Modal and Tonal Counterpoint [antikvár]

Preface Counterpoint was born in the Middle Ages and is still very much alive today. Every era has produced masterpieces of polyphony, and yet the study of counterpoint for most students has been limited traditionally to two courses: one devoted to the style of Palestrina, and the other to the style of Bach. While this approach allows for some depth, it denies the student a comprehensive study of the development of counterpoint throughout history. The great polyphonic masterworks of the seventeenth century by Monteverdi, Schütz, and Purcell are usually ignored in modal and tonal counterpoint classes, as are the nineteenth-century contrapuntal masterpieces by Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. The study of twentieth-century counterpoint is usually available only to graduate students. This book attempts to present the development of contrapuntal technique from the sixteenth century through the first half of the twentieth century in a historical and stylistic framework. Although it is best suited to a year-long course, it can also function for separate courses devoted to sixteenth- and eighteenth-century styles. Students beginning their study with eighteenth-century style can jump to Chapter 15 after reading Chapters 1 and 2, which are devoted to introductory concepts. Chapter 15 is designed as a review for continuing students and a starting point for new students. Another unique feature of this book is its "discovery" approach. Complete musical examples are presented at the beginning of each chapter together with questions for discussion. A lively discussion will lead the students to the "discovery" of the concepts. The observations which follow clarify and amplify these concepts. I have found that students gain a better grasp of principles, and consequently have a better attitude toward the study of counterpoint using this approach than they do when presented with the traditional sets of rules, often out of musical context. Finally, the book serves as anthology, text, and workbook combined. Complete musical examples are presented in all but a few instances. The text, in the form of observations, is brief, allowing for amplification by the instructor. The exercises are varied in length and difficulty. Those marked with an asterisk are advanced problems suitable for students in composition and graduates in other major musical fields.