R
X FO D

LO N DO N E D I N BU R G H
,

NE W " O R K AN D TO RO N T O
 DEDI C AT ED TO

HUG H PERC "ALLEN

M
. A D MU S
. . O XO N .
 P R E FA C E

TH E appearance of a new book on Counterpoint when there

,

are already in existen ce numerous treatises on the subject m ay ,

seem to demand some j ustification All books on Counterpoint

.

must of necessity bear a certain resemblance to each other .

Any di ff erence must be sought in the point of V iew in the,

relative prominence given to various phases of the subj ect and ,

in the treatment o f detail rather than in the statement of general

,

truths or in novelty of arrangement The history and the broad

.

outlines of Counterpoint o ff er little scope for originality and in

,

these matters the present work will be found not unlike its
predecessors .

The chief points of di ff erence are

(a) The derivation of the rules of S cholastic Counterpoint
from the practice of Palestrina whose works exhibit the Art of
,

C ounterpoint in its perfe ction rather than from a study of

,

textbooks the many discrepancies between which are due to the

,

fact that theory has been built upon theory often mingled with
,

personal prej udice so that the original basis of the e arlier

,

treatises h as been forgotten or perhaps ignored L ittle by little

.
,

harmonic resource has been restricted and melodic idiom

enlarged The resu l t is a system of Counterpoint which has
.

little connexion with the past and none with the present c o n ,

taining a code of arbitrary rules which in many important featu res

do not represent the technique of any period of musical art .

To pretend that such a system has a certain disciplinary value

vi P R E FAC E
implies a low view of the purpose of contrapuntal study M ore .

over a discipline which forbids the student to write what is

,

correct both from a relative and an absolute point of view is

illogical and useless The true province of contrapuntal study
.

-
is the at tainment of the art of pure vocal part writing This art .

reached i ts zenith under the hori z ontal system of the Polyphonic

Period and it seems obvious that the best means of attaining it
,

is to study the practice o f the time .

b
( ) The prominence given to details commonly ignored or
inadequately treated such as the proper use of unessential
,

notes the importance of accent and rhythm and the principles

, ,

of criticism regarding consecutives The di fficulties which an

.

intelligent student encounters are mostly matters of detail and ,

it is claimed that these have been more fully and consistently

treated than in any book already in use .

()6 The treatment of Combined Counterpoint Textbooks

. have
usually little to say about this most interesting part of the
subj ect and the student who has mastered the rules of u n c o m
,

b i n e d Counterpoint is expected to write combinations of the

di fferent S pecies without much more assistance Experience .

shows that the special di fficulties of Combined C ounterpoint

require ample explanation and illustration and therefore these
,

matters have been discussed at some length An exhaustive .

analysis of the problems raised by the various possible combina

tions i s -
well nigh impossible but su fficient has been said to
,

enable the student to grasp the principles involved and to deal

intelligently with any di ffi culties that are likely to arise .

d
( ) The appli cation of Counterpoint to modern part -
writing .

I t is hoped that the chapter on Counterpoint as a means of

decoration will be useful to advanced students of H armony .
 P R E FAC E vii

The following authorities have been consulted in the prepara

tion of this book
Fux Grad u s ad P a rnassu m .

Alb rec h tsb e rge r Co u n terp oi n t . P e arce

C h e ru b i n i P ro ut
O u se le y G la d st o n e
R o c k stro Jadasso hn
M ac farre n R icht e r
B ri d ge
S aund e rs E x a mp les i n S tri ct Co u n terp oi n t .

Gro ve D i cti ona ry Artic l e s o n Counte rp o i nt

.
( ti o n) n ew e di ,

S tri ct Co unt e rp o i nt H arm o ny M usica F i eta , , ,

Cad e nce H i dd e n C o ns e cutive s & c

, ,
.

Wo o ldridge The Oxf ord H i stmy of M usi c vols i and i i Th e ,

.
,

P olyph on i c P eri od .

”
Th e Oxf ord H i sto ry f
o M usi c, vol . ii i , The M u s i c of
th e S even teen th Cen tui y .

The examples from Palestrina are u sually given according to

M essrs Breitkopf and H artel s edition occasionally the excerpts
’
.

are transposed for convenience .

I h ave to thank the S yndics of th e U niversity Press C am ,

bridge for their permission to print Can ti F i run set at the

,

Cam bridge examinations for degrees in music also D r K eeton , .

for the u se of a Cantus Fi renus se t by him at D urham U niversity .

M y especial tha n ks are due to M r G G S tocks B M u s Oxon . . .

,
. . .
,

of S t Edward s S chool Oxford for h i s invaluable help in

.
’

, ,

revising the proof sheets for many s u ggestions for compiling an

, ,

index and for ungrudgingly devoting a great deal of his time to

,

all sorts of matters connected with th e publication of the volume .

C H . . KI T S O N.
 CONTENTS

CHAP
PRE L IMI NAR I ES
F I R ST S PE C I ES I N Two PA RT S
S E C ON D S PE C I E S I N Tw o PART S
THI R D S PE C I E S I N TWO PA RT S
FO U RTH S PE C I E S I N Two PA RT S
FI E TH S PE C I E S I N Two PART S .

C O U N T E R PO I N T IN TR I PL E TIM E

C O U N T ERPO I N T I N TH R E E PA RT S
TH E F I R ST AN D S E C O N D S PE C I ES I N O N E OF THR EE PA RT S
TH E THI R D S PE C I E S I N O N E OF TH REE PA RTS
TH E FO U RTH AN D F I ETH S PE C I ES I N O N E OE TH REE
PA RTS
C O M B I N E D C O U N T ER PO I N T I N TH RE E PARTS
C O U NTER PO I N T I N FO U R PA R T S
C O U N T ER P O I N T I N F I V E PARTS .

C O U NT E R PO I N T IN S I x, S EV E N A N D E I G HT PARTS
,

TH E A R " H AR M O N I C S U B -ST R U CTU RE

E LE M E N T
M ODE R N C O N T RAPU N TA L DE C ORATI O N
XVI I . TH E APPL I CATI O N OF C O U NT ER PO I N T AS A D E C O R A TI VE
P R I N C I PL E
XV I I I . C O U N TE R PO I N T ON A C H ORA LE .

I N D EX I

I N DEX I I
 C H A PT E R I

PR ELI M I NARI ES

TH E history of the art of M usic falls into three main divi

sions F

A I n the first period represented chiefly by the music of the

.
,

ancient Greeks the expression of th e emotions in terms of

,

formulated sound consisted of a succession of Single u tterances

,

called M elody .

B The next stage is that in which men began to experim e nt

.

i n the possibilities of combined sound There were two lines .

of procedure
.I That of adding a part to a given part called in S cholastic ,

Counterpoint the Cantus Fi rm u s or Fixed S ong , .

.2 That of forcing totally di ff erent melodies to be se t one

against the other .

The latter method was probably due to the fact that men
found th e task of adding three or more parts to a Cantus
F i rm us so as to produce euphonious combinations so ,

overwhelming that out of Sheer despair or lack of the power

, ,

of concentration they selected a course which left such c o n

,

siderations to C hance S uch a system however served the

.
, ,

purpose of bringing before men s m inds th e e ffect of vari ous’

harmonic intervals and so helped them to form in the process

, ,

of time a j udicious selection of consonances

,
.

I t is true that among the Greeks there were signs of advance

in the direction of combined S ound They perceived that the .

voices of men and children might be used to Sing the same

“
melody together at the distance of an octave ; this they called
KI N
TS O
B
2 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
Antiphony But no progress could be made towards Poly
.

phony o r th e independ e nt conception of parts until men had

, ,
’
found out other consonances The M u si ca E nchi r i aa i s of Odo
.
,

and the commentary upon it called S choli a E n chmaa i s i n ,

’
,

a u u ra te d this principle as distinguished from the Ol d Greek

g ,

Antiphony which was technically called M agad i z i n g I t no

,
.

doubt had i ts origin in the fact that when several men were
singing the same melody together some found it too high , ,

others too low ; and the distance of an octave usually caused

di ffi culties at the other extreme For reasons which need not .

be h e re detailed the intervals of the fourth and fifth were the

,

first to be selected as consonances

Inthe earliest attempts men mad e their voices move in

,

fourths or fifths in strict parallels S ometimes for technical .

,

reasons th e added part held the same note for a time until
, ,

it could proceed in parallel movement with the original part .

The fixed part was called the Principalis and the added ,

part the Organ ali s This system was known as D iaphony or

.

Organum Odo s work belongs to the first half of the tenth

.
’

century The next work of which we know d ealing with the art
.
,

of D iaphony is the M i crolog u s of Guido d Arezzo written

,
’

in the fi rst half of the eleventh century H ere we see a freer .

sort of D iaphony which admitted of sounds that had formerly

,

been held as discordant ; and also the use of oblique motion

as a me ans of variety a s opposed to its adoption from t e chnical
,

reasons in the older D iaphony

, .

Then after the death of Guido (ci rca 1 050) came a new
,

Organum in which the use of contrary moti on and the inter

,

change o f concord with discord became characteristic features .

Finally the constant use of combinations in which the

,

O rgan al i s was contrasted with the Principalis not only in ,

melod ic curve but also in time value led to th e formation o f

, ,

a system of musical sta ndard of measure called D iscant or ,

 P R E L I M I N AR I E S 3

Cant us M e n su rab i li s D iscant in its turn merged into Counter

.

point D uring all these periods a process of elimination in

.

reference to the selection of consonances resulted in the

survival of the fittest that is those harmonic intervals which
, ,

pleased the ear best Thes e were the third fifth sixth and
.
, , ,

octave

The fourth was discarded owing to experiments in three parts ;

this will be explained later .

Th e Polyphonic Period may be said to close with the death

of Palestrina I n him is see n the perfection of the
method ; and the technique of Counterpoint as exhibited in ,

his works is the subj e ct of this treatise Certain modifications

,
.

are of course necessary in order to accommodate the system

,

to modern conditions .

C N ow the work of Palestrina has as one of its chief charac

.
,

te ri sti c s simplicity of means

,
One of these was the frequent
.

use of Simultaneous movement in all the parts for extended

periods The following is the opening of his S ta ba t M a ter
.

S ta b at ter do

S ta bat te r do

This brought before men s minds a greater possibility of

’

beauty in combined melodies by regarding the resultant sound

,

8 2
4 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
vertic al ly that is as blocks of harmony And so the t hird or
, ,
.

H a rmonic Period was the natural evolution of the second .

I t may be said to begin with the dawn of the seventeenth

century and found i ts first culmination in J S Bach
,
. . .

I n the Polyphonic Period the resultant harmony was the

,

accident of the part writing But in much of the work of .

Palestrina the e ff ect is very o ften that the whole is based on

,

a simple harm onic structure this was of course due to the

awakening harmonic instinct and natural j udgement as to ,

the fitness of things U nder modern cond itions the horizontal

.
,

movement is entirely built up from a preconceived harmonic

basis .

The follo wing is an il lustration

Wohl tem p en rte Cla vi er J S B AC H

’

D as . . . .

H a rm o n i c Su b -
s truc tu re .

d;
P R E L I M I NA R I E S
6 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

Ea c h of th e s e ac c e n ts u an d m ay b e c a l le d a Ch o r d a l c e n t re .

At first men were so much engaged with this vertical aspect

of things that they entire ly ignored any questions dealing with
,

the intrinsic merit of the individual parts .

The seculari z ation of music and the necessity of writing

,

for instrum e nts t e nd e d at the outs et to turn men s minds away

,
’

from contrapuntal methods They had to give their attention

.

to the formation of melodies in which rhythm was a character

,

i sti c feature ; and they had also to supply Simple acco m paniments
to such melodies M oreover polyphonic methods which were
.
,

entirely choral were unsuited to a tru e instrumental style and so

, ,

th e whol e trend of things led to the enlargement of harmonic

resourc e and the formation of melody built upon such a su b

,

structure All this progress was summed up in J S Bach

.
. .
,

who adapted the principles of H armony to Polyphony and ,

thus struck a j ust balance between the two .

I t was only I n the ordinary course of things that when the ,

art of P olyphony had come to maturity theorists should devise ,

a conc i se means of cataloguing its t e chniqu e The salien t .

 P R E LI M I N AR I E S 7

parts not only in mel odic curve but also in time value ; so that
, ,

it was only natural that Z acconi in his P r a ttzca da M u si ca

'

published at Venice in 1 596 should devise a means of consider

,

ing complex movement under well defined heads H e used .

a C F consisting of notes of uniform length ; to this a part

. .

had to be added in notes of th e same time value or in certain ,

classified contrasted values such as two notes to one four to

, ,

one and so forth ; these various ways of adding a part to a

,

given C F are called S pecies or Orders an d P u x analysed

. .
,

the technique under five headings called the Five S pecies of,

Counterpoint This was not by any means an exhaustive

.

analysis of the technique of the art Z acconi wrote examples

of S pecies which have not survived But the classification as .

settled b y Fu x h as been maintain ed to th e present day and it ,

is adequate for its purpose .

There are then three chief questions in reference to this

technique
I
. What are the various sort s O I complex movement arising
from the independent conc e ption of the parts
2
. What a re the rules of vertical combination under these
se parat e conditions
3
. What considerations regulate the melodic idiom of the
parts ?

I t will thus be seen that S cholastic C ounterpoint is a study

of the technique of Polyphony u nder classified heads j ust as ,

H armony is the study of the grammar of modern composition .

And it will be Shown how the latter was the natural evolution of
the former and how our ru les for harmonic progression are
,

framed o n what the writers of the Polyphonic Period found out

by experiment or judged by natural instinct to be the best ;
, ,

and as we learn th e principles of Counterpoint from the practice

of the time we Shall se e unfolded by degrees practically the
,

whole of the diatonic fundamentals of modern harmony .

I t is presupposed that the student has a knowledge of the

elements of H armony including the use of fundamental discords
, ,

and the principles of modulation to nearly related keys I t is .

therefore unnecessary to define such t e rm s as Perfect I nter

8 T H E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
v al,Tonic K ey and so forth Opinion is divided as to the
, ,
.

order in which H armony and Counterpoint should be taught .

AS the former was the result of the latter the proper course ,
“
would seem obvious But there are grave reasons against
.

a chronological study of Counterpoint and H armony The .

system of the ecclesiastical modes under which the music of

,

this Polyphonic Period was written has of course given place,

to the use of the modern maj or and minor modes The modern .

system demands a treatment of unessential notes quite di ff erent

from that which obtained under the old regi m e A great deal .

of the crudity of students wo rk is due to the fact that they use

’

these unessential notes mechanically this becomes such a habit

of mind that its pernicious influence on practical composition is
,

often very di fficult to eradicate .

The following diagram will give an idea of what is meant .

The scale of C maj or is written hori z ontally and vertically ;

the latter forms the dominant thirteenth of the key of C maj or ,

that is the complete series of diatonic d ominant discords

,

I n (c) the second minim is not merely an u nessential note ;

it is felt to be the seventh of the dominant of C and it must be ,

treated as such .

The student will also be much better able to understand the

treatment of prepared discords and also their historic position
, ,

if he first grasp their modern classification .

The following is recommended as the course of study

(a ) H armony up to the chord of the dominant seventh and
,

simple modulation .

( ) C ounterpoint First to Third S pecies Two parts

6 — . .

()c H armony — D ominant ninth eleventh and thirteenth

, , ,

S uspensions .

( ) Cou nterpoint Fou rth and Fifth S pecies Two parts

d . . .

(e) The two subj ects may then be studied concurrently .

I O T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
the terminology o f H armony in reference to these essential
combinations without an adequate explanation of i ts real S i gn i
,

fic an c e puts the student at once in the wrong attitude of mind

, ,

and makes it possible for h i m to confuse contrapuntal with

h armonic analysis .

A modern would analyse the following passag e according to

the fi guring

This is an extract from P alestrina s M ass Aetern a Chri sti

’

M u n era The bass (C ) is a point d o rgu e (pedal point) I n the

.
’
.

tenor the seventh (B flat) after preparation resolves on to

a concord (A) The fifth in the treble moves with it forming
.
,

a Sixth the tenor being regard e d as the real bass

, .

A student trained on historic principles will never in prae

-
tical work use Six fours and essential discords crudely because ,

h e has in this t e chniqu e the origin of all our rules for th e

treatment of six -fours and fundamental discords .

But the student may ask by what process was the use of th e
common chord and its first inversion as we moderns term th e
,

combinations settled
,

We have Shown that experiments in combined sound must

have le d to the formation of laws and classification of intervals
, .

W e have also Shown that when only two parts were tried the ,

third fourth fifth Sixth and octave all ranked as concords

, , , .

But when three parts were sung it was found that the fourth
,

would not combine with the fi fth the most satisfactory interval
,

except the octave

 P R E LI M I N A R I E S I I

The fourth i s first classified as a discord in a work by M archetto

of Padua (thirteenth century) H e explains that the part which .

o ff ends the ear by the u se of this discord must make amends by

passing to a concord while the other parts stand still
,
.

Theoretically mediaeval musicians were guided by the

‘
,

ratios of th e vibrational numbers of the limiting sounds and

the fourth came next to the fifth in excellence The following .

table quoted from D r D avies article on Counterpoint in Grove

.
’

Shows how it comes to be said that in strict Counterpoint only

common chords and their first inversions are available

( ) a

( )
a All the available concords b
( ) Combinations which ulti.

mately formed the foundation for th e art of Counterpoint (c) .

The fourth displays the reason for i ts rejection in failing to do

what the third does so well .

-
I n a piece of four part Counterpoint by D u fay the earli e st ,

e xample of its kind extant there is a frequent u se of what

we term the common chord and its first inversion AS time .

went on though music was written as a combination of individual

,

parts the harmonic r e sult of which was a matter of secondary

,

importance the greatest comp osers were feeling towards pure

,

harmonic e ff e ct We have pointed out that in Palestrina this is

.

a marked feature The e ff ect of some of hi s music i s that it is

.

as clearly founded on a Simple succession of chords as any

modern music H i s success lay in his recognition of such
.

principles ; and he stands on the highest point to which art

considered hori z ontally could rise .

All mod ern music like modern poetry is formed on p rI n CI p l e S

‘
, ,

requiring regularity of accent and system in cadence (Prout ,

M u si ca l F orm p ,
.

The most complicated modern musical texture c a n be reduced

to two forms of progression
I The I ambus D uple Tim e
. . u

2
. The Anapaest Triple time . u v
I 2 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

I n duple time Should the first note be accented it forms the

,

second half of an incomplete foot or motive And in triple time

.
,

Should the first note occur on a strong accent or should the ,

first two notes occur on a weak accent followed by a strong one ,

the motive is i ncomplete AS in literature so in music it is

.
, ,

necessary to have some means of punctuation so as to make

,

one s thoughts intelligible This end is gained by the idiomatic

’
.

use at the end of a phrase or sentence of two harmonies in the

, , ,

relation of weak to strong called the cadence D uring the

, .

period that men paid the greatest attention to the melodic side
of the art they regarded the progression of the last note but
,

one of th e Principalis one step d ownward to the Final as the

salient feature of the Perfect Cadence or Clausula V e ra .

This was accompanied as follows

C F . .

N ow the rhyth m ic principle of all S cholastic Counterpoint is that

of duple or tripl e tim e ; and it depends partly on the nature of
the Counterpoint partly on the way i n which we c an group the
,

harmony as to whether we regard the grouping of feet as

,

divisible into bars or parts of bars The distinction will be

.

drawn as occasion demands I t i s of the highest importance that

.
 P R E LI M I N AR I E S 13

the sense of rhythm in C hordal progression should never be lost ,

and a due appreciation of this will greatly help both in choice

,

of harmony and melodic curve I t is of course tru e that all

.

the music of the Polyphonic Period was unrhythmic but the u se

,

in S cholastic Counterpoint of a C F in notes of uniform length

. .

serves as the link between the old art and the new ; that i s it
,

enables men not only to study the methods of the Sixteenth

century so far as techniqu e is concerned but also to u se them
, ,

as a training in the decoration of a preconceived h armonic

structure .
 C H AP T E R I I

CO U N T E R PO I N T I N Tw o PA R T S

F I R S T S P E CI E S .

TH E first way of adding a part to a C F is to write it in . .

notes of the same time value so that the two parts move
,

Simultaneously The C F may be either the higher or the

. . .

lower part Formerly it was always in the bass later it was

.
,

put in the tenor and eventually it found its way to the top but
,

there is now no restriction as to its position .

AS S cholastic Counterpoint is concerned with the art of vocal

part writing certain limitations in reference to melodic pro
,

gres s i o n are obviously essential .

I
. The governing principle of melody in all S pecies is that , ,

of conj unct movement j udiciously varied by the use of disj unct

,

intervals An excessive use of either is inartistic

. .

2. A part should not proceed by any augmented or diminished

interval M odern theorists allow the leap of a diminished fifth
.

or fourth if the melody return immediately to some note within

,

such interval

Though the use of such intervals is contrary to the practice o f

the sixteenth century most modern theorists allow their
,

occasional employm ent .

3 A part should not proceed by the interval of a seven th nor

.
,

by any compound interval either directly or with one note

,

between
 CO U N T E R P O I N T I N TW O PA R T S 15

R a re . B ad . B ad .

The following passage from the Ky ri e of Palestrina s M ass ,

’

I ste Conf essor is worthy of consideration

,

S O D.

S OD .

SOD .

leI

H ere in the bass we have the leap of a s e venth with one note ,

between but th e phrasing makes it entirely unobj ectionable '

Again in his
, S ta bat M a ter, Palestrina writes

cum lu

If such a melodic progression be used care should be taken

,

that the leap of the seventh is followed by some note within th e

interval The following is unjustifiable
.
16 T H E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

4 Th e leap of an octave Should be preceded and followed by

.

notes within that interval .

All b ad .

The following is interesting as being analogous to the previous

example quoted from the I s te Conf essor .

The example quoted b elow is a rare exception

P ALE STR I N A . M ag n ifica t,

al

5 The
. leap of a maj or sixth should be avoided in First
S pecies Counterpoint .

6 The leap of a third followed by that of a sixth (or V ice

.

versa) is inelegant

Professor Wooldridge s remarks on the principles of melodic

’

progre ssion in reference to Palestrina s technique may b e qu ote d

’

‘
l

i n exten so : The governing principle technically speaking of

, ,

Palestrina s melody i s of course that of conjunct movemen t ;

’
I 8 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

7 The . l eading note may never leap an octave .

8 M ore than two leaps in the same d irection are inelegant

.
,

unless forming the arpeggio of a chord limited by the extreme

interval of the octave .

9 M elodic monotony whether arising from repetition of

.
,

formula or want of variety of range should be carefully

, ,

avoided

The r e petition of a note in th e bass (at the same pitch ) is

10 .

l iable to cause a h alting e ff ect ; the leap of an octave is of

course entirely free from this obj ection

G d
oo .

I f however the rep e tition occurs between bars forming the

, ,

end of one ph rase and the beginning of another there is n o valid

,

obj ection

The following are the principles of H armonic Progression

I I t has been indic ated that experiments led men to catalogue
.

harm onic intervals as concordant and discordant in the following

way : the octave (or unison ) and fi fth are termed Perfect Con
cords
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N TW O PA R T S 19

The second fourth s e venth and their compou nds are discords
, ,

I n two -
p a rt Counterpoint in th e First S pecies only conco rds
are allowed N ow any idea of a ch ord as such is entirely alien
.
, ,

to the principles of the Polyphonic Period At th e same time .

,

it i s impossible for a combination of two sounds not to imp ly

to modern minds some harmonic substructure and it would ,

be u nwi se to ignore the l ight which t h e modern system has

‘

thrown on such m att e rs I t has been Shown that in three

.

parts the interval of a perfect fourth might occur between two

upper parts The same is true of the diminished fifth ; but the
.

diminished fourth is not permissible as an essential harmony

under any circumstances

Goc d

I n all cases the lowe st part must b e concordant with each of

the others .

N ow let us experiment with th e concords available by adding ,

a third part and using a separate sou nd that is not duplicating

, ,

either of the oth e r two .

First th e maj or scale will be tak e n

,

T h i rd . F fth
i . x
S i th . O c tav e .
20 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R P O I N T
11 Th i r
. d . S i th x . O c tav e .

The result of this may be stated as follows

The Roman numerals will be used to indicate the seven triads

and S O forth (key of C maj or) .

b written aft e r a numera l indicates what we term the first

inversion of the triad e g ,

. . I b . S o that it is true

to say that the on ly harmonies that can be derived from the

 CO U NT E R PO I N T I N TW O PA R T S 21

maj or scale are the diatonic triads with their first inversions ,

with th e exception of V I I . for the high e st and lowest

sounds of this combination form a diminished fifth i e a discord ,

. . .

N ext take the minor scal e .

Of these there are three forms

A The Aeoli a n M ode
. .

The early contrapuntists derive their harmony from this ,

raising th e seventh in th e cadence by the principles of M usica,

F i c ta .

Applying the same principles of combination as seen in

deriving harmonies from the maj or scale that i s the I onian , ,

mode it will at once be seen that among others we get

,

that is from the mod e rn point of V iew th ey are harmoni es

, ,

proper to the relative maj or and not to the minor mode ,

.

Any fusion of the two systems with one or two exceptions , ,

is impossible and we Should write either from the o n e stand

,

point o r the other .

B The H a rm on i c M i n or S cale
. .

I f we compare any maj or scale with its relative harmonic

minor

we shall se e that the one point which di fferentiates the minor

from the major mod e S O far as th e formation of harmonies
,

is concerned is th e chromatic alt e ration of the seventh of the

,

former raising it a semitone

, .
22 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
N ow let us add a part to three C F
. .
’
s according to the old
system
(I .

I n ( I ) the mental e ff e ct from a modern standpoint is that

from A to B we are in the key of the relative maj or .

Any such treatment therefore from the standpoint of our

,

tonal system is out of place for the mi n or key is a very di ff erent

,

thing from its parent the Aeolian mod e in the matter of derived
, ,

harmony At the same time it is possible to u se some of the

.
,

harmony of this mod e without interfering with the character

i sti c s of modern tonality.

I n (2 ) is seen a case in point (C ) H ere there i s no effect of c o n

.

fused or changed tonality . can only imp

 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N TW O PA R T S 23

and under modern conditions it has been catalogued as a c h ro

matic triad that is it can be used without necessarily producing
, ,

modulation .

I n (3 ) D is another case of an implied chord

which h as been catalogued in modern times as chromatic .

When the bass moves down by step from the tonic to the
submediant the minor seventh may bear a first inversion
,
.

S ee
M odern theorists say that in any other case the minor
seventh Should be regarded as the fifth of the relative maj or ,

and a modulation be m ad e to that key

I .

But if (3) be allowed it ,

is hard to c o ndemn

for again there is no impression of modulation This i s merely .

a harmonization of the descending form of the melodic minor

scale.

Were it said that if the minor seventh be approached or

,

quitted by leap it Should be regarded as the fifth of the relative

,
-
maj or the limitation ought to satisfy any fair minded critic .

I n deducing harmonies from the harmonic minor scale it will

be found that I I I I I I I fib and V I I are unavailabl
I
. . . e —
.
i

111 b .
24 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
The harmonic intervals of the diminished fourth and augmented
fifth are never permissible as essential harmonies .

C The M elodi c M i nor S ca le

. .

This will produce among others the following combinations

(b ) and (c ) would be regarded by a modern as the implied

harmoni z ation of the D orian sixth by the u se of triads on the
,

supertonic and subdominant .

AS regards (a) it i s unnecessary to insist on modern analysis

it is a concord and the e ff ect is quite good
,
.

I t Should be pointed out that it i s unwise to maintain a slavish

adherence to modern harmonic analysis of C hordal resource .

At the ti m e of Palestrina th e process which led to our modern

system was not in a state of classification the u se therefore 0 1
harmonies which besides being perfe ctly legitimate from the old
, ,

standpoint do not obliterate th e characteristics of the present

,

tonal system will not be condemned by broad -minded critics

, .

I t may be thought by some that a consideration of implied

harmony is out of place in two -part Counterpoint N evertheless .

it is quite possible to write technically correct Counterpoint and ,

y e t obtain ve ry crude e ff ects this is largely due to a mechanical

use of concords without refe rence to the implied harmonic
,

substructure which Should always be in the minds of pres e nt day

,

students . The cases mentioned above however are illus , ,

trati o n s of the l e gitimate application of original principles .

2.
Except in the two opening bars it i s unwise to have the
same harmony for a weak accent followed by a strong one .

Although such a rhythmic principl e does not com e within th e

scop e of the Polyphonic P e riod it cannot b e said that such
,

a re commendation is out of place I t should be our aim to

.
26 TH E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

This is called the False Relation of the Trito n e I f however

.
, ,

one of th e parts or both m ove by leap no bad e ff ect results

, ,

The mediaeval system of avoiding a False Relation was to

alter the second note forming the interval by the addition of
a flat according to the principles of M usica Fi c ta
,

TO modern ears this impli e s a modulation to F maj or

though any such idea was quite alien to the M odal S ystem ,

this proc e dure may be adopt e d in a case of emergency H ere i s

.

a case in which transient modulation may be introduced fo r the

sak e of e uphony M odulations may always b e made to nearly
.

related keys provided that th e ir use is not exaggerated So as to

,

produce the e ff ect of restless tonality .

10 The parts Should not overlap but th ey may cross freely

.
, ,

in order to improve the melodic flow or to avoid objectionable

progression

I I The first note of the Cou nterpoint must form a perfect

.

concord with the C F . .

 CO U N T E R P O I N T I N Tw o P AR T S 27

I n the last four cases the C F be gins on the dominant ; this

,
.

is the only possible variation from the tonic as a first note .

12 Because o f the implied harmony a third should not be

.

followed by a fifth in contrary motion when both parts mov e

conj unctly except in the following cases
,

PA L T R I N A
ES ,
Ky r i e, I s te Co nfi ssor .

13 . imperfect in prefere nce to perfe ct concords

U se .

I n approaching th e Cadence avoid if possible an ti c i p at

'

14 .

ing the final of the lowe r part in the ante -

penultimate bar
C F
. .

Po o r . B e tte r
.

15 . N 0 note may be chromatically altered in the sam e

'

p art or
in di ff er e nt parts in consecutive bars .

EX A M P LE S .

I t i s quite tru e that Exercises in C ounterpoint are for the

most part writt e n in D upl e or Triple Time that is with strong ,

and weak accents in each bar But at any rate in uncombined

.

Counterpoint groups of bars form the motives Every bar

, .

m arked thus is th e end of a motive that is it represents ,

a strong accent Th e others r e pre sent w e ak acc e nts

.
28 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R P O I N T

VI I b . IV b . Vb .

In practical terms

r it might have been grouped in triple time

VI I b .

VI I b .
 CO U N T E R PO I N T IN TWO PAR T S 29

VI I b . VI I b .

VI I b . VI I b .

Example introducing modulation and ,

th e u se of th e m e lodic
minor scale

IV b G
VI b
.

E m in .
V “
b '

Ib . D o ri a n 6th . VI I b .
3 0 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
G mi n.

VI I b .

(a ) if the parts cross more than three thirds are allowable as

, ,

the prevalence of parallel movement which is the cause of the

,

rule is avoided
,
 C H A PT E R I I I

S ECO N D S P E C I E S I N TWO P AR T S

Tw o N O T E S A G A I N S T O N E .

1. I T h as
b ee n Shown that the earliest attempts at Polyphony
consisted of wh at we now know as First S pecies Counterpoint
in two parts I t was also seen that one of the first means of
.

variety was to make the parts move in notes of unequal value .

Clearly the simplest form of this variety was the writing of

,

two notes to one AS it is the universal procedure in Poly

.

phonic writing that except in the First S pecies no two parts

, , ,

should commence at the same instant the Counterpoint will ,

begin on the second minim of the bar

I n th elast bar th e C ounterpoint has a not e of the sam e

,

duration as th e C F obviously becaus e th e fin al of a Cadence

. .
,

must b e on the strong accent The C ad e nce then is id e ntical

.
, ,

as regards the sounds employed with that in the First S pecies

,

2 The first note of the Counterpoint must form a perfect

.

concord with the C F . .

3 2 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

C . F .

C F . . d
( ) C F
. .
()
e

( ) a is an imperf e ct concord .

b
( ) i s a discord .

()
c i s undesirabl e as likely
,
to give a false impression of
tonality .

(a ) and (e) are open to no obj ection

'
.

3 .The first not e of the Counterpoint in all the intermediate

bars that is between the first and last must form with the C F
, ,
.

a perfect or imperfect concord preferably the latter ,

.

4 .The second minim of all intermediate bars may be

( )
a Another concord

if the secon d minim of the bar be another concord and if it is ,

approached conj unctly from the first concord e g 5 to 6 6 to 5 ,

. .
, , ,

it may leap to another concord provided the leap is taken in ,

the opposite direction to the previous conj unct movement For .

a leap in the same direction to an accented note is inelegant

All go d o .

I n e l e gan t.
34 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
One theorist says the fifth of the root must never be written
in the lowest part as the second note of the bar as it implies ,

the use of a second inversion .

But we have no right to suppose that Palestrina was using

one chord H is V iew is F to C is a concord so is C to C
. ,
.

Contrapuntal practice does not forbid what to us is the

mental e ff ect of a six -
four nor even its actual use from a modern
,

analytical point of V iew provided of course the fourth is pre

, , ,

pared .

Another example is clearer still

( b) Ky m e, Aetern a Ch ris ti M u nera .

N o fo urth is pr esent .

Ag n u s D ei , Aetern a Ch ri sti M u n era .

I t is absurd to argue that because A is no portion of the

harmony of the first crotchet it cannot be quitted by leap This .

is a c lear case of the use of two harmonies .

Of course

would be obviously incorrect . The following will m ake things

quite clear

G d oo .
 S ECO N D S PEC I E S I N TWO PA R T S 35

A few more examples (all taken from Palestrina s ’

S ta ba t M a ter),
are added

same

AL B R E C H TS B E R G E R .

S uch a progression is at best inel egant and is contrary to

,

general principle I f the C F were in the middle of a problem

. . .
,

the following would b e better

and if at the end

6. Unessen ti a l N otes .

I t has been said that a discord may be used as a second

minim in the bar if approached and quitted conj unctly
, .

The theory that the second minim in the following example

is to be considered unessential on account of the implied
‘

harmony of th e first minim cannot possibly find a place in

,

S trict Counterpoint
3 6 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
Therefore consideration will on ly be given to true unessential
,

notes that is those that are discordant with the C F the

, , .

second fourth seventh an d their compounds

, , ,
.

N ow the modern tonal system brings with it limitations in the

treatment of unessential notes Th e mistake commonly made
.

has been that of treating these notes j ust as if we were

writing under a modal system Th e result is the student forms
.
,

th e habit of writing unessential notes in a purely mechanical

way and this has a pernicious influence on his attempts at
,

modern composition The use of unessential notes may be

.

thus classified
l
Ca se 1 When the two c o n c o rd s which the uness ential note
.

z
connects are portions of the same harmony or as we Should say , ,

factors of the same root

M usical sense prevents one from analysing the second bar

'

as I I I .

Ca se 11 . When they are factors of di ff erent roo ts

I II b .

There are three aspects of each case .

(a) When the second harmony note is higher in p itch than

the first (se e above) .

b
( ) When it i s lower

(c) When it is the sam e

 S EC O N D S P E C I E S I N TW O PA R T S 37

Case I When the two concords which the unessential not e

.

connects are portions of the same harmony

II b .

The above is bad because the second mini m (C ) has the

,

mental e ff ect of being the minor seventh of D with a tendency ,

to fall ; the same applies to parallel cases i n I I I V and V I , ,

An observance of the following rule will prevent such

crudities .

I n writing true u nessential notes between a gfleren t p osi ti ons

'
’

o
f th e sa m e ch or d such
, notes Should be common to the scale 1

of the Tonic and that of the root of the chord used

, .

I t will of course be seen that th e above does not condemn

, ,

such a case as

I n this the second minim should be regarded in its contra

,

puntal light that is as being essential But even in such cases

, , .

crude e ffects may be produced .

I n order to make the matter perfectly clear it will be well to ,

explain a flaw in detail .

Th ekey is C maj or .

No w here the triad of D minor is used and the ascending

,
 38 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
scale of D minor requires C Sharp but C sharp is foreign to
the scale of C maj or the Tonic therefore C must be omitted
, , ,

and another note chosen

G d oo .

Ca se I ]
. When the two concords which the unessential
not e connects are portions of di ff erent harmonies .

Consider the following cases

G m aj .

G d
oo . G d
oo . G d oo .

f H ence we get a further rule —I n writing an unessential

note between di ff erent harmonies if such note is not common
,

to the scale of the first chord and that of the Tonic it Should ,

be capable of analysis as forming with the C F a good implied . .

harmonic link with the next chord wh ether such implied

,

harmony be another concord or a fundamental d iscord The

,
.

X following examples will make this clear

Poo r h arm o n y . G doo .

Poo r h arm on y .
 S E CO N D S P E C I E S I N TW O PA R T S 39

G d
oo . P oor h a rm o n y . G d oo .

Amin .

G d
oo . B ad . G d oo . G d oo .

The following cases deserve careful observation

B ad .

N one of these cases are objectionable as they stand but only

when the implied harmony is clearly defined N evertheless it .

is necessary to draw attention to the matter at the very outset .

( )
I is unsatis factory because the harmonic progressions
belong to the key of G maj or rather than C maj or

G d
oo .

(3) is subjec t to the same criticism

4 0 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

G d
oo .

(4) likew i se

But in (2) a clear definition of another harmony would remove

the bad e ff ect .

I t will thus be seen that the real point at issue is ment al

harmonic e ff ect under modern conditions
,
For instance no
.
,

objection c an be urged against the following .

for the mental e ff ect of th e first two bars is that the whole is
based on the root G E being the thirteenth and F the seventh
, ,

with the resolution deferred till the next bar .

I t is also to be noted that both th e following are good

I n (a) the modern ear accepts the F as the seventh of the

dominant I II (6) th e F Sharp is accepted as an ordinary
.

unessential note .

Common use has accustomed the ear to the following

b IV .

But one s ear revolts against

’
42 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
seventh ; this will be seen when we come to treat of prepared
discords B u t the u se of the prepared seventh
.

(2 )

served to form a habit of mind which caused men to use

such u nessential notes as in ( I ) in a way that Showed their
j udgement of the fitness of things N o one with any sense of
.

harmonic propriety would tolerate

,

I n two and three parts at any rate the harmonic interval of

, ,

the second Should not be quitted by similar motion I t is open .

to the objection that the discord is sounded against its resolution

at the distance of a second and causes u nnecessary congestion
,

I t is quite true that such things may be found in Palestrina ,

but they are best avoided .

in h e chief points to notice at present are therefore

A I f the non -
. essential note is felt to be a portio n of the
modern essential d iscord it Should be treated as such both in
, ,

me l odic progression and harmonic accompaniment

,
.

B U nessential n otes used between di ff erent positions of the

.

same chord Shoul d be common to the scale of the chord used

, ,

and that of the Tonic except in the case of the subdominant

,
 S E CO N D S PEC I E S I N Tw o PA R T S 43

G d
oo .
"
9 ‘
G d oo . B ad .

C An unessential note used between di fferent chords Should

.

be common to the scale of the first chord and that of the Tonic ,

unless such note form with the C F some good modern har
. .

monic link with the next chord

B ad . G d
oo . G doo .

N o te. Passing notes used in con nexion with the first

sions of dissonant triads do not fall under any of the
considerations .

7
. Con secu ti ves are not allowed
(a ) between the first minims of two consecutive bars

6
( ) between the second minim of one bar and the first of the
,

next

They are allowed between the second minims of each bar ,

if both notes in the S econd S pecies are not the highest or lowest
in the two bars

H a rm o n i c o u tl i n e .

H a rm o n i c o u tl i n e.
44 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
The distance between the first minim of one bar and the second
minim of the next is too great to give any e ff ect of consecutives

G d oo .

When either of th e fifths is felt to be unessential no bad e ff ect

is produced

G d
oo .

N or c an consecutives occur between the first and third of

th ree harmonies

II b . IV .

Exposed consecutives are forbidden under the same condi

tions as in First S pecies

B ad . G d
oo .

The following does not cause a false relation of the tritone

8
.
,

as one of the notes forming it i s felt to be unessential .

9 . The unison may be used in the first and last bars and ,

occas i onally elsewhere as the second minim in the bar .

10 N o note of the Counterpoint may be immediately repeated

.

at th e same pitch.

I I The leading note must not be doubled either on the first

.

or second minim of the bar

 S EC O N D S PE C I E S I N Tw o PA R T S
‘

45
12 . A note may not be chromatically altered in the same
bar

I n this S pecies it is well to avoid the repetition of a

13 .

m elodic formula for more than two successive bars a sequence

having at least two bars as the limit of the formula is always
good I n a more complicated exercise the student Should u se
.

his own discretion .

14 . The M i n or K ey .

The application of the principles expounded in the previous

chapter may be thus summari z ed
( ) ( ) The minor seventh of the scale may be used as a
I a

harmony note in proceeding from tonic to sub -

mediant

b
( ) I t may of course be freely used as an unessent i al note

( ) I t may be used in mod ul ating to the relative maj or

c .

( ) ( )
2 The maj
a or Sixth of the scale may be used in the fo l low
ing idiom
46 T H E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
b
( ) I n the Cadence

I n all these cases the mental e ff ect is that FI: is an u n essen

tial note n evertheless it forms a concord with the C F . .

(3) The maj or sixth minor Sixth and maj or seventh of the
,

scale may all be used as discords

( ) aN ote that Fitwould be incorrect ; for there is no dominant

maj or ninth in the minor key At (b) the Fit is felt to be a true
.

passing note .

G d oo .

15 The Cadence
. .

( )
a The M aj or M ode

C F
. . II . VII b . 1
. VI I b .

b
( ) The M inor M ode

C F . . II . VI I b .
S EC O N D S PE C I E S I N TW O PAR T S 47

EX A M P LE S I N S E C O N D S P E C I E S .

I II b .

II . VI I b .

Vb V
. . II b .
'

II .

II b . II . V . V . Vb .
4 8 T H E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
A mi no r .

II . VI I b .

11 b . V . I b . VI b . IV . VI I b .

VI b II
. . I h . II I b I
. . IV b . IV V V b
. . .

Fi rst M u s B ac Cantab
. . .
,
M ay , 1 9 04 .

C F . .

Vb V . . VI b . II . Ib . I . I b . II .
 C H A PT E R IV

TH I RD S PECI ES I N Tw o PAR T S

F O U R N O T E S A G A I N S T ON E .

1 . Counterpoint begins o n the second crotchet of the bar

TH E ,

and except in the first and last bars four notes are written in ,

the Counterpoint to one in the C F . .

2 The rules in First and S econd S pecies as to the first note

.

in the bar remain in force in the Cadence the last two note s of
the Counterpoint are the leading note and tonic
Fi rs t S p e c i e s. S e c on d S pec i e s . Th i rd S p ec i e s .

C F . .

3 I.f the second an d third or third and fourth c rotchets are ,

discordant with the C F the part must proceed in the same . .

direction by step to the next concord I f the next step will not .

produce a concord the passage must be rearranged ,

G d
oo . G d oo .

4 After using a scalic passage it

.
, is inelegant to leap to an
accented note in th e same direction
 T H I R D S P EC I E S I N TWO PAR T S 1

Ch n i ng N otes
5. a g .

M uch ingenuity was exercised by the writers of the Polyphonic

Period in the matter of the various uses of unessential note s .

One particular idiom known as the use of the N ota Cambiata

, ,

became quite characteristic D ufay (fourteenth century ) wrote

.

thus

I n (a) F is a passing note between G and E leaping a third ,

to the other Sid e of E and then proceeding to it by step upwards

,
.

“
This formula is seen in nearly all the works of the period
particular mention may be made of J osquin s S ta ba t M a ter ’

Palestrina s M i ssa P ap ac M arcelli and G i b b o ns s H osann a A

’
,
’
.

few examples may be of interest

MA RTI N US LEO P OL I TA, M ass, P a scha li s (Ky ri e) .

5 2 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
JO S "U I N D ES P R ES M a ss L ho m m e (S a n ctu s)
’
’
, . a rm e .

P A L ST R I N A
E , O a d m i ra b i l e co m m erci u m .

PA L ST R I NA
E ,
B ened i ctu s, M i ssa P ap ae M a rcel li .
T H I R D S P EC I E S I N TWO P AR T S

PA L T R I NA
ES ,
Ego su m pa n i s o i v

R
B " D , M a ss (Credo ) .
54 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

WI LLA E R T ,
M o te/t
. Av e M a ri a .

G I E B O N S H osa n na .
 T H I R D S P EC I E S I N TW O PA R T S 55

I n (f ) and (g) through constant use the real significance of

, ,

the N ota Cambiata has been forgotten An interesting seven

.

te e n th -
century example is added
S C H U Tz , S . oh n
J P a ssi on .
5 6 TH E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

Consider tlré following cases

(a ) I n 1, 4, 5 and 8 the leap is from a discord to another

discord .

( b) I n 3 and 6 the leap is from a discord to a concord And .

in all these the last crotchet forms a concord with the C F . .

These are all examples of the true N ota C ambiata for the ,

principle in all is th e same e g the second crotchet is a discord

,
. .
,

and leaps a third to the other Side of the concord on to which it

finally resolves .

(c) But in 2 and 7 the second and third crotchets are c o nc o r

dant with the C F while th e last crotchet is discordant
. .
, It .

has been stated that these are also examples of the use of
the N ota Cambiata but in consideration of the examples that
,

we have quoted from Palestrina in reference to the use of two

harmonie s in a bar in S econd S pecies and bearing in mi nd
,

that the harmony may be changed on the second crotchet in

5 8 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
b
() AS a d d
M e lo i c i i o m . B U S NO I S (d .
Je su i s o en u t .

O K EG H E M , M a ss, Cu i u sv i s To n i .

PA L T R I N A
ES ,
Gl o ri a , M i ssa P apa e M a rcelli .

PA L T R I N A
ES ,
Credo, M i ssa B revi s .
 T H I R D S P EC I E S I N Tw o PAR T S 59

I t will be remembered that in Chapter I I I (4) it was stated

that the following was inelegant

N ow here we have three examples of it A B C , , , . But this is

due to the melodic curve of the original formu la

and in the maj ority of cases the phrasing is

m en , A m en , A

m en , A men, A

It is true that A and B are phrased

60 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

I t will be seen that either the melodic curve of the original

point or the phrasing makes these justifiable For general
.

cases the rule given in Chapter I I I (4) holds good I t is further .

to be remembered that th e constant changes of harmony render

the above quite satisfactory in e ff ect : any attempts of this sort
with a semibreve C F will be found to be harmonically crude
. .
,

unless the C F leap an octave

. .

PA L T R I N A
ES , S a n ctu s, I s te Conf essor.

H ere we have the Third S pecies idiom with the first crotchet
,

tied both the second and third crotchets may be considered as

u nessential or it might be argued that the fourth minim
,

produced a change of harmony .

PA L S T R I N A Eg m p s
E ,
o su an t .
 T H I R D S PEC I E S I N TWO PA R T S 61

H ere the idiom is divided between what corresponds in S cho

lastic Counterpoint to the second half of one bar and the first
half of the next .

The above will serve to Show some of the various uses

of the N ota Cambiata I t has been said with great force that
‘
.

the device in its origin was the result of artistic feeling and ,

not of intellectual calculation I ts various uses cannot always

be defended by the rules of D iscant which are arbitrary ; but
,

they are always j ustifiable on aesthetic grounds .

N o valid argument can be brought against an idiom which

was very characteristic of the age and which Should be j ustified
,

by its elegance al one H ere we have the origin of what we

.

term Changing N otes Theorists mention the following variants

.

of the ori ginal formula

The first two only are recommended and they should be used
,

with careful discretion N o examples Should contain as a rule

.
, ,

more than two illustrations of their use .

The following is not a use of changing notes but a change ,

of harmony

6
. Un essenti a l N otes .

The remarks made on the use of unessential notes in S econd

S pecies apply equally in Third S pecies for the following are
,

identical in outline

It will therefore be unnecessary to repeat what has already been

said But the Third S pecies has as a special feature the use of
.

one or two passing notes in a bar between di ff erent notes of the

62 T H E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
same harmony As our considerations in the S eco nd S pecies
.

c overed the progression from the end of one bar to the beginning
of the next our remarks here will b e mainly limited to th e filling
,

up of the d istance between the first and fourth crotchets of every

bar The observance of the rules given in the previous chapter
.

will prevent unmusical writing The chief point to bear in mind

.

is that presupposing one harmony in a bar unessential notes

, ,

Should be common to the scale of the chord used and that of

the Tonic unless such notes are felt to be parts of a modern
,

essential discord and in that case they must be treated as

,

such

G d
oo . G d
oo .

I n ( I ) the mind does not accept the second crotchet B as

a change of harmony I n (2) the third crotchet C is felt to be
.

the minor seventh with the resolution deferred .

Th e criticism d epends on (a) context (b) mental e ff ect of the

,

harmony .

The following cases Sh ould be noted

G d oo .

G d oo .

AS regards the use of un essential n otes over a minor C hordal

centre the criticism should be based on the melodic form of the
,

scale .
 T H I R D S P EC I E S I N TWO PA R T S 63

The following is obj ec tionable

Because the mental e ff ect of the first bar is that it is wholly

built upon the triad of D minor as a centre its correction
,

would b e

But the next example is good

VII b
.

N ote the mental e ff ect as indicated by the figuring .

A few more examples may be helpful

B ad . G d
oo .

N ote the following

B ad .
64 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

G d
oo .

The last is good be c ause of the perfect concord at the second

crotchet .

With the subdominant as C hordal cen tre the following are

tolerated through common usage

but in more complicated situations such a procedure will require

care .

With the dominant as centre the only note likely to cause

trouble is the minor seventh I n ascending it may be used if it
.
,

fi nally falls l ike an ornamental resolution of the seventh

G d
oo .

Of course in a descending scale passage it is quite good .

When the submediant is the centre the minor seventh is again

th e cause of di ffi culty .

G d
oo . G d
oo .

I n (c) it would be impossible to say that the change o f

harmony was felt .

The M i n or M ode .

The melodic form of the scale is used in writing hori z ontally ,

the harmonic in writing vertically

66 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

7 . Consecu ti ves .

The rules as to consecutives must be limited partly by the

V iew taken of the harmonic structure partly by the relative
,

complexity of the score We have here to discuss the simplest

.

cases those in which four notes are written to one I t will

,
.

be observed that the following p roduce an obj ectionab le

e ff ect

But n o exception c an be taken to

 T H I R D S P EC I E S I N TW O PA RT S 67

The good or bad e ffect does not depend entirely on the dis
tance between the consecutives The rules here codified refer
.

to a score in which First and Third S pecies only are combined .

M odifications in cases of more complex movement will b e

, ,

discussed as occasion arises .

I n the following classification the use of only one harmony in

each bar is presupposed and it is also necessary that both the
,

crotchets involved are harmony notes .

Case I I n which one or both of the crotchets involved fall

.

on an accented part of the bar e g the first or third crotchets

,
. .
,
.

Consecutive fifths or octaves are forbidden

A
( ) Between the first crotchets of successive bars (se e above
1 a ) .

B
( ) Between the second crotchet of one bar and the first of
the next if the form er be taken by leap (I g)
,
.

C
( ) Between the third crotchet of one bar and the first of the
n ex t( ) 1 e

D
( ) Between the third crotchets of successi v e bars or the ,

third crotchet of one bar and the second of the next unless the ,

placing of all the harmony notes of each bar in the form of

vertical combinations produces correct harmonic pro gression .

S ee below (3 a an d b) .

E
( ) Between the fourth crotchet of one bar and the first of the
next (1 j ) .
68 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
F
( ) B etween the fou rth crotchet of o ne bar and the third of
t h e next unless the placing of all th e harm ony notes of each
,

bar in the form of vertical combinations produces correct

harmonic progression S ee (3 c)
. .

All go o d .

I n which neither of the crotchets involved falls on an

accented part of the bar .

Consecutive fifths and octaves are forbidden unless the ,

placing of all the harmony notes of each bar in the form of

vertical combinations produces correct harmonic progression
(A) Between the second crotchets of successive bars .

(B ) Between the fou rth crotchet of one bar and the second of
the n ext.

C
( ) Between the fourth crotchets of successive bars .

The distance of four crotchets between two consecutives saves

the bad e ff ect S o they cannot occur between
.

(a) Th e first of one bar and the second third ,

or fourth
,
of the
next .

(6) The second of one bar and the third or fourth of the next .
 T H I R D S PEC I E S I N TW O P A R T S 69

(c) Th e third of one bar and the fou rth of the next
'

I n Third S pecies it may be taken as a general rule that the

harmony I S only changed on th e first and thir d crotchets
(although it is not wrong to change it on the second or fourth ) ,

s o that any fi fth appearing on th e second or fourth crotchets if ,

approached and quitted by step is not to be regarded as a har

,

mony note though concordant with the C F Thus 2 (d) and

, . .

2 (e) are both good .

I t is of course obvious that consecutives cannot occur between

the first and third of three harmonies but in th e simple combina
tion of First and Third S pecies it is not always easy to d i sc ri m i
nate unless the Third S pecies approach the new harmony by
,

disj unct movement

N ow in (a) the mental e ff ect is that all the second bar is I V b .

therefore the E on the third crotchet is unessential (b) i s an .

open point S ome theorists argue that if a sixth is followed by

.

a fifth above the C F the latter does not produce the e ff ec t of

. .

change of harmony The question seems to depend upon

.

( )
1 The relative value of the notes
(2 ) The general harmonic rhythm .

(3) The position of the notes in reference to accent .

(4) C hi efl y on the way the fifth i s followed

,
.

(c) Shows a clear change of harmony on the second half of ”

the second bar I n all the above cases h owever the fifths are
.
, ,

unobj ectionable for in (a ) and (b) the secon d fifth is either

,

separated from the first fifth by an intermediate harmony or

,

else i s unessential I t may be obj ected by some that this is

.
.

a complicated and laborio us statement of the case But any one .

 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
'

7 0

who takes the trouble to grasp the principle involved will never
be in doubt as to the good or bad e ff ect of a passage in refer
ence to c onsecutives The principle has three aspects (I )
.

the relative prominence of the notes ; (2 ) the harmonic outline ;

(3) the relative distance of the consecutives .

8 The leap of a sixth (maj or or minor) should be avoided in

.

notes of such short time value as crotchets the latter is the less
obj ectionable .

9 The
. extremities of a melodic passage Should not form the
tritone

G d
oo .

10There is a great confusion as to the u se of what we term

.

the fi fth of the root in the bass S uch an expression however

.
, ,

has no place in Counterp oint and we need only bear in mind

,

the proper standpoint The following examples will make

.

matters clear

G d oo . G d oo .

G d oo . B ad . G d oo .

The following should be avoided as it gives on the fourth

crotchet an impression of a 2 wrongly quitted .

N ot go o d .

I f the lower part forms a fourth with the higher part it must
of course be treated as a discord and be approached and quitted
,

conj unctly The same reasoning applies to t h e dissonant fifth

. .

This introduces an important point I t i s quite true to say that

.
 T H I R D S P EC I E S I N TWO P AR T S 71

a diminished triad in root position may not be used then some

,

one will say surely the following is incorrect

,

And surely a 2is being used on the last crotchet Time after .

time this di ffi culty has arisen in the m inds of students owing to
a confusion of principles .

The contrapuntal analysis is the first crotchet consists o f

—

D F a concord ; the second and third crotchets are passing

notes approached and quitted by conj unct degrees The writers
,
.

of the Polyphonic Period did not regard the combination on

‘

the third crotchet as a dissonant triad or that on the fourth

,

crotchet as an implied second inversion of the chord used at

the beginning of the bar B to F and A to D were Sim ply
.

treated as discords .

1 1. Avoid disjunct movement throughout a bar .

G d
oo . G od
o .

12 The unison is allowed under the same conditions as in

.

S econd S pecies .

13 N ever ru n into the unison

. : it is permissible in a case of
emergency to run through i t

T ol e rat e d .

14 . The employment of the ninth and maj or seventh as

auxiliary notes on the third crotchet is liable to lead to perni
c i o u s results in actual composition ; especially when the Third

S pecies is below th e C F . .
7 2 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

I t h as been said by some that auxiliary notes Should never be

used on the th ird crotchet of the bar

and it is noteworthy that it is Palestrina s practice to use either

’

a true passing note or a harmony note on the third crotchet .

But it is not forbidden to use auxiliary notes on the third

crotchet indeed in Combined Counterpoint their use together
, , ,

with other notes often produces most satisfactory e ff ects

,
.

15 The following are the usual cadences

.

( ) M j M d
1 a or o e.

( )
2 M in or M o de .
74 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T

Tw o -
b ar rh y th m .

(a) N ota Cambiata .

(b) m
The somewhat hard e ff ect of th e tritone E flat to A ay be
softened by the introduction of an accidental : though as A is
unessential the matter is of no importance
,
.
T H I R D S P EC I E S I N TW O PAR T S 7S
 C H A PT E R V

FO U R T H S P EC I E S I N TWO PA R T S

S "N C O P A TI O N .

1 .O N E of the most obvious ways of obtaining variety of e ff ect ,

besides the use of passing notes is to withhold th e movement of

,

one part while the other proceeds one step forward and thereby ,

comes to another implied harmony .

(a) I f the part that is thus arrested in its motion prod uce
d issonance on the first hal f of the bar this i s relieved by i ts
,

moving one step downwards and thus merging into consonance

,

agai n
5
( ) ( e) (d ) ()
8

H ere we have examples of syncopated d iscords The second .

minim of every bar must of course be concordant with the C F

‘ ‘
. .

as it is the resolut i on (c) of the discord (b) which was

’ ’

‘ prepared at (a ) The resolution (c) forms the preparation of

’
.

a further discord (d) The combinations ab cd ef form what

.
, ,

are termed suspensions

b
( ) I f the first m i nim of the bar is concordant with the C F . .

it is free to leap or move by step to another concord upwards

or d ownwards under certain restrictions stated below
,

‘
These are termed syncopated concords
 FO U R T H S P EC I E S I N Tw o PAR T S 77

2 I t is tru e as far as uncombined Counterpoint is concerned

.
, ,

to say that S yncopation is a simple variant of First S pecies in ,

that the accent in the Counterpoint is displaced

Fo u rth S p ec i e s .

This V iew requires modification when we come to treat of Com

b i n e d Counterpoint ; but for the present it forms a safe test as
to faulty harmonic progression
F o u rth S p ec ies .

This test as will be Shown later is not formed on the practice

, ,

of Palestrina M odern conditions where rhythm and harmonic

.
,

substructure are salient features d o not always admit of the same

,

principles of criticism as those of the Polyphonic Period At the .

same time theorists have wrongly applied the test of First S pecies
as regards consecutives to all cases of syncopation This matter
.

will require careful discussion (see pp 1 68 .

But for the present th e following rule holds good — Co n sec u

ti v e s between the second beats of successive bars are incorrect ,

whether direct or exposed

7 8 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P OI N T
The Counterpoint begins on the second minim of the first
3 .

bar and must form a perfect concord with the C F

, . .

G d oo . B ad .

I n the last bar in all S pecies th e C F and its Counterpoint

, ,
. .

consist of notes of equal value .

4 L e.t us now take the consonances and experiment in the ,

formation of syncopated discords .

A
( ) Above the C F . .

Co n so n a n c e s .

( )
I now considered too harsh and congested to be of any
is
service though found in Palestrina and Fu x .

(2 ) (4) and (5) form what we know as the suspensions

4
—
3 ; 7
— 6 ; 9— 8

(3)not strictly speaking a suspension at all it is merely a

i s , ,

case of m ovement from concord to concord 6 to 5 and is termed , ,

a syncopated concord .

B
( ) N ow experiment with syncopations below the C F . .

( )
I and ( )
2 are what we term the suspensions 2 —
3 4
—
5 (4) is
too h arsh to be available S ome theorists allow it and it i s
.
,

occasionally found
 FO U R T H S P EC I E S I N TWO PA R T S 79

LE O P OL I TA
. Ky ri e ( M i ssa P asch al i s )

T h is is smoother than any other - 8 " for

obvious harmonic
7 ,

reasons e g from a modern point of view both E and D are

,
. .

essential There i s also an example in Tye s M ass E uge B one

.
’

A
( g n u s D ei )

But these are isolated examples and quite exceptional

,
.

(3) is subject to the same criticism as (3) above that is we , ,

have here a syncopated concord .

5. The implied harmony of the suspensions is as follows

( )
a The 9
— 8 may be used above any note except the leading

note and implies the harmony gor 2

,

b
( ) The 7 6 may be used over any degree of the scale and
—
,

implies the accompaniment of t h e third .

()
c The —
4 3 is not used over the second or third degr e e s of
the minor scale nor on the leading note in both modes because ,
80 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
it always implies the accom paniment of the fifth and implied ,

forbidden triads would result

Al l b ad .

B ut in two parts j ust as in th e previous S pecies a strict

, ,

adheren ce to these restrictions is hardly necessary especially if ,

it cau ses the S pecies to be broken and a bar of S econd S pecies

,

interpolated Palestrina generally uses the perfect fourth in

.

syncopation H e does however use the augmented fourth

.
, ,

F e ri a v i , I n P a ra sceve .

We need not therefore hesitate to write it if the harmony be ,

smooth .

G d
oo . U ly g .

I t is not at first quite easy to see why the fourth was n o t

allowed to proceed to the third accompanied by the Sixth only
as a true harmony note But from a study of Palestrina it would
.

seem that the accompaniment of the sixth was restricted to two

special cases .

( ) Where the Sixth proceeds to the fifth as the fourth pro

a
,

c e e d s to the third
. The Sixth is usually approached conjunctly ,

or treated as a syncopation and it is felt to be in the nature

,

of a passing or auxiliary note

82 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
up the note that prepares the discord (the second minim of the
,

bar) must be concordant with the C F and the discord is . .

'

resolved by moving on e step downwards

Al l b ad .

B elow the C F the implied harmony is as follows

. .

The —
( )
a 2 3

(5) the 4
—
5

-6
(c) the 5

I t i s better n o t to u se the diminished fifth as a suspended

discord on account of the harsh e ff ec t
,
.

the
(d ) (e g two
6— 5harmonies ) . . . This may not be used as
a retardation

G d oo . B ad .

6 . I t has been pointed out that the second minim of the bar
 FO U R T H S P E C I E S I N Tw o PAR T S 83

must always b e concordant with the C F

. . The following are
obviously incorrect .

7. The False Relation of the Tritone may be found by

reducing the score to First S pecies

8 Two harm onies may of course be used in any bar The

. .

first minim of the bar is often felt to be a repetition of the last

minim of the previous bar with a new harmony

9 . Avoid melodic repetition

10 . Th e syncopation should not be broken , u nless it involves

melodic monotony or unsound harmonic progression ; in these
,

cases a single bar of the S econd S pecies may be interpolated

P o or h arm o n y . E xp ose d o c tav e s .

84 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
I I . Th e unison is allowed on the second beat of the bar

12The last note but one of the Counterpoint must always be

.

the leading note .

13 The Cadences are as follows

.

C F . .

I f it is impossible to use syncopat i on I n the Cadence the ,

S econd S pecies may be employed The last Cadence given .

above does not belong to the period I t is a modern innovation .

,

and may be tolerated only in circumstances of e xceptional

di ff i culty .

EX A M P LE S I N FO U R T H S P E CI E S .

Fi rst Mus . B . C an tab .

, M ay , 1
90 4 .

( ) a B ro ke n to av o i d y
m o n o ton .
FO U R T H S P EC I E S I N TW O PAR T S 85
86 T H E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I NT

( )
b S e e p . 23.
 C H AP T E R V I

F I FT H S P E C I E S I N TW O PAR T S

F LO R ID C O U N T E R P O I N T .

1. F LOR I D Counterpoint may be said to consist of the syn

thetical use of th e technique of the four previous S pecies ,

together with a few variants of them serving the purpose of ,

more ornate texture or improvement of melodic flow and i m

, ,

parting to the whole artistic variety

-
.

2. The following are the devices used to form variants of the

four S pecies
( ) The combination of two S pecies
a

3 rd 2n d 3 rd 2n d 4 th

2 nd grd

( 6)
This analysis is in reference to melodic movement e g ,
. .

M inims S econd S pecies

, .

Crotchets Third Species

,
.

Tied minims Fourth S pecies

, .

Whenever a minim on the second half of the bar is preced e d

by notes Shorter than itself it must be tied into the next bar ;
,

se e (a ) and (b) above The only exception allowed i s in th e

.

penultimate bar I t i s true that cases may b e found in P al e s

.
"

trina s works where this principle i s disregard e d

’
But in th e .

large maj ority of cases the procedure mentioned obtains and ,

therefore may be taken as a fixed idiom .

88 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
There is however one particular case that requires passing
, ,

notice I n Palestrina s M i ssa P ap ac M a rcelli the N ota Cam

.
’

biata is extensively used and the idiom constantly takes this

,

form

S uch a use h owever is better avoided not because it is a

, , ,

licence but because changing notes or a change of harmony

, ,

on the second crotchet Should in any case be sparingly used

,
.

I t may be asked , Why is any such rule necessary ? The reason

is that such a halt as

would be purposeless unless employed to introd uce

,
syn c o

p ati o n

Th e case above quoted from Palestrina is of course j ustified

, ,

by the nature of the melodic idiom .

b
( ) The use of ties other than those already explained e g , . .

in which both notes tied are not minims

90 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
quavers in succession The rarity of such a procedure justifie s
.

its exclusion from the regular tech nique of the period

The following uses of quavers involving melodic r e petition

, ,

are bad

The following are good

A study of Palestrina will Show that quavers Should be used

sparingly.

d B
( ) y the use of dots .

Their use between any two notes of one bar in two parts is
not practicable

A dotted minim in only two parts causes a halt on the second

, ,

accent of the bar .

D otted crotchets involving the use of a single quaver

,

are forbidden not because they are wrong from an absolute

,

point of view but because they form no part of th e technique

,

of the period .

()
e By the use of ornamental form s of th e Fourth S pecies .

The following are ornamental resolutions of syncopated dis

’
cords taken from Palestrina s works
 F I F T H S PE C I E S I N TW O PA R T S 9 1

Aetern a Ch ri sti M u n era .

These are all examples of anticipation of resolution and may be,

catalogued thus

are not u sed in S cholastic Counterpoint : for (b and

( )
a )
d
( ) c a n always be employed instead, thu s avoiding any infringe
ment of the rule that except in the First S pecies no not e
, , ,

should be immediately repeated at th e same pitch .

At (a) the tenor leaps to a note consonant with the bass before
resolving At (b) the alto leaps to a note dissonant with the bass
.

before resolvi ng .

Thes e are really modifications of the u se o f the N ota Cambiata ,

and may be catalogued thus

92 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

Th e leap or conj unct movement to a note higher in pitch than

the note of resolution and the use of quavers higher in pitch
than such note though permissible will be found to be extremely
, ,

rare in practice

R a re .

I n every case th e syncopated discord must be resolved on

th e third crotchet of the bar .

3 Each S pecies is of course governed by its own rules ;

.

a s a general rule a change of harmony Should be made only on

,

the second half of the bar and rarely on the second or fourth
,

crotchets S ome theorists entirely forbid the latter

. .

4 . The first bar of the Counterpoint may begin in S econd ,

Third or Fourth S pecies N o part may begin with quavers but

, .
,

“
two of these may replace the last crotchet in the Third S pecies
“ —

47
03
El ”f
< >
a ; 9 ; ( 7

M any theorists give the following as a start

"
r m
This is better avoided as being somewhat u n d i gn i fied it is
n o t however absolutely forbidden .

5 . N o absolute law can be laid down as to the extent to which

any rhythmic idiom Should be continuously maintained but the ,

following reco mmendations may serve as a general guide .

( )
a N ot more than eight crotchets Should be used in su c

cession .

(6) N ot more than three untied minims Should be used in

succession .

-
I n two part work the S econd S pecies Should be sparingly
94 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
PAL R I NA
EST ,
Aeterna Ch ri sti M a ri am .

The remarks made i n the chapters on S econd and Third

1 0.

S pecies in reference to the mechanical use of passing notes of

course apply equally well h ere A few examples of good and
.

bad progressions are here given the latter are generally due to
overe laboration

G d oo . G d
oo .

B ad . G d oo . B ad .

Everything depends upon the definition of the harmony and the ,

mental impression I n none of the above cases c an it be fairly

.

argued that any one bar gives the mental impression of a change
of harmony on the second or third crotchet Criticisms as to .

harmonic e ffect must be based on modern principles .

I n the following the mind receives the impression of a change

,

of harmony and the e ffect is there fore perfectl y satisfactory

, .

III . I b . VI . IV b .
 F I F T H S P EC I E S I N Tw o PAR T S 95

I I The ornamental resolution of a suspended discord must

.

never cause consecutives between essential harm onies .

G d oo .

O N A ST U D " OF P A LE S T R I N A .

N ow that the student is conversant with the five orders of

Counterpoint he should begin to study Palestrina for himself
,
.

There are two points of View and they must be kept quite
,

d istinct
( I ) The horizontal V iew E v ery bar of the score corre
.

sp o n d s to two bars of S cholastic Counterpoint, that is in ,

reference to melodic rhythm .

Thus

in notes of the time value of S cholastic Counterpoint is

Palestrina commences the Ky ri e of the same M ass thus

that is the first note of the Counterpoint is a semibreve and

, ,

forms with the C F an imperfect concord This is a frequent

. . .

case i n Palestrina the reason being that the imitation j usti fies
,

it ; b u t the student is ad vised t o conform to the o rd i n ary

‘

proc e dure Again

.
99 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

H ere the dotted line inserted indicates the scholastic analysis .

(2) The vertical V iew in reference to harmonic combination

,
.

The following is placed in its actual form and in that of the ,

scholastic analysis That is we here analyse not according to

.
,

melodic idiom but according to the species used the standard

, ,

of measurement of course constantly varying

Aeterna Ch ri s ti M u nera .

S c h o lasti c An alysi s .

I t need hardly be pointed out that the notation used in modern

editions is a convenient adaptation for modern readers B ars .

came into u se at the beginning of the sixteenth century to help ,

men to read the scores by keeping the parts vertically parallel

, ,

an d not to mark rhythmic divisions The works of Tallis Byrd .

, ,

and Gibbons were originally published without bars the rhythm

was S h own by the value of the notes .

On thef chords i n a b ar
u se o two .

I n this connexion it may be explained upon what aut hority

,

it is stated that two chords in a bar may be f reely used Th e .

hori z ontal system i s absolutely elastic in this respect There is .

98 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

I t will be felt that th e time signature is misleadin gin reference

to the accents for the bar clearly contains four strong and four
,

weak accents Puttin g this section into bars of S cholastic

.

Counterpoint we obtain

That i s we have here a piece of perfectly strict Counterpoint

,

with the framework in the form of a C F omitted

,
. .
, .

I m p li d C F e . .

I t is not of course implied that modern harmony is Counter

point in notes of di ff erent time value But it is maintained that
.

S chol astic Counterpoint and modern composition are identical

in principle The C F in notes of Uniform length supplies the
. . .

framework which guides the student in the proper path as

regards dignity of style and method of decoration ,
Remove .

the C F and the frame remains in a preconceived harmonic

. .

basis this of course in actual composition is a mental process

, , ,

cultivated by the proper study of Counterpoint But it may be .

,

asked why Should not each accent be regarded as a bar of

,

Counterpoint ? The melodic view of the question supplies the

’

answer Th e ru le s which regul ate th e melodic idiom of bars of

.

Counterp o i nt are those which regulate half bars of Palestrina .

For instance, th e f o llo wi ng is incorrect Counterpoint

 F I FT H S P E C I E S I N Tw o P AR T S 99

I n this exam ple a bar of First S pecies is made to contain

a suspension which is resolved on the first beat of the next bar
, .

I t will thus be seen that the principles here expounded are not
arbitrary : they are founded on a practice which b ecause it is
, ,

true forms the foundation upon which all succeeding progress has
,

been made An d one of the chief reasons why so many students

.

seem utterly unable to write smooth harmonic progressions is to

be found in the fact that they have studied a false system of
Counterpoint The modern German system and the English
.

M ac farre n school are not those that moulded the styles of Bach ,

H aydn or M ozart Any one who studies the church music of

.

our own Wesleys must at once recogni z e the influences of

h i sto ri c o u n te rp o i n t clearly engraved on every page I t may .

be add ed that while limiting the change of essential harmony to

,

on e variation in a bar the principle does not involve that the

,

harmony must be changed onc e in every bar but it does imply

that it is never wrong to change it U nessential combinations
.

m ay produce what are now classified as chords but they do not

,

a ff ect the impression of harmonic rhythm .

d al
Ch o r c e n tre s .

I t i s necessary to regard all S cholastic Florid Counterpoint as

containing two accents in each bar thus the time Signature 3 is
used The student may be left to mark the implied harmonies
.

for himsel f.

EX A M P LE S.
1 00 T H E A R T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
1 02 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

Either of these versions is correct C ounterpoint the student

will have no di ffi culty in seeing why the M ac farre n school would
condemn the former version at (b) .
 C H AP T E R V I I

C O U N T E R PO I N T I N T R I P L E T I M E
'

S E C O N D S P E CI E S .

1. IN
a system of notation now obsolete a semibreve might ,

be considered equal to three minims : th i s value of the semi

breve was termed the Greater Prolation and was denoted by ,

the use of a circle thus ,

I ts modern equivalent is of course 3 with a dot added to the

semibreve

2 The Counterpoint begins on the second minim of the bar

. _ ,

a n d mus t form with the C F a perfect concord

. . .

3 The
. first minim of each succeeding bar must be in concord
with the C F . .

“
4 A .ll discords must be approached and quitted conjunctly ,
except when th e idiom of the N ota Cambiata is employed .

When the Counterpoint moves one step downward at the

beginning of the bar the leap of a third in the same direction
, ,

provi ded that the next note proceeds to the intermediate sound ,

i s qu i te in accord ance with contrapuntal practice

'
19 4 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

5 .
A change of harmony in the bar is always allowable

6 N ever run into the unison

B ad .

Two leaps in the same d irection are u n u sti fiab l e

j
7 .

Al l b ad .

The Cadences are as follows

M j M d
a or o e.

M i nor Mo de .

EX A M P LE S .

VI I b .
1 06 T H E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

VI I b .

IV in Am in
. .

Ib . I V I Vb
. . II i C m j
. n a .
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T R I P L E T I M E 10 7

II . II b V. .

F O U R T H S P E CI E S .

1
. The second note in each bar of the Cou nterpoint may be
either a harmony note or a passing note The third note must
,
.

be a harm ony note corresponding to the second in duple time

,
.

2
. A discord of suspension may be ornamentally resolved as
in Flori d Counterpoint the actual resolution taking place on the
,

third minim I t is equally good to resolve the discord on the

.

second minim .

3
. The following i s of course a case of exposed consecutives

But the interpolation of another m I nI m prevents the obj ection

able e ffect

EX A M P LE S .
1 08 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

( )
a not consecutives as the notes involved
, are mentally
u nessential .

C F
. .

V Vb
. . IV b IV
. .

I . VI b . IV . VI b .
(b) Vb .

(b) a possible ending .

F I FT H S P E CI E S .

N 0 fu rther rules are necessary .

VI I b . VI b . II b .
 C H AP T E R V I I I

CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PA R T S

1. WIT H the addition of a second Counterpoint to the a C F . .

complete triad is possible and harmonic progression ceases to

,

be mentally ambiguous I n fact this step in the development

.
,

of polyphony led to the vertical consideration of combined parts ,

and finally to the establishment of the modern scalic system .

For instance in the treatment of the cadence it was found well

, ,

to accompany the penultimate note of the C F not only by the . .

sixth above but also by the fifth below

,

D o ri an M o de . I o n i an Mo d e .

But the e ff ect of the minor third (a) created by most of the ,

modes was felt to be obj ectionable insomuch as the I onic

, ,

cadence sounded so satisfactory And so in the system o f .

M u si ca P i cta a sharp was added to the C to make it like the ,

I onian cadence forming the upward -

, tending leading note and ,

producing a satisfactory e ff ect of completeness This p rogre s .

sion of the bass from V to I has become stereotyped as the

. .

perfect cadence and up to a Short time ago was the universal

,

method of concluding a movement O ther experiments have .

been made by modern writers with varying success .

I t has been Shown how men experimented with combined

 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PA R T S 111

sounds in three parts ; the fourth being rej ected the following ,

combinations were left

The fourth was allowed between two upper parts This is the .

basis of our scheme of common C hords with their first inversions .

The 2would come to be catalogued after such a process as

PA L ES T R I N A M i A t rna Ch risti M u
, ssa e e n era .

2 The maj ority of the rules of two -

. part Counterpoint hold
good for the extreme parts in all simple Counterpoint .

3 Wh e rever possible the C hord should be complete on the

.

first beat of the bar ; if in the last bar it is necessary to omit the
‘

third the fifth had better be omitted also

, .

-
4 The part writing Should be compact ; the di ff erent voices
.

Should be nearly equidistant in the matter of interval if a wide

gap i s necessary it Should occur between the two lowest parts
, .

N o two upper parts sh ould as a rule be more than an octave

apart .

5 When
. incomplete harmony is made necessary by the
exigencies of melodic fl ow the root is to be doubled in prefer
,

e nce to the fifth or third th e fifth in prefe rence to the third It

, .

is not forbidden to double the maj or third though it should be

,

done with cautious discretion .

6 Except in the first and last bars an d occasionally in the

.
,

use of Fourth S pecies the unison Should be avoided on the first

,

beat of the bar .

7 Both the perfect and augmented fourth are allowed as

.

harmonic intervals between any two upper parts but not between
the bass and any upper part
1 12 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

G d
oo .

The follo wing combination s are of course possible in the

'

minor mode :

8 . C O N S E C U TI V E S .

( )
a Exposed consecutives are usually disallowed between
extrem e parts except at the cadence where the top part moves
,

by ste p

M any theorists consider all these to be bad .

is found i n Palestrina s a dm i ra bi le comm erci u m

’

( )
a O

b
( ) is found in the Ky ri e of th e M i ssa B rev i s, and (c) is found
in the S ta ba t M ater
 1 14 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
did not form a part of the technique of the period The use of '
.

retardations is an obvious illustration And if we se e a procedure

.

common to both the Polyphonic and the H armonic Periods it ,

is inconceivable why theorists Should prohibit it in the one and ,

allow it in the other I f it is argued that exposed consecutives

.

are forbidden between extreme parts for the purpose of dis .

c i p l i n e it may be replied that if we c an find no means other

,

than those which impose restrictions which are of n o practical

value and only serve to make theory and practice irreconcilable
, ,

such discip l ine if at all necessary Should be sought elsewhere

, , .

There is no point in making di fficulties for the sake of intellectual

exercise if the restrictions imposed h aVe not even the saving
,

grace of historic tradition ; indeed things of this nature bring

,

the study of Counterpoint into ridicule What is right must be .

right whether it be a technical exercise or a piece of composition

, .

B u t Counterpoint is Counterpoint and whatever limitations are

,

made must be in accordance with the practice of the time .

This is the only valid reason for restrictions of any kind in the
sphere of technique .

Consecutives (exposed ) between di ff erent positions of the same

C hord are entirely unobj ectionable

G d
oo .

I t is necessary to warn the student against an excessive u se

of exposed consecutives between the extreme parts but he need ,

not hesitate to write them if by so doing he can improve both

I the melodic and harmonic progression .

As a general rule they should be confined to those pro

g r e s s i o n s in which the roots rise or fall a fourth or a fifth In .

all cases one of the chords Should be in the root pos i tion The .

student should exercise his musical instinct i ndeciding u pon the

e ff e ct of progressions of this kind
.
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E P A R T S 1 1
5

Although Palestrina writes

the foll o
wing is not to be considered as a part of the technique
of the period

but the next examples are entirely unobj ectionable because of

the u se of a syncopated concord i n each case

The fact that the e ff ect of the following is good is no guarantee

that it will be equally e ff ective in purely contrapuntal music
S U L LI A N T D m
V ,
e eu .
1 16 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
I ndeed many of the exposed consecutiv e s which are perfectly
, ,

good in music conceived in a modern spirit are obj ectionable in

,

the more severe style of the old contrapuntal school The

’

langu ishing e ff ect of the above example i s foreign to the styl e of

Palestrina and his contemporaries and th e student must th ere
,

fore be guided in such matters by his sense of the fitness of

things .

(B) Exposed consecutives are allowed between a mean and an

extreme part if the upper part move by step
,

G d
oo . G d
oo . Po o r
.

The interpolation of a passing note does not justify exposed

consecutives which would otherw ise be condemned

B ad .

I f the unessential note be auxiliary ,

th e e ff ect is equally bad .
1 18 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
so that it is advisable to discard this principle at any rate in
,

less than si x parts .

9. The parts may cross freely but,

in the First S pecies it is
better that this procedure be restricted to upper parts .

10 Tr i tone
. . This is forbidden between the extreme parts by
conj unct movement Except the following
.

All
go o d .

I t i s allowed between a mean and an extreme part by contrary

motion

G d
oo . G d oo .

B utit is hardly wise to lay down any hard and fast rule much
depends upon the context and the student should rely more
,

upon his musical se nse than the mechanical application of rule .

 C H A PT E R IX

TH E F I R S T AN D S ECO N D S P E C I E S I N ONE OF
T H R E E PA R T S

1 . I T isone of th e canons of elementary H armony that if there

be a note common to two consecutive chords it should be kept ,

in the same part ; it is one of the canons of Counterpoint

that unless involving bad balance of parts or exposed c o n
,

se c u ti v e s the movement of each part should be varied as much

,

as possible

Po o r
. Go d
o .

2 . N ever double th e leading note

I n the first bar the lowest part should always have th e

3 .

root

B ad . G d
oo . G d
oo . G d
oo .

The following are the cadences

1 20 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

fo llo wm g I S quite correct

that i s, t h e exposed diminished fifth is open to no obj ection .

Examples
1 22 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T

S E C O N D S P E CI E S I N O N E OF TH REE P A R T S .

I The unison may be used on the second minim of the bar

.
,

if it secures a better melodic flow .

2 The cadences are as follows

.

C F
. .

Observe that the last two notes in some part are invariably the
L eading N ote and Tonic This is the case in every S pecies
. .

3 The use of passing notes

.

(a ) Th e e ff ect of the fourth against the third is very harsh

wh e n the third is an inner part an d the fourth is above
 C O U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E P A R T S 1 23

b
( ) Wherever possible let the second minim form with the
holding notes either a modern essential discord or a good ,

passing C hord

( ) N ote th e following
c

Poo r
. G d oo .

4. N o two notes next each other in alphabetical order may

proceed to an octave by Similar motion ( M ac farre n H armony) ,

5. The first note of the Cou nterpoint must be a perfe c t

concord

I n c o rre c t . G d
oo .
12
4 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R P O I N T
Theorists di ff er on this point : the above rule is based o n prae
tice not theory (see page
,

6 The rules as to consecutives between the C F and a part

. . .

in S econd S pecies apply equally well when a third part is

added The leap of a fourth does not take away the obj ection
.

able e ff ect even if th e S econd S pecies be a mean part

,

The earlier theorists allowed this : but as it has been pointed

,

out th e arguments which support Palestrina s procedure have

,
’

ceased to have significance u nder modern conditions .

(a ) the sequence j ustifies the tritone .

 C H A PT E R X

T H E T H I R D S P E C I E S I N O N E O F T H R E E PA R T S

1 G RE A T E R licence in reference to consecutives between the

.

First and Third S pecies is allowable in that except in the case of

,

consecutives occurring on the first beats o f successive bars (one

harmony in each bar being presupposed) they may appear on the
,

second third or fourth beats of successive bars even though

, , ,

the reduction of the score to vertical combinations of essential

notes should not bear the test

G d
oo .

The ear perceives no unpleasant e ff ect here .

I n all other cases the rules given in two parts apply .

2 .The leading note may be doubled in the Third S pecies if it ,

is in the middle of a scalic passage or a part of an arpeggio

,

G d
oo . G d
oo .

3 . The cadences a re _ ge n e ra l ly a s
,
.
follows
 CO U N T E R P O I N T IN T H R E E PA R T S 127

C F .

4 The previous recommendations in reference to passing

.

notes Should b e carefully followed O bs e rve however

.
1 28 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
H ere we have the e ffect of a deferred resolution of the
seventh .

Compare th e rule in harmony textbooks for th e treatment of

auxiliary notes .

The fact is under the modern harmonic system a great many

, ,

notes which are theoretically unessential must be treated as if

, ,

they were as indeed they are mentally essential The early

, ,
.

writers used them artistically by instinct .

Examples
 C H AP T E R X I

T H E F O U R T H A N D F I F T H S PE C I E S I N O N E O F
T H R E E PA R T S

1 . TH E
accompaniment of the various syncopated discords has
already been adequately discussed in Chapter V I t is however .
, ,

necessary to remember that the 9— 8 besides being accompanied

,

by the third may be accompanied by the fifth or sixth also

,

Root
. C

The reason is of course obvious e g we have here the su sp en

,
. .

sion of the root or third of a common chord S imilarly the .

,

— 6 may be accompanied by the octave as well as by the third

7

and the 4
—
3 by the octave as well as the fifth

This may be summarized as follows portion of the chord -Any ,

e g the root third or fifth may be doubled except that note

. .
, ,

which i s suspended Thus the following are faulty

.
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E P AR T S 13 1

2 Cherubini and R o c k stro give the following as examples of

.

the correct accompaniment of suspended d i sc o rd S :

CH E R INI
UB .
‘
‘
R OC K S I R O .

But all these are impossible as they stand for the combination
,

on the second minim is a dissonant triad in each case .

3 Consecutives
. must never occur on the second beats of two
or more successive bars

S uch things were constantly done in the Polyphonic Period but ,

with no definite indication of C hange of harm ony owing to the

absence of other moving parts and with no indication of tempo
, ,

they Should be avoided .

The following is of course allowable

132 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
Exposed cons ecutives are allowed u nder the conditions men
ti o n e d in First S pecies.

4 . A S to the accompaniment of syncopated concords the follow ,

ing examples will make things C lear .

Bad . G d oo .

d a ti o n )
R e tar .

5 When
. the Fourth S pecie s is in the bass the upp e r,
parts
m ay form a fourth because the second minim represents the
,

real harmony note

G d
oo .

6 . Th e best cadences are as follows

1 34 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
CHE R I NI
UB .

CH E R I NI
UB .

Cherubini while allowing that Palestrina uses the discord of

,

the fourth without preparation in order that it may become its

own preparation makes the stipulation that the first discord be
,

prepared by a concord and the last discord be resolved by

,

anoth e r concord.

The use of the pedal point in S cholastic Counterpoint is rare ,

but the following is an illustration of the sort of case in which it

may be introduced with advantage

Examples
C O U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S 13
5
1 36 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

(a) I t is hardly necessary to point out that some theorists

wrongly regard such a concord as unessential . The following
is su fficient to refute any such argument
P A L T R I NA
ES .

The examples given with the above time signatures will Show
the purposes of uncombined Counterpoint and serve to illus
,

trate the fact that bar lines do little more than help the eye to
keep things C lear I t is the accents that really mould the music
.
,

and it will be Shown later how time signatures are often deceiving
in th is respect
.

The ordinary form in which problems are given implies two

accents in the bar thus

This analysis is equally satisfactory : our purpose has been to

Show the various uses of the scholastic process .

I n future we shall regard each bar as containing two accents

9
(a
.
1 38 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

( )
a The ambiguity of the harmony makes F l
]
t unobj e ctionable
if a B had been present the e ff ect would have been bad N ote .

()
c G d
oo . G d oo .

The mental e ff ect of (c) i s th at it is a thirteenth on G .

b
( ) The e ff ect of the tritone is entirely unobj ectionable .
 C H A PT E R X I I

C O M B I N E D C O U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PA R TS

W HE N more than one of the added parts are in some species

other than the first we have what is termed Combined Counter
,

point.

Thi s is a branch of the subj ect that has received very i n ad e

quate treatment at the hands of th eorists The earlier writers.

merely gave a few examples of Combined Counterpoint with

little or no comment while the modern explanation of it as seen
, ,

in textbooks of the M ac farren school i s not only inconsistent

,

with practice but imposes u nnecessary limitations and by so

, ,

d oing actually encourages a system of writing which is produc

tive of far -
reaching evil But it must be admitted that the whole
.

of the blame cannot be laid at the door of the M ac farre n school ,

and in order to explain the position clearly it is necessary to

consider musical decoration in some detail .

I t has been previously insisted that what is considered correct

S cholastic Counterpoint Sh ould not be capable of condemnation
un der harmonic conditions I n reading the compositions
.

of the Polyphonic Period a modern can easily see what is

correct relatively or absolutely We have seen that Palestrina s
.
’

procedure in the matter of consecutives cannot be gen e rally

followed under modern conditions We have also seen that th e
.

constant running into th e unison i s only tolerable under the

c onditions of the time The adoption of the modern scalic
.

system has brought with it points of view which were non

existent in the sixteenth century except as matters of artistic
,

feeling both in re ference to C hoice of harmony and m e lodic

,

progression We have now to discuss in a more detailed way

.

the question of harmonic propriety The great principl e to be

.
1 49 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
kept in V iew i s that if Counterpoint i s to be a training in the art
,

of combining melodies it is useless to teach a procedure as bei n g

,

correct Counterpoint but bad H armony Th e antiquarian

, .

student may if he choose learn to write exactly as Palestrina did

, ,

under the modal system but this is not S cholastic Counterpoint ,

though the latter is based upon it S cholastic Counterpoint is .

th e adaptation of the principles of Palestrina to modern c o n

d i ti o n s ; that is no enlargement of his harmonic or melodic
,

resource is made for what is good in this Sphere remains so for

,

all time though the range of possibilities in this direction may

,

be indefinitely enlarged But in questions which involve relative

.

criticism that is when a particular procedure may b e correct

,

under conditions which have now ceased to exist theory must ,

bring such cases into line with modern thought .

The work of the early Polyphonic school may b e said to

consist of experiments in combinations of sounds resulting in
what we term common chords and their first inversions a few ,

suspensions and prepared discords and passing notes linking ,

concord with concord ; that i s we have in the work up to the ,

time of Palestrina the foundation of diatonic H armony Then .

,

under the leadership of M onteverde came the enlargement o f

the harmonic scheme .

D iscords came to be used without preparation and combina ,

tions of essential and non - essential notes which were pleasing in

e ff ect came to be catalogued as C hords and root theories were ,

devised Thus in Palestrina we have

.

M i ssa Aetern a Ch ri sti M u nera .

Mo d e rn An aly si s .
2

According to modern classification the combination on the third

minim is a dominant eleventh or secondary seventh and the last ,

c ombination of the bar is a dominant seventh .

1 42 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
I n the second case quoted

the bass (D ) is felt to be a pedal wrongly quitted in any case

the harmony is obscure and con fused .

N o one would tolerate such things in a harmony exercise the

position therefore is illogical I t is true that such a case as (b)
.

is corrected by a modern rule I n combinations of the S econd

and Third S pecies a note of the latter if dissonant with a passing
, ,

note of the former must not be taken or quitted by Skip even

, ,

though it be consonant with the implied h armony But such .

’

a rule allows of

which are no better than

N ow the C hief rules of the M ac farren system i n reference to
,

Combined Counterpoint are ,

1 The lowest moving part must be a good bass to the others

.

above it .
’

2 .
‘
All parts moving together at the same instant (i
all notes . e .

which are struck together) must be in concord except when two ,

’

moving parts are proceeding by conj unct and contrary motion

in this case they may strike a discord .

The following is a typical student s application of these

’

rules
 CO M B I N E D C O U N T E R P O I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S 1 43

The mental e ff e cts to be noticed are

( )
a U nresolved seventh .

(b) Crude harmony .

( ) Obscure harmony
c .

(d ) 2quitted by leap .

I f such writing as the above be the result of a study of S trict

Counterpoint the sooner it i s given up the better
,
.

The results of this syst e m are seen in a few extracts from

students attempts at composition
’
1 44 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

.t
- £1 ]
1

These are only a few of the many examples of such crudity

that are to be seen every day in students work There is
’
.

evidently something wrong somewhere .

The fact is it is not true to say that all that is necessary is

,

that all notes struck together must be in concord except under

,

the condition mentioned This will b e dealt with in its place

. .

S u ffi cient has been said to prove the pernicious influence of the

rule .

J .S Bach. stands midway bet w een the instinctive harmonic

purity and Simplicity of Palestrina and the calculated harmonic
,

purity an d complexity of the modern diatonic school .

J udging of Bach s work from an a bsolu te point of V iew his

’
,

deficiency lies in his indi ff erence to the harmonic e ff ect of his

decoration for though h is C hordal centres and seams are quite
C lear and satisfactory the harmony caused by the combination
,

of various essential and unessential notes decorating the C hordal

centres is quite a matter of indi ff erence to him .

An illustration will make this C lear

1 46 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
C hordal centres themselves exhibit new progressions With the
.

problems and possibilities of this school we are not concerned

our knowledge of the evolution of the art would point to a
process similar to that through which diatonic harmony has
gone a process of the elimination of the u nessential and the
, ,

enlargement of the essential .

I t will have been seen that attention must be paid to vertical

considerations and unless this is d one students form a habit of
,

mind which has disastrous e ff ects on practical work and it

cannot be too strongly urged that teachers Should not condone
in Counterpoint what they know to be bad H armony As time .

goes on composers are finding new harmonic progressions and

, ,

it must not be supposed that the recommendations given in this

treatise i n reference to this point are in any way absolute .

The laws of harmony as at present stated require that (a)

, ,

should b e resolved as at (b) if the bass move downwards by any

interval other than an octave

( ) a ( b)

and that the bass note of a 2 Should not be quitted by leap ,

unless proceeding to another position of the same chord .

There is nothing in the rules of Counterpoint to forbid

S uppose these discords were to appear on thefirst hal f of a

contrapuntal bar the following would be the procedure
,
 C O M B I N E D CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H RE E P AR T S
‘
1 47

Thus it will be seen that contrapuntal theory makes a clear dis

tinction between the two cases and herein lies the basis of
,

conflict between harmonic and contrapuntal principles .

The above combinations occur in a part song by S ir C H H

‘
. . .

Parry I f I had but two little wings

, .
’

A consideration of the grounds of their j ustification may prove

helpful to students I t m ay be asked with reason how it is that
.

the ear accepts the first two of the following examples as satis
factory and rejects the third as crude
,

I n the first place it is of course obvious that the question of

,

accent plays an important part in the matter The following are

.

undoubtedly bad
1 48 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
But this is not the only consideration for both the following are
,

u nsatis factory

It may at once be said that the e ff ect will be good if the parts
concerned proceed in Simultaneous and parallel movement and ,

i f th e two contrapuntally essential combinations connected are

satisfactory as a harmonic progression when the intermediate
,

sounds which of course must proceed by conj unct degrees are

, ,

omitted .

I n such cases the contrapuntally unessential combinations on

the weak parts of the bar do not produce the mental impression
of a new harmony .

d All goo .

But when the two parts involved take two unessential notes
by Similar motion and then proceed by contrary motion to the
next centre

or when they proceed in notes of di fferent time value after

havin g struck two unessential notes
1 59 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
conj unct degrees (the first combination being essential and the
secon d unessential) they Should proceed in parallels till they
,

again reach essential harmony unless the bass be a pedal

,

It m ay be thought th at the above statements place us in

a dilemma for we have yet to j ustify
,

which apparently contradicts what has been said But the .

above happens to be a case which forms a very rare exception

to the general rule The considerations which j ustify it apart
.
,

from i ts intrinsic e ff ectiveness belong rather to harmonic than

,

to strict contrapuntal conditions For the mental impression is

.

that the centres are the c h o rd s o f G and D maj or The note

.

E being unessential to the harmony of the chord of G would

, ,

hardly be written u nder strict S cholastic conditions though its

,

presence can be explained by principles of concordance The .

fact is th at G instead o f proceeding to F if d irect first leaps

, ,

a third to the other side of it in the manner of a C hanging note .

This c an be conclusively proved by a comparison with the

following which is unsatisfactory :
,
 CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S 151

This is one of the most important questions raised by a study

of Combined Counterpoint and the m atter h as been dealt with
,

in detail so that the student may se e the exact purport and

, ,

also the limitations from an absolute point of view of the follow

,

ing recommendations They are intended to serve as sa feguards

.

against some very prevalent faults in students work an d it is

’
,

necessary to insist on their being observed until the student

h as a grasp of harmonic e ff ect su ffi cient to enable him to find
out artistic exceptions such as the case quoted This opens out
.

the whole question of complex movement and it cannot be too

,

strongly emphasized that indi ff erence to questions of this sort

is one of the most fruitful sources of crude writing .

Artistic instinct often revolts against what i s merely m e c h an i

cally 2 99111 1119 and laws which allow of unmusical application
,

c a n scarcely be considered authoritative For instance the

.
,

following are not condemned by any formulated rules they are

actually an application of the rules of Combined Counterpoint
as stated in some modern treatises

I t is inconceivable that any one could write such things under

any pretext whatever : but owing to a mechanical system of
,

Counterpoint students are driven to bel ieve that crudities

,

of this nature are some of the necessary evils of Combined

Counterpoint The maintenance of the conjunct nature of the
.

S econd S pecies i s the crucial poin t in such cases Apart from .

any questions of historic authority the restriction to the use o f

,

one C hord in a bar either compels such discords as the above ,

or a S econd S pecies that can only be regarded as artificial .

 1 52 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

TH E C OM B I N A TI O N OF SECO ND AND TH I R D S P E CI E S .

1 Each part enters after a rest of the time value of the notes
.

of its S pecies I t is of cou rse obvious that all three n otes

.

struck on the first beat of the bar must be concordant .

2 The chief di ffi culties of the combination lie in the mainte

.

n ance of C lear good harmony and the conj unct motion of the
, ,

S econd S pecies The following are the methods of securing

.

this
(A) I f the second minim of the bar be taken by leap it is o ften ,

possible to make the movement to the first minim of the next

bar conj unct

B
( ) I f the second minim be a true passing note it together , ,

with all other moving and stationary parts must form a good ,

harmonic progression on the third or fourth crotchet to the

next bar

The mental e ff ects of the above are as follows

( ) dominant maj or ninth resolving on the third the seventh
a
,

also resolving one step downwards

( ) a passing 3
b
1 54 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

(a) is a dominant thirteenth (root G ) .

I f; however the note in crotchets that is dissonant with the

,

u nessential minim is a harmony note there is no valid obj ection

,

to its being either approached or quitted by leap p rovided the ,

above l imitation in reference to harmonic propriety be kept

B ut p f re e r

I II bthe movement of the Third S pecies is governed by the

( )
laws of the prevailing harmony of the bar .

( )
2 S ometimes by striking
,
a discord by conj unct and con

trary motion we m ay get two harmonies in the bar ; here we

,

s e e the origin of the appoggiatura

‘
Of these collisions says R o c k stro
’
, ,
‘
the greatest of the
masters took no notice whatever Provided their florid parts
.

moved well with the bass they cared nothing for the crashes
,

which took place between them U ndue licence in this respect

.
’

is not r e commended but the use of occasional discords of this

,

nature makes rea l ly melodious and musical Counterpoint a

possibility .
 C O M B I N E D CO U NT E R PO I N T IN T H R E E PA R T S 1 55

B .I f the second minim is consonant with the C F the third . .

c ro tCh et may form with it a discord if the part in crotchets does

,

not on the fourth beat run into the same sound as that of the
S econd S pecies

All goo d .

The followi n g examples from Palestrina will be of interest

Credo, M issa B i e r/i s . O a d m i rabi le co m m erc i u m . Ad ora m u s Te Chri ste .

S i ca t cero u s .

S an ctu s, M i ssa B revi s .

1 56 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

These are only a few of the many examples to be found in the

scores of Palestrina.

We find in his works a great many examples of the bare

essential fourth
Aetern o Ch r i sti M u n era .

U nder modern conditions the bare essential fourth is n ot

considered good but if one of the notes forming the fourth be an
,

unessential note there is no objection

,

Palestrina uses the fourth in both ways and it is also found in

,

the works of other composers of the period M en were

.

obviously trying to gain some liberty for the fourth and the first ,

step was to strike it bare according to ancient use but with the ,

third or root sounding beneath i t

The e ff ect of this is not pleasing and for this reason it is

,

better avoided but its appearance is important in the history of

the evolution of the art as showing the dawn in men s minds of
,
’

the harmonic or vertical aspect of things I n cases of emergency

.
,

however the essential fourth may be struck

, .
1 58 TH E AR T OF C O U N T E R PO I N T

gy
U l .

6 I t was pointed out in treating of the S econd S pecies that

.

the following was

inelegant

but in the bass especially in the cadence it is quite good

, ,

E X A M P LE S .
 CO M B I N E D C O U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PA R T S 1 59

( )
a There is really no objection to the leap of a major sixth
in minims between factors of the same root : modern vocalists
find no d i ffi culty in its execution

b
() The maintenance of the same melodic formula in two
or more successive bars of S econd S pecies is often quite e ffe c
tive
1 60 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

(c) The addition of a part in S econd S pecies gives a C lear

e ff ect of duple time : the criticism as to consecutives may be
based on th e S econd S pecies principle except when they occur
,

between the first crotchets of each bar I t will be seen that the
.

rules as to consecutives in Combined Counterpoint follow in the

main those laid down in general terms by Cherubini But it .

h as been thought better in this treatise to give the matter more

detailed consideration so as to help the student to grasp th e
,

prin ciples of criticism .

(d ) equivalent to

S ECO N D AND FO U R T H S P E CI E S .

I I t has been pointed out that no two parts should enter

.

together except several in the First S pecies The S econd

,
.

S pecies therefore may enter on the first minim of the first bar or ,

either S pecies may enter on the second minim of the second bar .

2 AS in the previous combination one of the C hief di fficulties

.
,

is the maintenance of conj unct movement in the S econd S pecies .

The following are examples of various ways in which this may

b e accomplished
1 62 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
There are three variants of this procedure .

‘
( )
a in which th e se
‘
c o n d minim of the S econd S pecies moves
to a di ff erent note of the same harmony

(2 ) is liable to b e very harsh and is not recommended but ,

(3) with the minor third is much smoother .

(b) in which the second minim of the S econd S peci es p roduces

a C hange of harmony

Observe in (3 ) the origin o f our chord of the dominant seventh .

N ote that in all the above cases in (a ) and (b) t h e first minims
could have remained as semibreves while the discord resolved ,

and t h e resultant c om bination would in each case have been

concordant e g
,
. .

()
c I n which the first minim of the S econd S pecies though
,

concordant with the C F could not have remaine d stationary

. .

while the d iscord resolved I t u sually p ro c ee d s by step into

.

co n cordan ce
 CO M B I N E D C O U NT E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PA R T S 1 63

G d oo .

The following are examples of these prepared discord

S tudents often find a di ffi culty in understanding these

combinations because they confuse the harmonic with the con
,

trap u n tal standpoint

. I t should be borne in mind that any
C lassification o f the vertical combinations we Call chords is
'

entirely foreign to the hori z ontal system and that no prepared

,

discord bears any relati on to the essential harmony that is it

, ,

demands no consideration except that it move one step down

ward into consonance .

I gnoring the discord the following is the contrapuntal

,

analysis
1 64 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

3 5

The fact that under the harmonic system these combinations

have merged into the essential and th at various root theories
,

have been devised i s besid e the question at issue I t is only

.

our province to state the horizontal system as it is seen i n the

music of the period and to Show that it i s still true that only
,

common C hords and their first inversions are used as the

essential fundamentals of strict contrapuntal technique .

D istinguish between the fo llowing

(a ) G d
oo .

in the second case (b) the second minim in the bass (G ) is dis
cordant wi th the alto ( F) and incorrectly approaches and quits
this discordance by leap .

4 Th e extreme parts may not approach a fi fth nor may any

.
,

two parts approach an octave by similar motion when one of

, ,

them is resolving a discord

1 66 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
EX A M P LE S .

( )
a There is no valid objection to this repetition
mula N ote
.
 CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PA R T S 1 67

is not to be criticized as

for no exposed fi ft h occurs .

TH I R D AND F O U R T H S P E CI E S .

1 I t is sometimes possible just as in the combination of the

.
,

S econd and Third S pecies to obtain the e ff ect of a passing chord

,

on the third or fourth crotchet

2 . The harmony may be C hanged on th e third crotchet

3 N o two parts Should approach an octave by similar motion

.
,

when one of them is resolving a discord

E q u i a l e n t to
v
1 68 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

4 . Prepared discords may be used

6 8 5

N ote when the Third S pecies leaps it is concordant with

,

the C F .

By regarding the discord in its true contrapuntal light th e ,

analysis becomes perfectly easy .

The last example is from Palestrina s Aetern a Chri sti M u n era

’

and is a 7 6 treated in the manner of a prepared discord .

5 . C O N S E C U TI V E S .

Th e u sual test that of reducing the Fourth S pecies to the

,

First d oes not hold good except between the Fourth and First
,

S pecies (in extreme parts) The following is obviously correct

.

but if the First S pecies test were applied to the following it

, ,

would have to be condemned

1 70 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
‘
Even without these syncopations that is in ordi n ary S econ d
.

, ,

S pecies we find he had no hesitation in wri ting consecut ives

, ,

if the intervening concord proceeded in contrary motion

Co nfi r m a h oe D eu s .

H e also wrote

Fu xconsidered the interval of th e fourth the smallest allowable

between the consecutives

But modern conditions where rhythm and harmonic su b

,

structure are salient features d o not allow of such arguments

,

h o l d i n g go o d H owever the above examples from Palestrina

'

.
,

distinctly point to one fact namely that in the case of what are
, ,

termed syncopated concords the test as to consecutives should

not be exclusively lim i ted to a r e d uction of the score to plai n
First S pecies I t is more often a case where the S econd S pecies
.

principles should supply the test the second minim of one bar
,

an d the first of the next beari n g the same so u nd Tak e for.

,

exam ple th e following

,
CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S 1 71

P A L T R I NA
ES , L auda S i on
.

By the rules of Counterpoint as stated the extreme parts are

, ,

equivalent to

and moderns would rightly obj ect to this in extreme parts .

But to illustrate Palestrina s point of V iew put this in the form

’
,

of S econd S pecies

and th e outline becomes

The fact i s the ear ofte n accepts the first minim of the bar not
,

as a note in place o f the second but as a distinctly separate

,
-
harmony note I t is not to be supposed that in plain two part
.

work this test i s allowable for the harmony is of necessity so

,

bare and o ften so indefinite that the First S pecies test should
be strictly maintained nor is the above test always practicable
in more complex situations But it will be felt that it is really
.

impossible to condemn such cases as the following on any logical

or aesthetic grounds
1 72 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

The former is good because the harmonic outline is correct

,

th e latter because of the C lear C hange of harmony

,
.

6 Consecutive fourths are not forbidden between th e upper

.

parts when th e bass is suspended

,

G d oo .

7 . The suspension should not be sounded against its resolu

tion

d esi r b le i th e e p rt
Un a n r Go o d
a s. .

8 S ome theorists regard the doubling of the leading note

.

as an unpardonable crime AS Palestrina knew of no such

.

harmonic restriction he wrote ,

Aetern a Ch ri sti M u n era .

1 74 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

Fi rs t M us
. B O xo
. n ., M ay, 1 903 .
CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R P O I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S
1 76 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

I t is excellent practice to take a C F in S econd

. . S pecies, and
add parts to it in Third and Fourth S pecies thus
,
1 78 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

Prepared discords may be accompanied in an ornamental

fashion thus
,

O rn am e n te d .

Th e use of dotted minims is of course freely allowed if the ,

third part strike a note on the third crotchet.

 CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R P O I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S 1 79

FOURTH AND F I FT H SP E CI E S I N TR I P LE T I M E .

Two P A R T S I N F LOR I D C O U N T E R P O I N T .

1 . The use of two quavers combined with a crotch e t r e quires

care
1 82 TH E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

G d
oo .

or a good implied modern harmonic progression on a pedal .

G d
oo . G d
oo G d
oo .

‘
The discussion on the excerpt from I f I h ad but two little
wings will explain the following .

B ad . Bad . G d
oo .

S uch examples are due to the law o f concordance with the

lowest mo v ing part which ignores the e ffect of the particular
,

combinations struck together in conjunction with stationary parts .

N or Should the parts after striking an unessential combina

,

tion proceed in notes of di ff erent time valu e ,

 CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S 1 83

unless the bass forms a satisfactory pedal ,

G d
oo .

or when the C F i s in an upper part unless the harmony be

. .
,

satisfactory from a modern point of view .

G d
oo .

I t is well to repeat what h as been stated previously that ,

conjunct and parallel movement is good provided that the ,

unessential notes are used prope rly

'

B ad . G d
oo . G d oo .

S om e of the following examples are given in four parts to ,

avoid further reference to the subject

U nresolved seventh .
1 84 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

The thirteenth Should not be sounded below th e seventh .

H arsh . G d
oo .

B ad s eam .

( ) 2
a approached by leap from an inversion of a nother C hord .
1 86 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
a se t of arbitrary rules d rawn up from misconceptions in the
following directions :
.1 I t i s tak e n for granted that S trict Counterpoint has no
historical or practical status but that it is merely a mechanical
contrivance for the exercise of the int e llect in overcoming d i ffi
c u l ti e s This is a V iew which is absolutely inconsistent with
.

facts Any one who has read the various early treatises must
.

at once admit this .

.2 I n attempting to bring the teaching o f the earlier treatises

into line with modern condition s the tru e significance of the
‘
terms C ommon chords and their first inversions in reference
,

to the fu ndamentals of co ntrapuntal technique has either been

misunderstood or ignored .

3 I t has bee n wrongly assumed that the hori z ontal system

.

implied that the lowest moving part was the real bass and that ,

s o long a s all notes struck together formed a part of a common

C hord in root position or in the first inversion the writing was ,

correct .

4 I t has also been laid down by some that no cons e cutives

.

may be nearer than the inclusive distance o f Six crotchets .

Thus no matter what the S pecies or the harmony consecutives

, , ,

must never appear between any two parts on the first second , ,

third or fourth beats of successive bars S uch teaching is du e .

to the inadequacy of textbooks and the application of mech anical

,

criticism to cases which are not really relevant .

These views have been exploded partly by reference to

practice partly by an appeal to musical intelligence and
,

common sense S uch a system as the above is non existent

.
-
except in the imagination of a school of theorists and its ,

arbitrary formation is not only in hopeless collision with the

practice of any period but is in direct violation o f artistic
,

instinct and logical re asoning I t is small wond e r that from

.

time to time there are agitations for the abolition of S trict

Counterpoint ; such a system h as only obtained the ridicule
it deserves .

W e cannot do better than quote the words o f the late W S . .

R o c kstro in Grove After s ta ti ng th at the term S trict Counter

.
 CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R PO I N T I N T H R E E PA R T S 1 87

point I s applied to a method which forbids the direct percussion

of a Fundamental D issonance and the term Free Counterpoint
,
’

to one which permits it he goes on to say : The laws of S trict

,

C ounterpoint are not open like those of H armony to scientific

, ,

discussion ; for Counterpoint i s not a S ci e nce but an Art I t .

i s true that its most important rules when test e d by the principles
,

of N atural S cience are found to coincide with them in all

, ,

ess e n tial particulars ; and to this circumstance alone are they

indebt e d for their unassailable position and promis e of future ,

security Their mathematical accuracy fails howe ver to account

.
, ,

for th e ir universal acc e ptance as a code of artistic regulations .

Their auth ority for this rests solely upon the praxis O f the
Great M ast e rs of the Polyphonic S chools ; which praxis was ,

from first to last pur e ly empirical The re fin e d taste and true

,
.
,

musical instinct of J osquin D espr es Willaert Byrd Tallis

, , , , ,

Palestrina and their contemporaries r e belled against the hideous

,

combinations demand e d by the rul e s of D iaphonia and Organ um ,

an d substituted for them the purest and most harmonious pro

g ress i o n s that Art
,
aided by a cultivated e a r could produc e ; ,

but in their search for th e se th ey we re gu i d e d by no acoustic

, ,
.

theory Th e y simply wrot e what th e y fe l t : and b e cause the

.

instinct of true genius c an n e v e r err that which they felt was,

uniformly good and true and logical and based unconscious ly ,

upon a foundation firm en ough to stand the test of modern

mathematical analysis .
’

I t only remains to say that as modern conditions bring new

light upon certain asp e cts of the art th e present treatise aims
,

at modifying the syst e m in so far as proc e dures which were

relatively correct cease to have any place under modern condi
tions as for example the treatment of unessential notes and
, , ,

the criticism of cons e cutives But those procedures which d o

.

not invol v e any violation of modern methods a re l e ft intact By .

this means the stud e nt is enabl e d to look at harmonic resource

from two distinct points of V iew the hori z ontal and the vertical
, ,

and he i s thus taught how Count e rpoint merge s into and becomes
the basis of H armony I t i s a system which can b e d irectly
.

app lied in modern work ; and h e stud e nt who builds up his

1 88 TH E ART OF C O U N T E R PO I N T

decoration of diatonic harmony on such principles is the one ,

who is best equipped to enter upo n the field o f C hromatic

resou rce .

EX A M P LE S .

Fi rs t M us . B Ox
. on .
,
No v .
,
1 90 TH E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
An example in which the Fou rt h S pecies is the C F
. .

The same in practical terms illustrating the aims of S cholastic

,

Counterpoint
 CO M B I N E D CO U N T E R P O I N T I N T H R E E PAR T S 191

(a) The last four bars might have been arranged S O as to

illustrate the origin of the cadential six -
four
.

in practical terms
 C H A PT E R XIII

CO U N T E R P O I N T IN FO U R PA R T S
1 TH ERE is little to add to what has already been said in
.

reference to three -part writing The addition of a fourth part

.

of course causes one note of the chord to be doubled There .

is no law forbidding the doubling of the major third ; but this

procedure is likely to produce a thick e ff ect and for that reason
,

its use requires discretion .

The following examples Will se rve to illustrate one or two

points

( ) Between bars
a 2 and 3 of th e first example there are
exposed fi fths between the alto and th e bass

These are freely allowed between any but the extreme part s ,

whether the higher part move by step or not .

(b) The doubled leading note in the second bar of each example
is entirely unobj ectionable .

S ome teachers condemn every doubled leading note irre ,

s p e c ti v e of the context
,
simply because some textbook says
the leading note must not be doubled .
19
4 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
This progression has come to be regarded as quite an idiom
of ecclesiastical music and may be introduced with discretion
,

not for the purpose of shirking a di fficulty but to enhance the ,

harmonic e ff ect .

S E CTI O N A . U N CO M B I N ED COU N T E RPOI N T .

1 . F i rst, S eco nd, a nd

Fi rst M us . B Ox
. on ,. N ov .
,
1 90 3 .
C O U N T E R P O I N T I N FO U R P AR T S
T H E A R T O F CO U NT E R P O I N T
1 98 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R P O I N T

Cherubini allows consecutives between the third or fourth

cro tchets of one bar a n d the second of the next (e g one or
,
. .

both of the notes involved being unaccented) in two parts with

no consideration as to the harmonic equivalent H owever this .
,

consideration may generally be ignored in Combined Counter

point if one of the parts involved be a mean Artistic perception
,
.

and intelligence are required rather th an rules .

2 . Fou rth a nd F if th S p eci es .

4 I.n the Fourth S pecies suspended discords are accompanied

as follows
 C O UN T E R PO I N T I N F O U R P A R T S 1 99

Above the C F
( )
a . .

9 8 by go r e i th e r . or e i th e r.

7 (i b y go r e i th e r
.

4 3 by go r e i t h e r.

Below the C F . .

( B a re
) .

“b
g y 4 or 2.

g z b y 5 0r 2 .
20 0 T H E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
2 02 T H E ART OF C O U N T E R PO I N T

S E CTI O N B . V A R I O US C OM B I N A TI O N S OF S P E CI E S I N
FO U R PA R T S .

F i rst, S econd , a nd Thi rd Sp eci es .

Fi rs t M us
. B Ox
. on .
, M ay , 1 90 4 .
 CO U N T E R P O I N T IN FO U R PA R T S 2 03

F i rst, Thi rd, and F o u rth Speci es .

Fi rst M us
. B Ox
. on . , No v .
,
1 9 00 .

Fi rst M us . B Ox
. o n. , M ay , 1 90 4 .
20 4 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

may be used in Combined Counterpoint in

D ou ble S u sp ensi on s
four parts the additional part by its florid movement preventing
, , ,

any halting e ff ect .

(a) Examples of double suspensions

b
( ) With a florid part added
2 06 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T

S uspensions and syncopated concords may be combi ned

 CO U N T E R P O I N T IN FO U R PA R T S 29 7

( )
a The doubled leading note is unobj ectionable .

F i rs t, S econd, Thi rd, and F o u rth Sp eci es .

T h i rd M us . B Ox
. on M ay , 1 90 5 .

b
( ) Three l e aps in th e same direction are here u nobjectionable .
2 08 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

T H R E E P A R T S I N F L O R I D C O U N T ER P O I N T .

1 D istin guish between combinations which are felt as

.

( )
a passing notes causing harmonic obscurity
, ;
b
( ) passing C hords ;
often such possible combinations have to be discarded and th e ,

score simplified sometimes the addition of another note makes

the e ff ect satisfactory

G d
oo

C F
. . G d
oo .

2 J ust as in three parts the bare fourth was allowed as a

.
, ,

harmonic interval between two upper parts so the following is ,

legitimate in four parts

PA L T R I N A
ES . O a d m i ra b i l e c o m m erci u m . B "R D . Gra d u al . B ea ta Vi rgo .

“
S ome theorists are accustomed to argu e as follows
2 10 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

An example i n which the contou r of C F

. . encourages
modulations
Fi rst M us
. B Ox
. on., No v .
, 1 90 1 .
 CO U N T E R P O I N T I N FO U R PA R T S 211

Fi rst M us
. B O
. xo n ., M ay, 1
90 4
.
2 12 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R P O I N T

Fi rst M us
. B Ox
. on ,
. Nov . 1 904 .
 C H A PT E R X IV

CO U N T E R PO I N T IN F I V E PA R T S
1 .H A R D L" any rel axation of th e rules previously given is
necessary in five parts and in any number of parts the strict
,

idioms of Counterpoint should be observed There is never any .

need to approach or to quit quavers by leap or to u se dotted ,

crotchets S implicity and C learness are the essentials of good

.

style and no Single part must su ff er from a lack of melodic variety

, .

I n di ffi cult combinations the strict letter of the law may

,

occasionally be ignored provided the end justifies the means

, .

The following are cases

( ) A suspended discord may be sounded against its resolu
a

tion except at the interval of a second by contrary and conj unct

, ,

movement But the part that anticipates the resolution should

.

be in the nature of a scalic passage The anticipation of the.

third of the chord i s the most obj ectionable of such extensions

of the rule .

T o l e ra b le . H arsh .

S uch a procedure is often most useful in di ffi cult combined

S pecies .

The following are obviously bad

 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N F I V E P AR T S 21
5

I n other words the progression of the suspension must not

,

be heard in diminution in another part as in the above

,

examples .

S tudents o ften find it di ffi cult to avoid fifths in such a case as

the following

There are three ways out of this di ffi culty

I n ( I ) the fifths never occur ;

( ) has just been explained
2

(3 ) has been explained u nder the head ing of Combined

Counterpoint in th ree parts .

I t is of course obvious that octaves cannot be avoided in this

way see p 1 65 without causing other faults
, .
,
.

I t may be urged by some that the permission of the licence

(a ) is inconsistent as it is hardly in keeping with sixteenth
,

C entury Counterp oint But this is in reality on ly a le gitimate

.

extension of what we se e in Palestrina occasionally

2 16 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
G l o ri a . M issa B rews .

(b) The leap of a maj or Sixth if the value of the former of ,

the notes forming the interval be at least a minim may be ,

tolerated .

G d
oo . Un d esi rab l e .

Five parts in First S pecies .

Th i rd M u s . B Ox
. on .
,
No v .
, 1 90 2 .
2 18 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO IN T

2 . All the S pecies combined .

To the above C F add a First Treble in Fifth S pecies a

. .

S econd Treble in Fourth S pecies a Tenor in Third S pecies

, ,

and a Bass in S econd S pecies (M u s D Oxon . . .

,

S o long as the bass is not in semibreves very interesting ,

combinations are possible It is obvious that a bass in semi

.

breves is a limitation .

AS a preliminary study it would be well to write the Fourth

and S econd S pecies first not as being final but as giving a
, ,

general idea of the harmonic outline and adding any little

,

sections in the other parts that seem at the time worth noti ng .

The C hief di ffi culty of Combined Counterpoint is to make th e

S econd S pecies ad equately C h aracteristic (i e conj unct)
. . .
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N FI V E PA R T S 2 19

y
P re l i m i n ar S k e tc h .
22 0 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R P O I N T

N ow there are certain flaws in t his

(a ) I s dull .

b
( ) The progression sounds forced and unnatural there is no
obj ection to the use of V and I if the e ff ect of finality is
. .

avoided .

()
c I s also open to a Similar objection the music seems to be
m aking for the key of B flat M aj or but never reaches it .

d
( ) Compare page 3 5 I n di ffi cult combinations of this
nature such a progression is allowable if the harmonic e ff ect be
, ,

entirely satisfactory .

( ) Th e combination might be better :

e El , G and
,
B i? demand
resolution on I or V I . .

(f ) The combination on the fourth crotchet causes confusion ,

for F D F and B i? C learly have the e ff ect of being a passing 2

, , ,

and the C in the second treble j ars against this A Simpler .

procedure must be adopted .

I n fitting the parts one or two more points deserve attention

,
.

S uppos e bars 5 and 6 stood thus

22 2 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
The following is the problem worked out : a few comments
are necessary .

Mus D . . Ox on , 1 90 3
. .
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N F I V E P A R T S 2 23

( )
a The Alto and Tenor quit a second by simil ar m otion ;
i n difficult combinations this is allowable The recommendation
.

i s only made to teach stu dents to write as purely as possible .

b
( ) H ere the F i s concordant with the C F and the Bass : se e
. .

p 1 68 This is quite in accordance with Palestrina s procedure

. .
’
.

()
c Variety is given to the S econd Treble by crossing the
parts and the First Treble i s also prevented from going up to A
,
.

I t i s well to learn to write within a moderate compass .

d
( ) The Fifth S pecies i s simple in texture : any attempt at

over elaboration will lead to harmonic confusion .

I t i s of course impossible to give examples of all combinations ;

the following se t in N ovember 1 90 5 is a di ffi cult problem
, , ,
.

To the following C F (se e below) add a First Treble in Third

. .

S pecies a S econd Treble in First S pecies an Alto in S econd

, , ,

and a Bass in Fourth S pecies S pace will not allow a full dis
.

c u ssi o n of this problem The student Should consult the C hapter

.

on Combined Counterpoint in three parts and study the various ,

combinations .

The insertion of an additional part in First S pecies makes the

working di ffi cult : for if two harmonies are to be used in any
bar the semibreve must be common to both ; at (a) the -First
,

S pecies h as b e en broken not of n e cessity but because the u se

, ,
22 4 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
of two h armonies was felt to be desirable in order to ke e p up
,

the Third S pecies figure The diminished fifth i s twice used (b)
. .

The Bass starts above the Tenor ; if it had started below we ,

should h ave arrived at an ugly suspension in bar 3 or else it ,

would have been necessary to break the S pecies .

T h i rd M us . B Ox
. on No v .
, 1 90 5 .
2 26 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

N O comments are necessary : care has been taken that th e

harmonic seams are satisfactory

.
 C H A PT E R XV

CO U N T E R PO I N T I N S I X S EV E N A N D E I G H T
, ,

PAR T S
1 . TH Efol lowing are permissible relaxations of the rules
(a ) I n S i x parts consecutive
,
octaves by contrary m otion m ay

be used .

I n more than si x parts consecutive octaves and fifths by

,

contrary motion may be used .

Palestrina used consecutive fifths by contrary motio n even I n ,

four parts
Al m a R ed emp tori s .

and the writers of the period considered them far less obj ection
able than consecutive octaves which rarely occur in less than
,

si x parts M oderns however seem to have reversed this

.
, ,

decision .

b
( ) Palestrina s procedure
’
as seen I n 8 (e) C hapter V I I I in
reference to consecutives produced by di ff erent parts may be
followed .

(c) The doubling of the leading note at the unison which ,

merely reinforces the sound is open to no obj ection

, .
228 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
In such progr essions as the following the doubling of the leading
,

note at another pitch is quite good The reason is that the mind
.

does not accept it here as demanding its cadential treatment

III
. VI
. I II
. V . I II .

I f the key- Signature of these examples were G maj or no ,

theorist would obj ect to them And this points to the reason
.

that their e ff ect is perfectly good I n such cases the l eading

.

n ote is accompanied in a way di ff erent from that which was th e

-
origin of this well known rule e g ,
. .

It is really only in such a case that the d oubling of the leading

n ote is bad : and even such a case as the above is often adversely
criticized more from prej udice than from j udgement of e ff ect .

For though in four parts

such a progression is unjustifiable in six or eight parts the

, ,

e ff ect is often quite good and it is really the e ff ect and not
the rul e that matters ; only rules are generally supposed to be
based on j udgement of e ff ect Academic pedantry is sometimes
.

allowed to stand in the way of common sense .

2
. I t is hardly necessary to point out that if a part should rest ,

the last note of the phras e should be placed on the first or third
2 39 T HE AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
th e h abi t of keeping in mind every part and h e may find it useful ,

to figure the following examples according to modern principles .

7 Counterpoi
. nt in eight parts may be written for two Choirs
of four parts each I n the opening passages the
Choirs should be treated in an antiphonal manner but one Should ,

not stop before the other enters that i s they should dovetail
, , .

When towards the close they Sing together the harmony given ,

to each Choir Should be complete and satisfactory in itsel f I n .

such cases the basses of each Choir often move as follows

PA L T R I N A S t b t M t ES ,
a a a er.

The student is recommended to read Palestrina s S ta ba t M a ter ’

as an example of Counterpoint in eight parts for a double Choir .

-
As examples of ordinary Six and eight part work the following ,

may be studied — Palestrina s L ectio I I I S a bba ti S a ncti (To m

’

,
.

X XX I ) M i ssa P ap a c M a rcelli
,
.

Fi v e p art work O a dm i ra bi le com m erci u m

z
— .

-
Four part work Aeterna Chri sti M u n era M i ssa B rev i s ;
-

I ste Conf essor .

Also the following motetts L au da S i on ; Eg o su m p a n i s ;

—

S i c u t cerv u s ; S i ti v i t an i m a
.
.

M odern examples of eight -

part work should be studied . Th e
following are recommended
( )
a Eight -
part Chorus ‘
: Pa rry B lest p a i r of S i rens
,
L loy d (a ) ,

S g f j
o n o u dg em en t b
( ) The ,
R ig h teou s l i v e ; H arwood I n cli n a ,

b
( ) D ouble Chorus — B ach a
( ) B e n o t,
af ra i d b
( ) S i ngy e to th e ,

L ord (C ) I w restle a n d p ray ; Wesley I n ex i tu I srael ; L loyd

, , ,

Art thou weary P ; M endelssohn (a) When I sra el ca m e ou t of

,

Eg ypt (b) Why rage fiercely the hea then

,
.

A fe wgeneral remarks on Combine d Counterpoint may be -

u s e fu L .
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N S IX O R M O R E PA R T S 2
3 1

( )
a I t is a s i n e q u a n on that the result shou ld be a musica l
piece of work .

I t is insu fficient that the work should be merely technically

correct ; it m u st Show in addition artistic perception in the c o n
tour of th e parts and in the C h oi ce of harmony The rigid use
, .

of o n e chord in a bar will produce very crude results moreover ,

it i s a serious limitation .

b
( ) The first thing to do i s to s ee that the h arm o n I c outline i s
p e rfe ctly smooth and natural ; the next thing is to ensure that
the S econd S p e cies is tolerably conj unct and flowing .

()c I f the First S p e cies be in the lowest part it

,
would be well
to look out for opportunities of using in the S econd S pecies
( )
1

( )
2

any of the other S pecies are in the bass resource is

(d) I f ,

not so limited I t would be well to turn back to the preliminary

.

studies in three parts and examine the various possibilities ,

not only in change of harmony but also in the use of prepared

,

discords noting specially those cases in which th e S econd

,

S pecies is conj unct ; for if th e S econ d S pecies be good the ,

Th ird S pecies can easily be made good also but the converse is,

not true .

The student should form the habit of comparing every possible

combination of two parts e g in a score of say si x parts
,
. .
, ,

Compare Bass with each part above it .

S econd Tenor
First Tenor
Alto
S econd Treble with F irst Treble .

This will enable him to be sure that his score is free from
grammatical errors .
2 32 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
( ) All the part s Should seem to flow smoothly and spon
e

tan eo usly, and the Counterpoint should form irreproachable

harmony . S u mm a a rs cela re a rtern .

M us D O
. . xo
n . , 1 90 3 .
23 4 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
S ix parts . All the S pecies c ombined
CF
. .

(a ) A change of harmony on the fourth crotchet i s occasionally

allowable .
 CO U N T E R PO I N T IN S EV E N PA R T S 235

S even -
part Florid
M us D . Ox o n , 1 90 1 .
.
236 T H E A R T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
2 38 TH E AR T OF CO U N T E R PO I N T

Eight -
part Florid (alternate bar lines are omitted )

(a) In writing in a lla cappella time a semibreve may be occa

si o n al ly tied to a breve
. This will be very rare in S cholastic
Counterpoint for the breve is of course equival ent to two tied
,
 CO U N T E R P O I N T IN E I G H T PAR T S 2 39

semibreves But it will be seen that the case in question is in

.

reality only a h
a ,
the final bar being o f necessity doubl e
the length of an ordinary scholastic bar .
2 40 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
M us D Oxon N ov 1 906
. . .
,
.
,
.
‘
n ro d u ce each part by some
l t
variation of the same figure All the parts should have entered
.

by the sixth bar .

’
2 42 T H E A R T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
 CO U N T E R PO I N T I N EI G H T PA R T S 243

Mus D . Oxon 1 899

. .
, .
‘
Commence
the following in t hree
parts adding one part every two bars until they amount to eight
, ,

including the C F B egin with First S pecies and introduce the

. .
,

others successively combining them as yo u please but ending

, ,

with Fifth S pecies in all parts .

’
2 44 THE AR T O F
, C O U N T E R PO I N T
2 46 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

Mu s . O xon. ,
CO U N T E R PO I N T IN E I G H T PA R T S 24 7
2 48 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
 C H A P T E R XV I

T H E E LE M E N TAR " H A R M O N I C S U B -S T R U C T U R E
O F M O D E R N C O N T RAP U N T AL D E C O RA T I O N

TH E student of history knows that the end of the Sixteenth

century witnessed a complete C hange in th e character and
methods of musical art The whole trend of the possibilities o f
‘
.

the N uove M usiche led to the enlargement of harmoni c

’

resource I t is beyon d the scope of this treatise to discuss this

.

subject ; but it has b een thought well to deal with the material
of the Polyphonic Period from a vertical standpoint and by ,

touching Slightly upon the use of the unprepared seventh the ,

essential S i x -
four and dissonant triads unavailable in the Poly
,

phonic Period to cross the frontier that separates the old art
,

from the new I t i s hoped that a discussion of this will not

.

only help the student in his choice of harmonies in S cholastic

Counterpoint but will also a ff ord a preliminary course in
,

elementary composition A treatise on H armony is a book of

.

reference and does not pretend to do more than catalogue

,

harmonic resource in as concise a way as possible and the ,

student of musical theory will not learn to C ompose by working

figured basses which are arranged as studies under classified
,

heads The present C hapter aims at teaching the student how

.

to use the simplest harmonic resource in elementary composition .

Between this C hapter and the next it is assumed that the student
has covered the following ground
I
( ) The principles of chord connexion including
,
all modern
resource .

( )
2 The principles of harmonic and melodic form .

(3) Rhythm .
 HA R M O N I C S UB-
ST R U CT U R E 25 1

(4) The means of modulation .

(5) D i ff erentiation of style .

( ) The decoration of C hordal centres

6 .

I t is true that the present C hapter covers some of this ground ,

but only in an elementary way and in S O far as these principles

,

apply to the formation o f phrases and sentences The elementary .

means of modulation are also discussed because they come ,

within the scope of the C hapter .

The following chapter does not deal with the various points
raised in considering harmonic decoration but it aims at ,

showing how the principles of Counterpoint may be applied in

constructing such texture .

I t is of the greatest importance that the student Should obtain

a firm grasp of the principles of elementary chord connexion .

H e Should read the Church M usic of Croft Boyce Attwood , , ,

and Goss and later that of Walm i sley S Wesley S S Wesley

, ,
.
, . .
,

and S mart H e will find it specially valuable to assimilate th e

.

C lear smooth progressions of Corelli who was the first mature ,

composer of violin music I n his S onatas he gives as an

.

accompaniment to the solo instru ment a fi gu red bass and the ,

student will there see in the clearest way the basis of all
decorative work .

S E CT I O N I .

f
The Un i nverted Tri ads o the M aj or K ey .

I t is not possible to write more than S i x or seven uninverted

triads in succession without producing a crude and artificial
e ff ect We Shall therefore limit ourselves in this section to th e
.

formation of phrases But before we proceed to this we have to

.

consider the very Simplest fundamentals of harmonic progression

the principles of chord connexion in other words the aesthetic
,

basis of diatonic harmony .

i( ) The Primary Triads I I V V , . . .

Any combination of these is good But the use of the p ro gre s

.

sion V to I V requires care the following is the only satisfactory

. .

arrangement
2 52 T H E A RT OF CO U N T E R PO I N T

At the beginning of the first phrase of a sentence we Should ,

choose primary in preference to secondary triads N othing .

gives a phrase a more unsatisfactory e ff ect than a prepo n derance

of secondary triads .

ii
( ) The S econdary Triads I I I I I V I, (V I I
.
) . . .

We omit V I I from the discussion as it is impracticable

.
, .

I n following one secondary triad by another the only pro

gr e s s i o n s that are bad are I I to I I I and .I I I to .I I ; in the other . .

cases it will be seen that the roots are a fourth or a fifth ap art .

(iii) I f a primary triad be followed by a seconda ry triad or ,

vice versa the following root progressions are satisfactory

,
.

( )
a Root rising or falli n g a fourth .

I I to V
. .

b
( ) . Root falling a third .

I to V I ; I I I to I ; I V to I I ; V to I I I ; V I to I V
. . . . . . . . .

(c) Root rising a second .

I I I to I V Should only be used in the following idiom

. . .

The following root progressions are weak .

(a ) Root rising a third .

The progression i s tol erable if the first chord occur on a

stron g accent .

(b) Root falling a second except V I t o V ,

. .
2 54 THE AR T O F C OU N T E R PO I N T
( )
a at the beginning of the phrase .

b
( ) wh en the previous strong accent has the same chord .

()
c for C h aracteristic e ff ects .

Examples of phrases .

When the first foot is incomplete the last foot often c ompletes
,

it by mai ntaining th e fina l chord over the -first half of the next
fo ot thus formin gth e caesura
, .
 HAR M O N I C S UB-
ST R U CTU RE 2
55

( ) Avoid anticipating the harm ony of the Cadence j ust before

a

it is approached
.

Th e following would have been very poor

25 6 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

The above is equivalent to

C a e su ra
.

Except for strong rhythmic purposes the same chord Should

,
2 58 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
b
( ) Feminine Cad ence The two weak accents Should be
.

considered as the completion of the first foot B ar 4 may be .

regarded as containing a suspensi on of the complete chord V

S E CTI O N I I .

Un i nverted Tri a ds o f the M i nor K ey .

I The H a rm on i c M i n or S cale
. .

This i s al m o st exclusively used for purposes of harmony

e

Omitting those triads which are not common C hords we get

I IV V VI
. . . .

IV .

Any combination of these is good .

V to I V is best thus
. .

Examples .
 HAR M O N I C S U B-
ST R U CT U R E 2 59

( ) The anticipation of the Cadence is here good t h e di ff erent

a ,

time values of the two chords removing the obj ectionable e ff ect .

N ext consider the triads I I I I I and V I I

,
. . .

These should be rarely used .

(a) I I Should be preceded by I V or V I and followed by V

. . . .

b
( ) I l l . S h o u ld be preceded and followe d by I V or V I . . .

(c) V I I i s impracticable
. .

I I and I I I Should be used with extreme caution and should

. .
,

generally be avoided except in a sequence .

260 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

I I The M elodi c M i nor S ca le

. .

This will give the fo l lo wm g additional triads .

Should be very rarely employe d . It is

best restricted to the case in which it is followed by V and I . .
,

th e m elody being the l ast three notes of th e ascending m e l odic

m inor scale .

Th e following is less good because unnecessary

,
.

(3) m ay be conveniently considered next .

Th e fo llowing are th e best case s of i ts u se .

2 62 TH E ART O E C O U N TE R P O I N T

N either i s the foll owing a modulation from C maj or to F maj or ,

for neither chord contains a note foreign to the sca l e of C maj or .

The following is an exampl e of modulation .

O f course if an intervening chord be foreign to the key quitted

, ,

but diatonic in the key approach e d the addition of the minor

,

seventh is not necessary .

C m aj t o
. Fm j
a .

I f it i s desired to u se the chord in question without inducing

modulation it should be preceded and followed by I I V or V I
, . . .

I t is best preceded by I or V I and Should not be immediately

. .

preceded or followed by V .
 HARM ON IC S UB-
ST R U CT U R E 26
3

As a matter of fact this C hord should only be used in two

cas e s
( ) in descending from the tonic to the dom inant by conjunct
a

degrees this progression being in the highest part

, .

b
() When the minor seventh is preceded and followed by th e
tonic .

The following is possible but not recommend e d

, .

For the melody is modal and S hould not be written thus

, ,

u nl e s s fo r s p e c i al e ff ect
.
2 64 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R P O I N T

(4) should be pre ceded by I and follow e d by

.

VI I t Should not be preceded or followed by V with

. . th e maj o r
third .

I f G natural had not occurred in the melody we should have

,

preferred the following

L astly

This should be preceded and followe d by I I V or V I but

. . .

not by V cau s mg th e chromatic alteratio n of th e G

.
, .
2 66 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

I ntroducing I I an d I I I
. .

I ntroducing the minor common C hord on the second degree

of the scale and the maj or common C hord on the fourth degree
,

of the scale.
 HARM ON IC S U B-
ST R U CT U R E 267

I n tro d u c i n g l l l
’
. with the perfect fifth .

I ntroducing V with . th e minor third .

2 68 TH E A RT OF CO U N T E R P O I N T
I ntro d u cin g th e majo r c o m m o n chord o n th e mino r seve nth of

th e sc ale .

S E CTI O N 111
.

Fi rst I n versi ons f

o the Tri ads f
o the M ode .

The possible combinations are

( )
1 T h e root position of one cho r d followed by the fi rst
inve rsion of th e same or another chord .

( )
2 T h e fi rst i nversion of o ne c h o rd foll o w e d by th e r oo t
po sition o f the same or anothe r c ho rd .

(3) T h e f irst inver s ion of o n e c hord f ollow e d by t h e fir st

inversion of another chord .

V b to I V and I V to V b are obviously imposs ibl e as the

. . . .
,

harmony would b e crud e i n e ff e c t All th e othe r c ombination s

.

are possible but they are not all o f the s ame e x c ell en ce I f two
,
.

first inversions are u sed consecutively it i s bett e r that th e ba ss

,

should move by step or leap a fo u rt h downwa rds

, .

Examples using Primary Triad s only

,
.
2 79 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
HA R M O N I C S U B -
S T R U CT U R E 271

(C ae sura ) .

Co m pl e ti on o f fi rst f
o ot .
2 72 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

S E CTI O N I V .

F i rs t I n versi ons of the Tr i a ds of the M i n or M ode .

1( ) Combinations of I I V V V I and th eir first inversions are

. . . .

good in any ord e r except I V b to V b V b to I V b V b to I b

. .
, . .
, . .
,

V b to I V V b to V I V I to V b All these involve bad melodic

. .
,
. .
, . .

progression in the bass or poor harmony (c f p 1 4 (2) and the . .

general observ ations in S ection I regarding root progress io ns )

. .

I t shoul d be remembered that a bass note Should not be re

p e at e d in the relation of to u nless the
u previous has al s o
borne the same bass note .

Further such weak harmony as the

, following Should be
avoided .
2 74 TH E ART O F C O U N T ER PO I N T

() VI
c I b.i s best preceded or followed by l or I h. .

Examples introducing triads and their first inversions d erived

from the harmonic minor scale .

Cad e nc e . Ca d en c e .

Ca d e n c e. Ca d en c e .

Cad ence .

Ca d e nc e .
H AR M O N I C S UB-
S TR UC T U R E 2 75

Ca d e n ce .

Cad ence .
2 76 TH E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

(3) Th e fo llowi n g first inversio n s derived from the melodic

minor scale require notice .

4 .

( I ) S hould only be used when the m e lo dy dem ands it .

1

( )
2 M ay be used as fol lows

(3) M ay form a harmonization of an ascending scalic bass .

(4) M ay form a harmonization of a d esc en d i ng s c ali c bass .

(5) M ay form a harmonization of a descending scalic treble .

The a b ove are the be st u ses of these chords , an d stud e nts a re

2 78 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

S E CTI O N V .

The f h C
fh d the S i x -o u r
-
u se o t e or
f o .

I t has been Shown that the combination which mod erns analyse
as the C hord of the six -
four o ften occurs under strict contrapuntal
conditions either as a suspension or as an unessential harm ony
, ,

on the weak accents of the bar I t is hardly necessary to say

.

that as these uses are the foundations of modern procedure t h ey ,

are by far the strongest .

( 1 ) Examples which are legitimate under strict contrapuntal

conditions .

( )
a S uspensions .

H ere we have the origin of the cadential S i x -

four .

I t should only be used on I and V . .

I t is obvious that the following are contrapuntally inaccurate .

H ence we get th e rule t hat th e cadential must occur S ix -

four
on the strong accent .

This also introduces another important point z repeated notes

—

are not good in th e bass in th e relation of to unless the u

previous has borne the sam e note (as has been p

stated ) or unless such n ote be a s u spension or a
di sco rd
.
 H A R M O N I C S U B-
S T R U C T U RE 2 79

G oo d .

G d
oo B ad .

b
( ) Over a pedal the lowest moving part being the contrapuntal
,

bass for the moment .

()
c As an unessential harmony .
280 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
Bu t what may be termed the auxiliary S i x -
four should not
be used on I I I V and V I I for obvious harmonic reasons
. . . .

I f th e contrapuntal criticism be applied to the following it will ,

at once be seen why the e ff ects are crude .

Al l w eak .

( )
2 Examples in which the fourth is not prepared though ,

occurring on the strong accent .

From an aesthetic point of view both o f th e following are

,

equally satisfactory

Form erly the sixth and fourth in (b) were o ften written
,
as

appoggiaturas .

B O"C E . 0 wh ere s h a ll wi s d o m be f o u n d ?
2 82 T H E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

I t is an essential of good style th at the chords forming th e

Cadence should not be used in the same order immediately
before the Cadence causing harmonic redundancy
,
.

2 3
,

B ad .

This di scussion has covered the elements of chord progression ,

or the connexion of C hordal centres and to a ce rtain extent the

,

question of proportion an d balance But matters o f this nature

.

lie beyond the scope of this work and it remains to st udy the use
,

of C hords o f the seventh before finally considering the modern

decoration of C hordal centres .

S E CTI O N V I .

Chords the sev en th

f
o .

( ) aThe dominant seventh .

The student will easily analyse the following from a contra

pu n tal standpoint .
 H AR M O N I C S U B -S T R U C T U R E 283

6
The second inversion g is best used in cases where it is
capable of contrapuntal analysis .

The other inversions follow th e sam e rules as V with the

.

seventh added the seventh may or may not be prepared .

b
( ) S econdary sevenths .

R o o ts

I n using these
( )
1 th e seventh must be prepared .

(2 ) the root of the n e xt chord must be a four th higher than th e

root of the secondary seventh .

2 84 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

This technique is o f course directly applied from contrapuntal

methods .

The third of the first C hord may remain to b e the seventh o f

the next .

Ex AM P L E S The dominant seventh

. .

(1 ) Prepared or unessential (the preparation need not be on

,

a weak accent )
l l
.

a
“—
I .
'

I
_
l
2 86 T H E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
.

S E CTI O N VI I .

K ey D i stri b u ti on .

As a rule no s e ntence remains in th e same key throughout .

We have discussed the elementary principles of balance and

proportion so far as the C hordal centres themselves are c o n
cerned and we have now to consider the principles which
,

govern the u se of variety of tonal centre .

W e Shall employ th e form invariably used in short se n

te nc e s— -B inary which consists of two equal halves
r
,
.

—
S ay for exampl e bars 1 8
,

9 16
 H AR M O N I C S U B -
S TR U CT U R E 2 87

Th e first h alf establishes the key and modulates either directly , ,

or through some other key to the complementary key which , ,

Should always be on the sharp Side of the tonic or at least not ,

on the flat Side here we shoul d have a full close in such key .

The second half begins o ften with a reference to the opening

,

bars of the first half with frequent modulation and s ub -phrases

, ,

leading gradually back to the tonic .

N early all the questions se t in modulation should b e worked

on these lines The plan then is
.

First hal f Tonic : modulating to the complementary key

.

(with occasional subsidiary modulation) .

S econd hal f M odulating back to the tonic

. .

I n the following examples the letters A B C & C are used to

, , , , .

indicate melodic f ormulae The numerals added to the letters

,

indicate sections I f a letter be repeated it signifies that th e

.
,

formula f i s repeated This introduces the most important

.

matter of melodic form All that c an be said here is that

.

an observance of the principles of melodic form i s an absolute

necessity if the student wishes to write intelligibl e music H ow
, .

these p rinciples are applied in deco rated work will be seen in

the next chapter .

R eso l u t i o n d e f e rre d .
288 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

T hi s a t th e e n d o f o ne ph ra se a n d th e b e g i n n i n g o f th e ne xt i y s go o d
s al wa .

Th e repetitions at the start make variety desirable towards the

C lose.

A consideration of th e means o r varying th e rhythmic stru c

ture of the normal sentence is beyond the scope of this work
‘
.

N othing is more inartistic than the maintenance o f a square

and rigid rhythm ; but the power of avoiding this involve s
’

a knowledge of the normal structure and it has been our aim in ,

this treatise to foste r this sense o f balance an d i p ro p o rti o n .

S tudents who are interested in the matter wi ll fi n d i t w o rth .

while to study the following from this point of view

M o z art Ave Veru m
, .
 C H AP T E R XV I I

T H E A P PL I CAT I O N O F CO U N T E R P O I N T A S A
D E CO RAT I V E P R I N C I P L E
IT is claimed that if S cholastic Counte rp oint be studied on the
l ines indicated in this treatis e the student will have at his
,

command a great deal of the technique of v e rtical decoration .

The follo wing points must be C l e arly understood

( )
1 Th e
. C F ceases to be a fixed part of uniform length I t
. .

c a n be either the implied C hordal centres or a florid part based ,

on these I n either case it must be remembered that every

.

strong and weak accent is a C hordal centre and that we regard ,

every group of accents or u as a bar of Counterpoint

,
u u
,
.

Time signatures are of no value in helping to find the centres .

Thus the following

is really in 3 time that is every bar contains four accents and

, ,

there fore the scholastic analysis I S

The ti m e value of the centres is g e nerally that of the first

chord of the Cadences .

( )
2 T h e strict contrapuntal idiom gives place to the free
modern style both in th e melodic rhythm and in the treatment
, ,

of unessential notes .

(3) Th e C hordal centre may be any modern classified chord .

(4) J ust as in S cholastic Counterpoint it would b e said that

the prevailing harmony in the following bar was that of the
chord of F major though from the modern point of view we use
,

four distinct harmonies

 A P P LI E D C O U N T E R P O I N T 29 1

So th e C hordal centres of the following

are

( )
a and ( ) may be regarded as harmoni z ed accented passing
b
notes which however do not disturb the predominating e ff ect
, , ,

of the centres A few further examples will make things clear

. .
2 92 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

(5) The principles of the technique of Combined Counterpoint

apply absolutely There must be no crude obscu re or confused
.
, ,

harmony ; and the harmonic seams must be satisfactory The .

previous C hapters have explained how to avoid the various pitfalls

of elaborate texture S O we proceed at once to the working o f
,

problems .

S E CTI O N I .

The a ddi ng
f Flor i d
parts to a g i ven B a ss
o .

We first take one of the Simplest cases that in which th e bass ,

consists o f notes of uniform length I n the following problem

.

(Ground Bass Third M u s B Oxon M ay

, . . each bar con
.
, ,

tains three accents Thus every bar represents one bar of

.

S cholastic Counterpoint .

Add four parts to the following Ground Bass .

S c h o lasti c e qu i v ale n t .

I t must be remembered that accented passing notes and all ,

like modern resources may be used We write the first two

, .

bars in terms of S chol astic Counterpoint .

2 94 TH E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

S tudents Should read P urcell s examples of the Ground Bass

’
.

Th e sh o u l d of course be acquainted with Bach s Passacagl a in

i
’

y
 A P PL I E D C O U N T E R PO I N T 29
5
C minor for the organ There is a most ingenious example .

’
in S tainer s S ix Pieces for the organ (On a Bass ) .

The following may also be studied

Bach Cru cifixu s M ass in B minor
, . .

H andel Envy eldest born of H ell (S a u l ) ’

‘
, , .

H and e l O Baal monarch of the Skies (D eborah)

, ,
’
.

Brahms Fina l e Variations on a Theme of H aydn

‘
, . .

D r C Wood On Time
. .
, .
’

Arensky B asso Osti n a to

, .

I n the next example each minim is equivalent to one bar of

S cholastic Counterpoint .

Add three parts above the following bass

The qu e stion of melodic form cannot be discussed here but ,

the student will s e e th e principle of thesis and antithesis or ,

statement and response The letters serve to draw attention to

.

the matter .

The student is recommended to write out some examples in

scholastic f orm .

One bar I S gI v e n in this way .

The following are the centres .

296 T H E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

Equivalent in S chol astic Counterpoint .

The example worked out

Fi rs t M us . B Ox
. on .
,
No v .
,
1 903 .
29 8 TH E A RT O F CO U N T E R P O I N T
Each half bar represents a bar of S cholastic Counterpoint .

N ote that there will be frequent chang e s of harmony on the

second half of the bar and further that passing notes may be
, ,

harmoni z ed as passing chords for if the C hordal centres have,

been correctly deduced passing C hords do not in any way dis

,

turb their e ff e ct Two bars are given in the form of S cholastic

.

Counterpoint .

The example worked out

T h i rd M u s B Ox
. on ,
. M ay , 1 90 5 .
 A P P LI E D CO U N T E R P O I N T 2 99

I n the next example (Third M u s B N ov 1 905) the C hordal

. .
, .
,

centres are quavers that is each half bar repre sents a bar of
, ,

S cholastic Counterpoint
.
3 9 9 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

D e c o rati o n .
302 T H E ART O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
T h i rd Mus . B Ox
. on .
,
Nov .
,
1 904 .
 AP PL I E D CO U N T E R P O I N T 0
3 3

T h i rd M u s . B Ox
. on . , M ay , 1 906 .

(C e ntre s are C ro tc h e ts
3 04 T H E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

S E CTI O N I I I .

The a dd i ng
f o Flori d p arts to a g i ven i nn er F l ari d p a rt
.

Problems of this nature involve the same process of analysis

and synthesis as that explained in S ection I I But we are .

confronted by another di ffi culty the formation of a melody

,
.

M any students are in the habit of working these problems on

the same principles as those of S cholasti c Counte rp o int ,
3 96 TH E AR T OF CO U N T E R P O I N T
 A P PLI E D CO U N T E R PO I N T 3 7
0

2 ( P e d.
)

The student will see how historic C ounterpoint is a preliminary

study leading up to modern work I n modern work the C F i s
. . .

mentally implied I t is still true that it i s never wrong to use

.

two chords in a bar The working of the problem

.
39 8 TH E AR T OF C O U N T E R PO I N T
3 1 0 TH E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
We now give th e C F
. . in S cholastic form with the C hordal
centres .

g g
C h an i n n o te s . g g
Cha n i n n o te s.

H ere we have examples of internal syncopation The student .

will remember that this is a species of S cholastic Counterpoint

that has fallen into d isuse .

The following working is modelled on a parallel case in

B rat s Variations on a Theme of H andel
’
.
A P P L I E D CO U N T E R P O I N T 3 1 1
3 1 2 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R P O I N T

I n the following problem quavers are centres that is each

, ,

crotchet represents one bar of S cholastic Counterpoint : it is

unnecessary to go through the preliminary stages .

"
Th i rd M u -
s.B Ox o
. N 19 4
n., ov ,
. 0 .

A A
 1
3 4 TH E ART O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

bf 1? P e d al 2 148 2

P e d al .

N ow regard each crotchet as a C hordal centre and evolve five

free parts I n the working the following abbreviations are
.
,

used
(I ) accented passing note (appoggiatura) .

( )
2 accented passing chord .

(3) unaccented passing C hord .

(4) de ferment of C hange of chord until the second half of

the beat .

N otice that when the cadential 2is used (bars 2 4 1 2 1 5) the , , ,

Sixth and fourth are really appoggiaturas of the fifth and third
of the succeeding chord .

A ( 2) ( 1)
A P P L I E D C O U N T E R PO I N T 315

E vol v e d f rom A
.

E v o l v e d f ro m A
.
3 16 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

The first two bars are given in the of S cholastic

Counterpoint .

I n the next example th e I st Violin part is dev e loped by

‘exhaustion that is after repeating the formula which consists
,

of a two bar phras e (bars 1 o n e bar of it i s r e peated (bars

5 and 6) and then one third of o n e bar (b a r

3 1 8 T H E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
The next example o ffers no di ffi culty .

M us D. . Ox on ,
. No v .
,
1 904 .
Eac h C ro t c h e t re p re se n t s a b ar of p
Co u n te r o i n t.

O7"S
 A P P L I ED C O U N T E R PO I N T 3 9
1

C o n tra p u nta l Analysi s .

S E CTI O N I V .

The worki ng qf p roblem s i n m odula ti on, the o en i ng

p b a rs
bei ng g i ven .

M ethod of working .

( )
1 The given bars
.
should be reduced to C hordal centres .

( )
2 A period consisting of the plain centres Should be c on

structed introducing the various modulations with due attention

, ,

to proportion balance key distribution and cadential e ff ect A

, ,
.

course such as that outlined in the previous chapter will have

given the student the necessary technique .

Good melody cannot exist without pre -

supposed good
(3)
harm ony ; and although we are only dealing here with purely
harmonic progression yet it will be well at the outset to have
,

an idea of the rhythm of the melody This i s therefore placed .

above the harmonic progression N o melody ought to be c o n .

c e i ve d without due consideration of i ts harmonic basis and vice ,

versa .

P ro blem .

Begin as follows
Th i rd M us . B Ox
. on ,
. M ay , 190 3 .

and modulate to D minor B flat G flat D flat and back to F , , , ,

.
3 20 TH E A RT O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
It is fe lt at once that there are four strong accents i n th i s b a r
'

— u — u — u

N ow complete the sentence

-
.

j JJ J
'
n a l

A crotchet i s used here to give the cadential e ff ect s e e pp , .

-
2 54 5 .N ext write a parallel sentence and we have four bars
, , ,

thus

n n n n l

f i n I

n n n n l

41 a . I
This constitutes the end of th e first half S ince A1 and A2 .

are parallel sentences this must be brought out in the melodic

,

curve s o that the harmonic rhythm and melodic curve will be

,

exactly balanced .

N ow we c an only get to D minor by the end of bar four as

, ,

the other keys are on the flat Side of F; therefore the cadence
at the end of bar two shoul d be a half C lose in the key of F and ,

that at bar four a full C lose in D minor I t is necessary to avoid

.

(a ) harmonic monotony ;
(b) repeating the idiom of the modulation or anticipating its ,

completion at the cadence .

u u u LH r
3 22 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T

u u u u u n u r

The melodic rhythm of B 2 is varied in order to refer to A

, .

W e can now employ contrapuntal methods regarding each ,

part of a motive as an accent in Counterpoint implying one ,

chordal centre I t is important to remember that the C F now

. . .

ceases to be an actual note and becomes an implied chordal

,

centre which may be decorated in various ways without losing

, ,

its predominating e ff ect as a centre All the previous work h as

.

been a course of training leading up to this I n other words the

.
,

student must n ow build up h i s score with a mental frame ; for

although the actual frame in the form of a C F in semibreves. .

has disappeared the principles remain

, .

The decoration of a C hordal centre will O ften produce various

C hanges of h armony and the study of Combined Counterpoint
,

will have provided the student with the necessary technique .

I t i s hardly necessary to point out that in actual composition

such a process of analysis and synthesis is never systematically
utilized but it will be found that good composition will bear this
,

dissection and it h as been our province to Show the principles

,

underlying i t .

The working of the problem

 A P P L I E D CO U N T E R PO I N T 3 3
2

T h i r d M us . B Ox . on .
, M ay , 1 90 3 .

We now have an example in triple time Begin as follows .

,

and modulate to D m i n B fl at maj G m i n C m aj and back .

,
.
,
.
,
.
,

to F
Fi rst M us . B Ox
. on ,
. Nov .
, 1 90 0 .

Centres here are obviously quavers .

"2
 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
”

24
3

I 2 3 4 5 6 7

This completes the first sentence j ust as before ,

.

But this must be made intelligible by the use of cadences at

( )
a and ( ) ; so we get
b
AI . C d e ce a n .

Ja a
' '
9 13 9
‘
I JJ ‘
J I .
.

N ow as the given bar forms only one half of A the next

, ,

bar should di ff er rhythmically else A I and A2 will form fou r

,

parallel rhythms and create a very monotonous e ff ect Again

, .

we c an Zo n ly reach D m in by the end of the first half as the next

.

key (B flat) is on the flat Side of the tonic .

F m i n i n e C ad e n c e e .

5
6
2
Th e secon d sentence will contain exactly the same number of
.
-
motives S ub phrases are used in the first half and the last ,

phrase is indivisible .

”
Li f t I LU V I
’

w w l w r ll
3 2 6 TH E ART OF CO U N TE R PO I N T

P roblem .

Begin as follows and modulate to B min E min F ft min .

, .
, .
,

A maj F maj D min B flat maj D maj B min D maj or

.
, .
, .
, .
, .
, .
, .

Th i d M us B Ox
r N 9
. . on .
, o v., 1 02.

I f the course of the opening (D maj B min E min ) be .

, .
, .

compared with the ending (D maj B min D maj ) it will be .

, .
, .

seen that it is intended that the last few bars should be a rec ap i tu
lation of the opening with the modulation turned so as to end in
,

the Tonic after the mann er of Corelli S carlatti B ach and

, , ,

H andel (see Grove Article on Form ) , .

We have here another case of Compound Counterpoint Each .

crotchet represents an accent that i s the centres form Counter , ,

point i n triple time Th e n when the centres are decorated each

.
, ,

crotchet i s regarded as the equivalent of one bar of Counterpoint

in duple ti m e First we draw up the chordal centres in terms of
.

S cholastic Counterpoint .

i ” H ’ H
1 2 3 4 5 6
 AP P L I E D C O U N T E R P O I N T 3 2
7

6 6
34
2

N ext we put this in correct terms for decoration .

The working of the problem

3 8
2 TH E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
Cf bar 1
. .

P ro blem .

Begin as follows and modulate to D maj Ff; min

,
.

,
.
,
F# maj .
,

G min E flat maj D maj E min and back to B min

.
, .
, .
,
.
33 9 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

The following are two cases de serving of attention

( )
I Continue th e following for about twelve bars & c ,
’
.

Fi rst M us. B Ox
. on .
,
M ay , 1 90 4 .

N ow at first sight it would seem that the C hordal centres wer e

, ,

crotchets
 A P PL I E D CO U N T E R PO I N T 33 1

But elaborate this and the proportion is all wrong

, ,
.

for we only get three groups of the formula I t is evident

.

that another is wanted but this produces a further di ffi culty

,

H ere we have five bars . Th e fact is the centres are quavers

and the first beat of the first bar counts for nothing so that it ,

takes j ust four bars to complete the phrase (e g counting by

. .

motives and not bar lines ) ; and the second phrase will end not
in bar ten but on the first quaver of bar n ine

( Add a Co d a.
)
The reason that we have the app ea ra nce of an irre gular sen
tence i s that the statement
33 2 TH E AR T O F CO U N T E R PO I N T
demands a parallel response . I f the given bars had been as
follows

the barring of the sentence would have been quite normal .

( )
2 Begin as follows and modulate to
,
A min G min B flat maj . .
,

the dominant of F min and back to F maj .

,

T hi rd M us . B Ox
. o n. , No v .
, 1 90 4 .

‘
The expression dominant of F m inor implies two modula ’

tions F min and C maj else the latter could not be called the
,
. .
,

dominant of the former as a key ,

.

The important thing to note is that the rhythm of the first two
bars implies the displaced accent as a characteristic feature .

Ami n .
33 4 TH E AR T O F C O U N T E R PO I N T
merely deal with the grammatical aspect o f progressions S ome .

few give so - called melodies to be harmonized but inasmuch as ,

they deal with special points under classified heads they only ,

serve that special purpose The following recommendations as

.

to study may prove useful

M elodi c Fo rm : Parry Art of M u si c chapter on Folk M usic
, ,

( K egan Paul ) Wood twenty

,
-
five I rish Fol k S ongs ( Boosey ) .

Form i n General : Parry Art of M u si c art on F orm (Grove ) ;

, .

art on S ona ta
. art on Sy mphony
. art on Concerto .

( )
i b
. Prout M u s
,
i ca l F orm A
( gu e n e r); A pp li ed F orm s i
(b ) .

H adow S ona ta F arm ( N ovello )

, .

D ecora ti ve P ri n cip les : Parry art on Vari ati ons (Grove ) ;

, .

Prout Va ri ati ons (App li ed F arm )

,
.

The student Should read various classic examples such as ,

Beethoven s Variations on D iabelli s Valse Brahms s Variations

’ ’ ’

on a theme of H andel and on an original Theme S chumann s

,
’

Variations for two Pianofortes & C ,

.

I t has been impossible within the limits of a single C hapter to

deal at all adequately with a subj ect of such wide scope But it .

is to be hoped that at any rate the foregoing remarks may have

served to Show the student the proper lines on which to d irect
the course of his investigations .
 C H A PT E R XV I I I

CO U N T E R PO I N T O N A C H O RAL E

IN T H E ST R ICT S T "LE .

Add Alto Tenor and Bass in Florid Counterpoint

, ,
.

This is a form of question C losely linked with the S cholastic

process . Every semibreve is equivalent to a semibreve of
S cholastic Counterpoint that is the minims are to be regarded
, ,

as S econd S pecies in reference to melodic rhythm ; th e other

,

parts m ust generally con form to the idioms of Florid Counter

point e g
, .

(a ) A minim on the second half of the bar if preceded by notes

,

shorter than itself Should generally be tied into the next bar
, .

(b) S uspensions Shoul d generally be resolved on the third

rather than the second crotchet ; the latter procedure may be
occasionally employed
"
.

()c uavers must be approached and quitted conjunctly .

The student is referred to the rules of F lo ri d Counterpoint

for further details .

The Counterpoint di ff ers from the S cholastic process in the

following ways
( )
a The Counterpoints begin before the entry of the Chorale
‘
,

introducing points founded on th e first line varied of course in

’

time value g enerally by diminution in part

,
.
33 6 TH E A RT O F CO U N T E R PO I N T

(b ) When the Chorale reaches the end of the first line (doubl e
bar) a few rests are introduced in the part that has the C F to . .
,

allow the Counterpoints to introduce imitations based on th e next

lin e and so forth to the end Full closes may be used with dis
,
.

cretion Thus each line of the Chorale is marked o ff by the u se

.
,

of rests the Counterpoints meanwhile sustaining the movement

,
.

The Counterpoints may adopt for imitative purposes independent

figures such as the N ota Cambiata used in G i b b o n s s H osan na
,
’

but th e former method i s the more usual .

()
c Greater latitude is allowed in reference to C hange of h ar
mony I t may be changed three or even four times in a
.

scholastic bar e g on each crotchet . . .

PA L T R I N A
ES ,
S a n ctu s, Aetern a Ch ri sti M u n era .

D ignity will be lost if the change of harmony be too frequent .

I t is hardly n ecessary to point out that the imitations need not

be strict (the melodic curve of the points being roughly followed)
and that strict imitation or ingenuity in device will never j ustify
crude harmony .

Example (The addition of words is optional )

.
.

C RA L
HO E.

‘
B le ss d

B l ess d t he i n hea rt , Fo r
’
a re p u re

B less d
’
are t he p
u re i n hea rt , t he p u re

‘
B less d a re t he p
ure i n heart , the '
p
ure
33 8 TH E AR T O F CO U N TE RPO I N T

Th
ei r
‘
C h ri st s

C hri s t
‘ s

C h ri st
'
s a
‘
B l ess d

Th e i r s ou l is
‘
C h ri st s

IN T H E F R EE S T"L E .

I n work of this kind the strict idioms of S cholastic Counter

,

point are discarded U nprepared discords and chromaticisms

.

are used and the student is entirely free as to his melodic

,

rhythms Counterpoints may be added in a vocal or i n stru

.

mental style ; and they may be either independent or framed on

phrases of the Chorale Bach s two settings of Valet wzll zch dzr ’ '

g eb e n are excellent examples of both methods (Choral Preludes) .

The Chorale m ay be sung while other parts are added in an ,

i nstrumental style forming an elaborate accompaniment ; for a

,

beautiful example of this treatment see Bach s Cantata Wa chet ’

em f
. Th e student should examine the Choral Preludes of
Buxtehude Bach and Brahms
, ,
.

An example of independent m odern Counterpoint woven

round a Chorale may be seen in H arwood s Capriccio for ’

the O rgan As a combination of vocal and instrumental Counter

.

point on a Chorale the opening Chorus of Bach s Wa chet a uf

,
’
,

is a magnificent example S tudents should acquaint themselves.

with the Church Cantatas and Choral Preludes of J S B ach . . .

I t is infinitely better to do this than to gain a superficial know

ledge of the form from a textbook .

The limits of this treatise would be exceeded if any attempt were

made to deal at all adequately with the question of d ecoration _ ,

and the use of formulae The stu d e n t sh o u l d analyse the Bach

.
’

Choral Preludes for himself under the following headings

 C O U N TE R PO I N T ON A C H O RALE 339

i( ) Count e rpoints formed from th e C F . .

(ii ) independent of the C F . .

(iii ) A catalogue of the various formulae or figures should be

drawn up with special reference to the harmonic su b -
, structure ;
and it would prove of immense benefit to copy out sections in
bars of S cholastic Counterpoint I t is of course to be remem
.

bered that it is only the principles of decoration from a harmonic

point of view that remain The student will find some figures
.

-
built upon the sub structure of only one scholastic bar some on ,

two or three and so forth

, , .

A few examples are given

( I ) Formulae built upon the basis of one scholastic bar .

( ) W) Chmstenleu t
’
” ’
a 2

Each half bar corresponds to one bar of S cholastic Counter

point in Triple Time .

(b) Wer nu r den lzeben Gott

‘
lci sst
'

walten .
340 TH E A RT O F CO U N TE R PO I N T
Each crotchet corresponds to one bar of S cholastic Counter
point .

() j m F d
’

e esu,
ezne rea e .

H ere each crotchet corresponds to one bar of S cholastic

Counterpoint but each group of two bars has the same C F
, . .

(eight notes to one) .

( )
2 Formulae built upon the basis of two compound scholastic
bars .

j esu , m ezne Fm a de
’

The following are in outline identical

that is at we have a passing chord which does not disturb

,

t he centres S o that it is true to say that at (b) we have as at

.

( )
a two centres (not necessarily only two chords ) .
3 42 TH E AR T or C O U N TE R PO I N T
When the mastery of this techniqu e is so complete that the
res ult is not merely a piece of clever cra ftsmanship but an ,

expression of the emotions and when the style has become ,

influenced by wide reading the student may consider himself ,

equipped so far as the technique of decoration is concerned for

, ,

his first attempts at composition in a modern style .

C ON C L U S I ON .

A few words in conclusion on a further study of Counterpoint

, ,

m ay be added in the hope that they may induce the student to

,

obtain a deeper knowledge of the subj ect than a mere perusal of

a textbook c an provid e .

I .The system of the ecclesiastical modes should be studied .

I nformation on this point may be found in

( )
a The O xf o rd H i s tory f
o M us i c vols i and 11 ; b
( ) Grove , .
,

article on The E cclesi asti cal M odes (c) R o c kstro The R ules of , ,

Cou nterp oi n t (d ) Pearce Comp osers Cou n terp oi n t (e) Prout

’

, ,

H a rm ony .

2 H aving gained a knowledge of the modal system the

.
,

student should proceed to a deeper study of Palestrina I t .

would be excellent practice to copy out one of Palestrina s parts ’

,

then add others and compare with the original writing in every
, ,

detail in the manner of the sixteenth century I t is only by .

going to the root of matters in this way that any real grasp
of the history of the evolution of mu 5 1c c an be obtained Then .

the third volume of the Oxf ord H i story of M usi c should be

studied showing the grad ual change from the ol d order to the
,

new The enlargement of harmonic resource also provides a

.

very engaging study (see article on H arm ony in Grove and D r ,

.

S awyer s recent paper on M odern H arm ony )

’
.

For variety in working scholastic probl e ms the student may ,

take as hi s C F a part from an already solved problem in any

. .

S pecies other than the First and add parts in various S pecies , ,

together with one in the First S pecies which should have been ,

the original C F . .

I t is almost superfluous to invent any Canti Fermi for the u se

 CA N TI F E R M I 3 43

of students but a few of the time honoured C F s are adde d

, . .
’

for the use of those students who may wish to work without the
ai d of a teacher.

I t is hoped that this book may help those students who have
found the discrepancies between various textbooks perplexing ,

and place those who are beginners in the art on a path which
is at any rate historic and which h as as its goal not only an
,

acquaintance wit h the methods of the past but also a prepara ,

"

tion for the possibilities of the H armonic S chool .

The Counterpoint of Palestrina has formed the harmony of

Bach ; the Counterp oint of Bach has enlarged the harmonic
resource of the modern diatonic school The Counterpoint of.

this school has formed the harmony of Wagner Dv oi ak Elgar , , ,

and S t rauss I n this way has the unessential merged into the
.

essential ; and the student may await with interest further

develo p ments of this nature .

C AN T I F E R M I FO R TH E US E o r S T UD E N T S .

These may be written in any clef and transposed to a key

,

convenient to the voice .

The indication of strongly accented bars is for guidance in

writing uncombined Counterpoint .

I n the M ajor M ode .

T H E A RT O F C O U N TE R PO I N T

CH E R U e .

C H Ea v s m r .

C H ER U e .

CH E a u s m r .

AL B R EC H TS B E R G E R .

I
34 6 TH E A RT O F C O U N TE R PO I N T
I n the M inor M ode .
CA N TI FE R M I
35 0 I N DEX I

Mo d u la ti o n 9 , ,
2 3 , 2 6, 2 6 1 , 2 86 . R e sol uti on , o rn a m en tal , 9 1 , 95 , 107.

p ro bl em s i 3 1 9 e t s eq
n, .

M o ti v e , 1 2 , 2 7, 2 5 3 , 3 2 1 , 3 2 2 . R e sts 2 2 9 , 3 36
, .

M u si c a Pi c ta , 9 , 2 1 , 2 6, 1 1 0 . R e tard ati o n 81 , ,
82 , 1 14.

N o ta Ca m b i a ta , 51 e t se q , 88 .
d
S e c o n ary t ri a s , 2 52 d
N o tati o n 9 6
.

, .
S e n te n c e , 2 69 , 2 88 .

c o n s tru c ti o n o f, 3 20 e t se q .
, 33 1 .

O rgan al i s , 2.
S e v e n th , c h o r s o f, 2 82 d
Og r an um , 2
f
S i x -o u r , 1 0 , 3 4 , 7 0 , 7 1 , 81 ,
.

1 85 ,
O
.
191,
rn a m e n tal re so l u ti o n , s ee R e so l u ti o n .
2 7 8, 3 14 .

Oxf o rd H isto ry
q u o te d 1 6, 1 7.
o f M u si c, 3 42 .
x
S i th , l e a p o f, m ajo r, 1 6, 33 , 7 0 , 1 59,
, 2 1 6.

m i n o r, 3 3 , 7 0 , 22 9
PAL E S TR I N A p
.

3 , 9, 1 1 , .

S e c i es, 7
th e st u dy
o f, 9 5 , 2 3 0 , 3 4 2 .
p
.

S u b - hra se , 3 2 1 , 3 2 4
h i s t e c h n i u e , 1 6, 1 7 q .

p
S u s e n si o n s, 7 6, 7 8, 79 , 81 , 82 ,
.

1 30 ,
h i s trea tm e n t o f c o nsec u ti v e s, 1 1 2,
1 7 2 . 1 99 2 06, 2 1 4 , 2 8, 3 3 5
1 1 7 , 1 69
, 7
P g
.

d d bou l e, 1 7 7, 20 4 .

a ss i n c h o r s , 1 47 , 1 4 8, 1 49 , 1 80 ,
y p
S n c o a ti o n , 7 6 .

b ro k e n , 83 , 2 2 1
Passi n g .

n o t e s, 4 3 , 9 3 , 94 , 1 22 , 1 2 7,
i n te rn al , 89 , 3 1 0
p
.

1 4 1 , 1 5 2 , 1 5 3 , 1 81 , 1 82 , 20 8
P e d al 1 3 3 1 3 4 1 42
.
y
S n c o ate d
C o n c o r s, 7 6, 1 3 2 , d 1 69 ,
, 206
.

P h ra se 25 3
, ,
.

Pre p are d d i sc o rd s 1 6 1
.
,

, ,
1 62 , 1 63 , 1 68,

1 7 7 , 1 7 8, 20 5 . Ti e , u se o f , 87 , 88, 89 , 3 35 .

Pri m ary t ri a d s , 1 9 3 , 2 5 1 , 2 5 2 , 2 68. T ri to n e , 2 6, 4 4 7 0 , 83 , 1 1 8,

,
1 93 .

P ri n c i pal i s 2 , .

Pro l ati o n 1 0 3 ,
U n e sse n ti al n o te s
‘

d p
.

S e c o n S e c i e s , 35 e t seq
" d p
.

uav e rs, u se o f, 89 , 90 , 92 , 1 7 9, 1 80 , T h i r S e c i e s, 6 1 e t s e q
p
.

2 09 : 33 5 b d
C o m i n e C o u n te r o i n t , 1 81 .

e li m i n ati o n o f , 2 97 3 0
9, 3 1 3
p
.
,

R e so l u ti o n , a n ti c i a ti o n of 1
, 9 ,
2 1 4. U n i so n , 7 1 , 84 , 1 0 4 , 1 1 1 , 1 22 ,

d e fe rre d , 40 , 4 1 , 1 28 . 2 29 .
 I NDEX I I

WO R K I N G S O F E X AM I NATI O N "
U ES TI O N S

Un l e ss o th erw i se s tate d , th e i n dex f

re e rs to pp
a e rs se t a t Ox f d or .

1 89 7 M us D . . H a rm o n y , 3 14 .

1 89 9 M us D . . Co u n t e r p o i n t, 2 4 3 , 2 4 6.

1 90 0 No v . Fi rst M us . B . C o u n te r p o i n t, 1 88
, 2 03 .

Fi rst M us . B . H arm o n y 325

, .

1 90 1 Nov . Fi rst M us . B . C o u n te r p o i n t, 1 73 , 1 95 , 2 1 0 .

M us D . . C o u n te r p o i nt , 2 3 5.

1 90 2 No v . T h i rd M us . B C . o u nter p o i n t, 2 1 6.

Th i rd M us . B H . a rm o n y , 327 .

1 90 3 M ay . Fi rs t M us . B C
. o u n te r p o i n t, 1 7 4.

Fi rs t M us . B C . o u n te r p oin t
(Cam b ri dge ) , 73, 1 21.

Th i rd M u s . B H . a rm o n y ,
2
3 3 .

No v . Fi rst Mus . B C . o u n te r p o i n t, 1 9 4 .

Fi rs t M us . B H
. a rm o n y , 2 96 .

T h i rd M u s . B C . o u n te r p o i n t, 2 2 5 .

M us D . . C o u n te r p o i n t, 2 2 2 , 2 3 2 .

M us D . . H a rm o n y , 3 29 .

Fi rst M us . B C
. o u n te r p o i n t ( D u rh am ,
) 2 09 .

1 90 4 M ay . Fi rs t M us . B H . a rm o n y ,

Fi rs t M us . B C . o u n te r p i o n t, 20 2 20 3, 2 1 1 .
,

Th i rd M us . B C . pi
o u n te r o n t, 2 1 7 .

Fi rs t M us . B C . o u n te r p i o nt ( C a m b ri dge ) , 4 8, 84 .

No v . Fi rs t M us . B C
. o u n te r p i o n t, 2 1 2 .

Th i rd M u s . B H . arm o n y , 3 02 , 3 1 2 ,
M us D . . H a rm o n y , 3 1 8 .

M us D . . p
C o u n t e r o i n t, 2 3 7 .

1 90 5 M ay . T h i rd M us . B C . o u n te r p oi n t
,
20 7 .

Thi rd M us . B H . arm o n y ,
2 9 3 , 2 98, 317 .

T h i rd M us . B H . arm o n y, 3 00 , 3 0 7 .

T h i rd M us . B C . o u n te r p o i n t, 2 2 4 .

M us D . . H arm o n y
,
1
3 0 .

1 906 M ay . T h i rd M us . B H . a rm o n y , 303 .

N ov . M us D . . C ou n te r p o i n t , 2 40 .

1
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