The Art of Counterpoint
The music of the Common Practice Period was composed in a manner in which two or more voices would simultaneously
sound, creating harmony. Composers needed to carefully consider blend the horizontal (melodic) and the vertical (harmonic) htmlects throughout their compositions. This art of "weaving" voices together was known as counterpoint.
Voicing Two-Part Counterpoint
Often when composers wrote two-part counterpoint, they began by first writing one complete, single voice, called a
cantus firmus (Latin for “fixed melody”). The second voice needed to melodically and harmonically fit the cantus firmus. Voicing refers to the melodic and harmonic considerations between the voices:
- Texture refers to the number of voices in a composition and the relationship they have with each other. There are three types of textures:
- Monophonic: One voice, a single melodic line
(example 9-1). A cantus firmus without the second voice is monophonic.
- Homophonic (Example #95b):
- One voice, normally the highest, is melodically more important than the other. This voice is often called the melody
- The subordinate voice is also melody, but is often called the “accompaniment” or the “harmony.”
- Polyphonic: (Example #95c)
- Each voice is equally important and imitative, like a round.
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Motion compares the melodic contour and resulting intervals of two voices. There are four types of motion:
- Parallel Motion
- Both voices move in the same direction by the same amount
- It is important to take special care when writing voices with parallel motion. In example, XXXXX
- Parallel motion of consonant intervals creates a pleasant sound, but too much parallel motion will weaken melodic independence between voices.
- Parallel motion of dissonant intervals should be avoided.
- Parallel motion of perfect intervals, especially perfect fifths, create a peculiar sound and should be avoided.
- Contrary Motion
- Both voices move in opposite direction
- In example, XXXXX
- Oblique Motion
- One voices moves while the other voice remains stationary
- In example, XXXXX
- Similar motion Xxx
- One voices moves while the other voice remains stationary
- Similar motion should always lead to a consonant interval. In example, XXXXX
- Range: The range of each voice should be no larger than one and one half octaves. (Example #98)
- Note Doubling: When voices that lead to the same pitch or octave is called doubling. Use contrary motion to lead to doubled notes (example).
- Crossed Voices: Voices that change order, top to bottom for example, is called crossed voices. Crossed voiced should be avoided because the melodic properties of each voice becomes indistinct. In Example #101, XXXX
Melodic and Harmonic Elements of Two-Part Counterpoint
As previously mentioned, composers created artistic and pleasant sounding counterpoint
by simultaneously considering its melodic and harmonic elements:
- Melodic Balance (example):
- Measures XX: the top voice is melodically interesting while the bottom voice is a single, repetitive note, resulting in a homophonic texture. Counterpoint with melodically unbalanced voices is not incorrect, but too much unbalance is dull and monotonous.
- Measures XX: The bottom voice is rewritten with various pitches and rhythms making the melodies are more balanced. The top voice is still dominates the lower voice, thus a homophonic texture.
- In measures XX: The bottom voice is exactly like the top but is rhythmically displaced by one measure. Because the voices are equal and imitative, is in a polyphonic texture.
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Harmonic Progression: The two voices together need to create a harmonic progression that establishes tonality. It should:
- Begin with the tonic
- Move away from the tonic, creating tension/incompletion
- Move towards the tonic, creating release/completion
- In example, XXXXX
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Tendency Tones: If a cantus firmus has a 7-1 or 4-3 melodic progression, the other voices needs to create a dominant-tonic (V-I) harmonic progression. In example, XXXXX
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Interval Content: Measures 1-4 in Example #75 does not sound “correct” the interval content is all dissonant intervals. Measures 5-8 sound “peculiar” because its interval content is all open intervals. Measures 9-12 sound “correct” because interval content is all consonant intervals.
Measures 13-16 are a mix of consonant, dissonant, and open intervals. Most of the intervals are consonant because they create a harmonically stable. The addition of strategically placed dissonant and open intervals makes the counterpoint more harmonically interesting.
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Cadences: Counterpoint harmony needs to follow the one of the cadence formulas. The first cadence in example sounds odd because it does not follow any of the cadence formulas. The second cadence is a PAC because the pitch content in measure XX is in the dominant triad and tonic measure XX.
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