All Questions
Tagged with counterpoint harmony
66 questions
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Starting harmonization with chords or bass?
The traditional texts on harmony typically first teach harmonizing with I-IV-V-I progression, dwelling on many technical details - mostly having to do with voice leading. This leaves one with a fairly ...
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2
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Fugue Structure
I've been wanting to learn to write a fugue for a while. I spent some time learning counterpoint with a teacher starting with species, I think I got a good grasp on counterpoint now.
How do you write ...
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Can compound melodies cause voice leading errors?
"Chordal skips" in my harmony textbook refer to when a voice skips to another note within the same harmony. "Chordal skips" may be used as voice leading correctives with regards to ...
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Is this a V7sus2/V7 chord in bach?
When i was playing this prelude from bach i came across a new chord that i don't usually see in 18th century pieces
Also another question - in writing counterpoint in bach style it looks like two ...
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can anyone help me in writing a quartet [closed]
hi i've been doing some analyzing and after learning counterpoint and 4 part harmony and studying a little about forms today for the first time i wrote a period to turn in into a ternary or a simple ...
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moving into parallel compound intervals counterpoint
in strict counterpoint and i'm talking about fux's book
is having 2 parallel perfect intervals with contrary motion still wrong?
because in fux book only contrary and oblique motion are acceptable for ...
- 469
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4
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The relation between voices in piano pieces
I've been trying to understand how to identify the voices within the harmonic progression they form, after learning counterpoint and SATB harmony.
But when I'm investigating the relation between ...
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In Organum and Species Counterpoint why is one of the voices always in whole notes?
Edit: It was pointed out to me that counterpoint spawned from the Organum style of music. For more context, here’s information from two sources I just read. “Two styles of Organum existed during this ...
- 1,018
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In the musical texture “monody”, can the underlying harmony be provided with a single voice?
According to these wiki pages
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monody
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophony),
in Monody, ”one solo voice sings a melodic part, usually with considerable ornamentation, ...
- 1,018
3
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1
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249
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What is the difference between background, middle ground, and foreground?
Is the idea of structural levels background, middle ground, and foreground only studied in schenkerian analysis?
I’m still viewing the background as the simplest layer of a song, which to me would be ...
- 1,018
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Voice Leading in Göncz’s completion of Contrapunctus 14
My question relates to the attached extract from Zoltan Göncz’s completion of Bach’s Contrapunctus 14 from The Art of Fugue, and specifically the chord marked with the arrow.
To my mind, it appears to ...
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What is the music theory term for the study of the role and rhythm of each voice in multi voice compositions?
I’m looking for the for the study of the role and rhythm of each voice in multi voice composing. For example “lead part/voice/melody or supporting part/voice/melody”. By rhythms what I mean is the ...
- 1,018
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Why does Schoenberg think of "'semi-contrapuntal treatment' of the accompaniment" as a way of adapting a motive's melody to changes in its harmony?
Schoenberg says that the melody of a motive may be adapted to changes in the harmony "[b]y transposition," "[b]y addition of passing harmonies," or "[b]y 'semi-contrapuntal' ...
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203
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Harmonic Voices Alongside Counterpoint
I'm writing a piece for a rather large ensemble:
full string section
SATB choir plus soloists
2 of oboe, bassoon, and trombone
c-g timpani
In one of the sections, the chorus sings a fugato while the ...
- 1,636
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Why is this augmented 4th bad ? 16th century counterpoint
I'm studying 16th century counterpoint.
My book says, when writing a melody for second species, augmented 4th or augmented 5th shouldn't occur between strong beat and a strong beat.
But this is not ...
- 1,475
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Is consecutive 8’s on resolving the 7s in the weak beat against the rules ? 16th century counterpoint 3part 2nd and 4th species fusion
This is my exercise on 3part 2nd and 4th species fusion 16 century counterpoint.
Is consecutive 8’s on resolving the 7s in the weak beat against the rules ?
(At measure 5,6 between the soprano and ...
- 1,475
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3
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174
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Can a Round Modulate?
I've been messing around with simple 2-part rounds recently, and also with modulation. The question occurred to me, can a round modulate? Initially I though not, since it would involve having parts in ...
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235
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the cadence in 3rd species counterpoint with 3 voices in the Phrygian mode
When the Cantus Firmus is in the 1st or 2nd voice, the bass is suppose to play the 5th note of the mode in the 2nd last bar. In the case of E Phrygian, the 5th degree is B which has however a ...
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2nd species counterpoint in 3 parts, is it ok?
If someone would be willing to point out errors I'm making with this species, before I continue on to the others, I'd be grateful
https://flat.io/score/61d7e420658ae700133b1e72-c?sharingKey=...
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2
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What are some strategies one could use to put as many suspensions as possible in a chord progression?
I ask this question in the context of strict (florid) tonal counterpoint as taught, for example, by Albrechtsberger and many later writers.
Fux in his Gradus ad Parnassum recommends putting many ...
- 2,357
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2
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513
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When realizing a basso continuo, should the realization avoid consecutive fifths and octaves with the written parts?
Many continuo manuals (both historical sources and modern treatises) are careful to point out that a continuo realization should be contrapuntally correct, i.e., one ought to avoid parallel fifths and ...
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Is partimento a good way to learn how to write a Baroque trio sonata in the style of Corelli?
Who I am:
I am 16 years old and I play violin. I am a music student and I consider myself to have a very good ear and understanding of music theory. My piano-playing is however not very good. I really ...
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Are the rules of voice leading and the rules of counterpoint ever at odds with one another?
I was practicing composing in an SATB setting. I had the chords voiced the way I wanted to, but there was not much rhythmic interest (everything in whole notes). So, I began subdividing the notes ...
- 1,406
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3
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278
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What is wrong about this counterpoint?
I am using a counterpoint rules plugin on MuseScore, and I am having trouble understanding the issues with my music. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong or if I am not interpreting the ...
- 1,406
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249
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how do I add voices to compound species lines?
Update, TLDR: given multiple semi-written lines of music, which line should be deemed the cantus firmus before working on the counterpoint of the other lines?
Given a "free" (?) soprano ...
- 1,406
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2
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463
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Four part Writing: When must a perfect fourth be resolved?
A bit confused at the moment regarding when a perfect fourth is classed as a consonance, and when it is classed as a dissonance. I have read here on Stack Exchange, that perfect fourth intervals are ...
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2
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990
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sharp ii dim 7th: How to use?
Still here and working on part-writing. I have used a sharp ii dim7th chord, straight after iihalfdim7- leading to V. Is this actually the right place to put it in terms of chord sequence/harmonic ...
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Are certain 4 part writing rules contradictory?
I am told that I cannot double the 3rd when constructing a 4 part triad but at the same time I am told that the only note that can be omitted is the 5th. So in a triad, if I omit the 5th, then all I ...
user35708
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Four part writing: How to voice augmented 6th chords?
I have recently started adding augmented 6th chords to my part writing. As far as I can tell, I have not broken any harmonic rules in the displayed voicing, yet it does not sound right to me. Just ...
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3
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563
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Four part writing: How to voice diminished 7th chords?
I am currently doing part writing, and have come into a bit of a conundrum. I want to use a sharp 4 dim 7 (Fsharpdim7), to link up my IV chord (FM) to my V7 chord (G7).
I know that 7ths should usually ...
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Four part writing problem: tripled root solution. what is best practice here?
I have hit a problem with this chord change in my four part writing. We are in A minor.
The VI chord is in first inversion, so A must be in the bass. (I have made a mistake in the figure. the VI ...
- 793
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2
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762
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How to think about this moment from BWV 816
I've been tasked by a textbook I'm going through to make a harmonic analysis of the G major "Gavotte" from BWV816, "The French Suite" specifically minding a handful of questions ...
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Allowed hidden parallel octaves [duplicate]
I have read that hidden direct octaves between two voices are not always forbidden, but that there are some circumstances in which they are acceptable. As I have understood it, the following general ...
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Is there a way to recognize the canonic (or generally imitative) potential in a given harmonic progression?
Suppose given a bass melody with either thoroughbass figuring or Roman numeral analysis. Is there a way to quasi-instantly recognize whether this bass melody admits of a canonic (or more generally, ...
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Is there a rational method to find out which minor scale sounds best in a given situation?
By rational I mean a method that doesn't entirely depend on one's subjective aesthetics, but rather one that has some kind of system behind it.
The obvious rule that you should use the ascending ...
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Counterpoint with more than 4 parts
In Rachmaninoff Prelude in B Minor Op. 32 No. 10 I've noticed that not all voices are 4 parts. In fact I've noticed that in 19th century and 20th century music there's more than 4 parts in a harmony. ...
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How did counterpoint, harmonic rhythm, and thoroughbass interact in the late-Baroque instrumental fugal style?
It may be considered common knowledge that frequent root changes, i.e., a fast harmonic rhythm, usually cause a piece to be perceived as being more purely "harmonic" and less polyphonic in nature. (...
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What are the characteristics of Late Romantic Russian Music?
I've been recently listening to some late Romantic Russian music (Lyapunov, Kalinnikov, Tchaikovsky, etc.) and was wondering how best to mimic this style. So far, I've observed a handful of shared ...
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3
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Constraints for doubling upper voices in 4-part harmony
What are some guidelines for doubling the same tone in the upper voices (tenor, alto, soprano) on the same pitch, as well as in different octaves? I am specifically talking about doubling in upper ...
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Why does the leading tone (G#) go to E rather than A in this example?
Why does the leading tone (G#) go to E rather than A in this example?
user20754
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Dissonances with bass versus in upper voices. 4-part harmony
Working through "Guide to practical harmony" of Tchaikovsky in chapter 9 about the inversions of diminished and augmented triads, we read that the first inversion of the diminished triad is consonant ...
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How to realize a figured bass
I am arranging a Bach piece. I know, what the challenge it is to do it. But I have been able to successfully arrange Mozart and later, Beethoven, so I think I'm ready.
But here is the challenge I am ...
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Hidden fifths between tenor and soprano in Tchaikovsky's "Guide to harmony"
I have been working through Tchaikovsky's "Guide to practical harmony" and found the following example quite early in the book:
I am talking about the first measure. To me it seems that soprano and ...
- 1,159
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Can the leading note resolve down?
Would like to ask if the leading tone in chord V (G) could resolve downwards to Eb (fifth of chord I)?
I’ve somehow recall reading that the rule (leading note MUST resolve to tonic) only applies to ...
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Melodic lines are diatonic, harmony doesn't seem to be
Okay so this is something that I came across as I was writing my canons and analyzing the harmony to try to figure out which canon is best for my symphony. There is a section in one of my canons where ...
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How to realize the figured bass of the second movement of BWV 1014?
I am planning a performance of the second movement of Bach's violin sonata BWV 1014 in B Minor. The beginning of second mvt, Allegro is shown below.
As you can see there are some figured bass below ...
- 1,200
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How to go about writing a second countersubject?
I have written a subject and countersubject. Here is how I went about writing the countersubject:
1st iteration: Restricted to D, G, and A(answer is is D major), all quarter notes
2nd iteration: A ...
- 6,654
2
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1
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Gradus ad parnassum: what does "seven must be set with third" mean?
So I came around this example in Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum (p.98)
The purple dot marks bar 6. Joseph considers it an error, as explained here:
What does "the seventh must be set with the third" ...
- 23
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Books on composition as insightful as Goeschius [closed]
I've been a magpie for books on composition/orchestration, and it seems to me that the books written by Percy Goeschius are the best, most insightful and well-written that I've come across. Hia ...
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Are consecutive 3rds allowed in harmony?
In harmony, is it okay if there are consecutive 3rds in ii-V progression in two different bars?