Questions tagged [species-counterpoint]
In Western pedagogy, counterpoint is taught through a system in which students progress through several "species" of increasing complexity.
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writing counterpoint based on intervals vs scale degrees
When you start writing counterpoint they tell you what intervals you can use and how to use them but after learning harmony I think in scale degrees. I know what soprano note might work best with ...
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What does this counterpoint rule mean?
I'm using a Musescore extension called Counterpoint Analyzer 0.4, and I am not sure what one of the warning messages refers to.
Please see numbers 1 and 2 in the following:
Any thoughts as to what ...
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First Species of Counterpoint rule involving the next to last bar
In Alfred Mann's The Study of Counterpoint, there is a passage that explains a rule basically restricting the interval of the last bar to a minor third if the cantus firmus is in a lower register, or ...
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Rule on doubling the second rather than the fourth when using ligatures
I was going through the ligatures in 4 parts exercises from Fux's Gradus. On page 133, Aloys says, "Finally, in the sixth measure of the same example the fourth is doubled, although as a rule one ...
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How are 4th and 2nd species counterpoint combined?
I've gone through all five species of Fuxian counterpoint, and I'm moving into combined species. I remember hearing that one of the most important forms of combined species is the combination of ...
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what are the options for the penultimate measure in the 3rd species counterpoint
Mr. Fux says:
Then, Mr. Fux does:
In Gradus ad Parnassum (Mann's translation).
Is the last one a mistake? There's nothing written in the book that it's a mistake.
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what was a skip according to fux and what is it in general
I wonder what a skip actually is for Fux. Because, in Gradus he says a reversal is needed after a skip but then he does something like that:
To clarify, I've no problem with how it sounds, it sounds ...
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Question on the definition of a dissonant passing/neighbor tone?
I am currently trying to teach myself counterpoint following Jacob Gran's videos. When I was analyzing my exercises today, I thought of this question. If the first two notes of a dissonant neighbor(or ...
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How is 2nd and 3rd species in 4 part supposed to look like? How do I do it?
If second species is the 1st pic (the one with half notes) and 3rd species is the 2nd pic, how do i do that in 4 part writing? Like both...combined? "2nd and 3rd species in 4 parts". Im not ...
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Is the treatment of accented 5ths and octaves in 3rd species counterpoint the same as between soprano and bass in 4 part writing?
Here in this image from my textbook "Harmony and voice leading" there are several very useful examples of accented and unaccented octaves and 5ths in third species Counterpoint. It shows ...
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Is there something wrong with this counterpoint practice?
I've been studying 16 century counterpoint through a book myself.
I just got into 3 voice 3 species and its a little confusing.
This is a part of a 16 centrury counterpoint practice I did.
I'll like ...
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How to avoid Battuta in this case of first species counterpoint
In this exercise on first species counterpoint, the top melody is the cantus firmus and the bottom one my counterpoint.
I am not a musician and just learned the rules. This is the second exercise from ...
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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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What is the order of operations for writing half notes against whole notes in three parts?
FYI, I am referencing The Study of Counterpoint (Alfred Mann's translation of Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum)
When writing in two voices, I understand the standard procedure to involve writing a ...
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How to evaluate a counterpoint?
I am currently studying counterpoint in order to prepare my first year in a Faculty of music. I have diverse resources at my disposal like The Complete Musician (Laitz) in addition to online resources....
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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 ...
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How do I achieve contrary motion in second species counterpoint?
I am working on this counterpoint exercise. In 9a the second half goes down. I for the life of me can't do contrary motion without it going too high. I know I need 16th notes but there are too many. I ...
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Sequences in Music
I am doing second species counterpoint and this exercise gives me all the bottom notes and only the first 4 eighth notes. The exercise says:
Where a sequence occurs in the given voice, use one in the ...
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Second Species Counterpoint
I am working on a second species counterpoint and I am a bit stuck. This is what I have so far:
Any tips for where to go from here? The exercise I found online gave me all the notes of the CF and ...
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Is there a rhythmic counterpart to voice leading? Is counterpoint supposed to fulfill this role?
I have been studying voice leading and I feel like rhythm is unaddressed in voice leading theory.
Here's an example of the types of voice leading rules I'm referring to:
Resolve 7->1 in a V chord ...
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In species counterpoint, is the fourth above a third a consonance or a dissonance?
I am reading Alfred Mann's translation of "Gradus ad Parnassum" and found a footnote that says that Fux considers a fourth that comes from harmonic division the of the octave (fifth-fourth) ...
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Should I avoid descending leaps of a minor 6th in species counterpoint?
A little background:
I am teaching myself species counterpoint by reading multiple texts and doing exercises. My primary text is Salzer and Schacter’s “Counterpoint in Composition,” which I really ...
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Why is the false relation of the tritone objectionable in V-IV but less so in IV-V?
In strict counterpoint, it is forbidden to have a B in one voice and then, in the very next chord, an F in another voice, or vice versa. This is called the false relation of the tritone.
George John ...
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Fux's Third Species (two part) melodic movement - except for cambiata movement to and from dissonance only by step?
I'm trying to come up with my own wording to explain Fux's examples in third species, two-part counterpoint.
When I look at the examples, the more or less clearly stated rules are...
dissonances on ...
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Are augmented fourth allowed in second species counterpoint?
I'm trying to learn counterpoint with the help of the Gradus.
I think I've made many mistakes but I'm not sure if they're allowed or not.
At bar 62 (upbeat) you may see an augmented fourth, used as ...