H

P R E NTI C E -
T he
AL L MU S I C
Do ug l as Mo o re , E di t o r
S E RI E S
 E
Co
P RE N
n
p y igh t 1 9 39 by
r

TI CE AL L I N C
g l w d Cl i ff N J
e oo
- H ,

s,
,

. .
.

A llgh t ri s re s e r vd
e . Noh b km p art o f t is oo ay be
rep d d ro u ce in y f
an m by m i m g p h
or , eo ra or any

oth m er ea ns , w it h t p mi i
ou i w it i g f
er ss o n n r n ro m
th p bl i h
e u s e rs .

The o ri gi nal h d
Da n i s e i t i o n w a s
t h e Ge r m a n t r a n s l a t i o n
p b l i h d by Wi l h
,
u
by B i t k p f
s e

re o
'
H
H
e lm

a r te ] ,
an s e n ,

L ei p ig
z
Co
,
p h g
en

1935
a

.
en 4931

C urre nt p rintin g ( l ast dig it )

19 18

P r i n te di n t h e U n i te d St ate s o f Am e r i ca

1 8 3 60 - C
 IN GRATEF U L MEMORY o r
M Y D ISTI NGUISHED TEACHER AND FR IEND
CARL N I ELS EN
INTR ODUCTI ON
TO T H
S SUGGE STED b y
E ENGL I S H

th e t t e,
i l Dr Ie ppe sen s Co unte rpo int i s a te x tb ook on
TRA NSL

’
ATIO N

A
.

t h e polyphonic vocal s t yl e of t h e six t e e n th c e n t ury But it is no ordi .

nary te x tbook b e caus e it main t ains an unusually ha ppy balanc e b e t wee n

,

t h e or e t ical and p rac t ical prob l e ms b e t w e e n his t orical and sys te ma t ic ,

m e thodology I t is a prac t ical manual d e sign e d for classroom use in

.

t e aching modal coun t e r poin t th e logical succ e ssor of th e old s t ric t or ,

acad e mic coun te rpoin t and at th e sam e t im e it aff ords invaluab l e mate
1

rial for th e musicological S e mi nar I n which st yl e cri t ical probl e ms are -

und e r consid e ration T h e pre s e n t work is distinguish e d from th e con

.

ve n t io n al t r e a t is e on coun t e r oin t by it s fr e e dom from arbi t rary rul e s and

p
by its clos e a dh e re nc e to a d e fini te s tyl e pe riod as a s t andard o f re fe re nc e -

More and mor e though tful musicians hav e com e to r e al iz e tha t o ne can
,
”
n o t t e ach coun t e r poin t in gen e ral wi thou t invi ting e ndl e ss con trov e rsy
as to wha t is pe rmissibl e and what is not H e nc e a te x tbook bas e d u pon .

sound scholarly r e s e arch in th e music of a gre at p e riod in th e his tory of

th e art b rings w e lcom e r e li e f t o the s e r i ous b ut p e rpl e x ed s t ud e n t and

te ach e r of coun te rpoin t .

T h e following sugg e s tions may b e h e l pful A l though th e book is g e n .

e ro usl sup li e d wi th musical e xam l e s s t ud e n t s should b e r e quir e d t o

y p p ,

e xamin e o th e r works of th e e riod for pur o se s of comparison and p er

p p
f o rm an ce I hav e found th e L aua ate P ae ri coll e c t ion of Six te e n th ce n ’ 2
.

1 S ee th e transl ato r
’

spp a er o n Mus c i R e se arc h an d Mo d al pi i h

C o u n te r o nt n t e Y e ar b o o k o f
the Mus c i Ed u cato rs
’

N i at o n al Co n f e re n ce f o r 1 9 3 4, pp 2 1 7 — 222 , i n w hi h hi p i t is di d

H
. c s o nt scu s se

at so m e le n t gh .

: S acre d Music o f t h e X VI t h C e n t ury

2 L a ud at e P a e ri
be i ng t he first part o f t h e N o rt h l and s

H
d
S i ng i ng Bo o k se le c te , di d by
an d e te d
D o n al vy L d
F To e ( o n o n : A ug e n e r L td . ar e r .
,
L g
i i hv p di i k i by kp
l brar e s a e t h e co m l e te e t o n s o f t h e w o r s o f P al e s t r na B re i t o f u n d arte ] T h e f o l lo w .

di i dd i ii
ing e t o ns are al so re co m m e n e : R ap h C as m r S o ci e tat is P o l y ph o n ie ae R o m an ae 6 o l s , an d
. , ,
v .

I. R g . G i v i d A l i Q i V li L i g i
o st a no o an n d A h l gi S
’
e ss , u nt a o ca r t ur ca an nt o o a e xt a V o cal i r L it u rg ica ,

E di i M
t o ne ll C p arce N 20 1 20 2
o d E
a m pl
ra, f G g i
o Ch. d —
, an xa e: o re o r an a nt an Wo rks b y O rl a n d ur
L d Gi
arsa r an i P l i
o va nn m pi l d by G v F d i S d l d (R h
a e rt r na, co e us ta e re r c o e r un oc e s t e r, N Y . : . E ast m an
S h l f M i U iv
c oo o iy fR h
us c, n19 3 7 )
e rs t o oc e s te r,
v iii I N TROD U CTIO N
t ury vocal music edi te d by Donald F rancis Tov e y v e ry h e lpful i n this
, ,

conn e c tion B efore b e ginning three par t wri ting s tud en ts should t ry
.
-
,

th e ir hands at wri ting t wo p ar t mo te ts using th e mo te t s of L assus as

-

mod e ls A f te r th e fi rs t ex e rcis e s on imi ta tion in two par ts I hav e s tud e n ts

.
,

j oin t w o O f th e s e s e c t ions t og e th e r T h e chi e f probl e ms in th iS W O l k are

.
' ‘

th e use O f imi t a tion th e t r e a tm e n t of th e in t e rm e dia t e cad e nc e SO as to

,

avoid to o pronounc e d a rhy thmical bre ak and th e cons truc tio n of a s trong
,

fi nal cad enc e F rom this sor t of e x e rcis e to th e cons truc tion of a mo te t
.

of mod e s t dim ensions is b ut a s te p S tud e n ts are n o t only e ncouraged

.

and pl e as e d by such e ff or ts b ut th e y d e riv e gre a t b en e fi ts th e re from A .

v e rs e or two from th e Psalms or a simpl e coupl e t or qua train will a ff ord

an ampl e te x t .

T h e cours e in modal coun te r poin t in th e six te en th c e n tury s t yl e is in

t ro duce d in th e third y e ar of t h e curriculum in music at th e U niv e rsi t y

O f N or t h C arolina O th e r ins t i t u t ions in troduc e it in th e s e cond or ev e n

.

th e firs t y e ar of th e und e rgradua t e cours e whil e s t ill o th e rs p ursu e such

,

s tudie s in th e gradua te school A nd s trange ly enough I b e li e v e e ith e r

.

o n e of th e s e plans can b e j us t i fi e d — o n diff e r e n t grounds of cours e O p in

,
.

ions may vary as to th e b e s t tim e to in troduc e th e s tudy of coun te rpoin t

in th e curriculum but in my opinion th e import an t poin t is n o t wh e n
,

it Shall b e in t roduc e d b ut ra th e r fi rs t O f al l tha t it be in t roduc e d som e

, ,

wh e re in th e program and s e cond tha t it b e t augh t so as to giv e th e stu

, ,

d en t som e insigh t in to th e principl e s of musical s tyl e bo th wi th re spe c t

l
“

t o wha t is charac t e ris t ic of th e pe riod and wi th r e sp e c t to w ha t is common

H
t o gr e a t musical com p osi t ions in many di f fe r e n t p e riods .

GLEN H AY DON
C h ape l ill N o r t h Caro l i n a
,
PREFACE

M
Y BOOK on th e
s tyl e of Pal e s trina in which I inv e s tigate d c e r tain ,
1
oly honic ro b l e ms O f th e six te e n th c e n t ury in d e t ail was e xclu
p p p ,

sive l a his t orical s t udy O f s t yl e al though th e conclusions n e c e ssarily hav e

y ,

e dagogical impor t anc e b e caus e O f th e clos e r e la t ion O f th e subj e c t t o

p
con trapu ntal th e ory In spite of th e pur e ly sci en t ific charac te r of th e
.

t r e a t is e th e r efor e a tte mp t s hav e b e e n mad e t o use it as a t e x tb ook in

, ,

coun te rpoin t at som e Ge rman univ e rsiti e s though probably wi th li tt l e ,

succ e ss I b e li e v e howe v e r I am j us t ifi e d in concluding that at th e

.
, , ,

r e s e n t t im e a n ee d is fe l t for a t e x tb ook in coun t e rpoin t which t ak e s

p ,

in to consid e ra tion th e more re c e n t r e s e arch in th e fie ld of Pal e s trina s ’

music This though t has giv en m e th e d e sire and courage to work o ut

.

this b ook .

I hav e th e re for e b as e d my work on th e laws of th e Pal e s trina s t yl e an ,

id e a which may s e e m s trange to som e O f cours e I do n o t m e an tha t .

mod e rn compos e rs should mak e Pal es trina s s tyl e of e xpre ssion th e ir own ’

for tha t ma tte r th e re s ee ms to be li ttl e dange r of this Ne v e r th e l e ss

-
.

I am convinc e d j us t as a whol e s e ri e s of th e oris ts hav e b e e n for c e n turi e s

, ,

tha t from th e s t yl e of Pal e s t rina we can l e arn b e s t wha t has always b e e n

th e high e s t goal of th e s t udy of coun te rp o in t .

I t is r e cogniz e d tha t musical th e ory has a r e tros pe c t iv e as w e ll as a

d e scri pt iv e charac te r N ob ody has e v e r b e gun b y manufac turing rul e s
.

o ut of whol e clo th F irs t cam e music i ts e lf ; only la te r could th e princi pl e s

.

H
of its cre a tion its th e ory be d e duc e d More ov e r it is w e ll known
— — .
2
,

T h e S tyl e o f P al estri na and t h e Disso nan ce O xfo rd Un e rs t P re ss, 1 9 27 ; the o r g n al G er

1
, iv i y i i
di i
p ihd ik p
m an e t o n w as ub l s e b y Bre t o f u n d arte ] , e , 1 9 25 L ipzi g .

2
y h h y p d p i
T h e co n t rar — t at t e o r rece e d ract ce— m ay at ce rta n o n t s in t h e sto r O f m usic i pi hi y
g ih
see m m o re in a re e m e n t w t t he f act s Fo r e xam l e , i n t h e t we l f t .and t rte e n t -ce n tu r artp h hi h y
ll d i lw ig h p hi b i i g i
“
of h m t ( h
e o te t iq ) h F
t e so -c
a e ars ant ua ,
t e ranco n an a , se tt n f o rt a ro t o n a a nst

di p
s so n an ce s d p i u onf h m acce n te o rt o n s o t e e asure , was f o rm ul ate d by h h i t e t e o r st s so me im t e

bf i w
e o re id i
t l p i Lik w i
as c arr e o ut n act ua ract ce . e se , alt h ghou the p hi b i i g i p
ro t o n a a n st arall e l fi f h t s

w p l i m d i h hi
as ro c a h y d w
e n t e t rt e e n t ce n t u r an as ma d m e o re i g by h h i
st r n e nt t e t e o r st s o f the

ix
 PREFA CE
e v e n among thos e only sup e rfi cially acquain te d wi th th e music of various
e ochs tha t no o n e s t yl e h as e v e r had a command of all as e c t s of musical
p , p
t e chniqu e U sually e ach his torical p e riod or school conc e n tra te s upon its
.

own pe culiar fundam e n tal probl e ms and more or l e ss n e gl e c ts th e o th e rs .

A musician who wish e s t o gain command of a p ar ticular t e chniqu e mus t

fi rs t d e cid e j us t wha t it is h e wish e s to acquir e so tha t h e can accordingly ,

s t udy thos e com os e rs who mas t e r e d tha t t e chniqu e O wishing

p n e to .

acquire com p ac t forc e ful voic e l e ading na turally would n o t go to Cho pin ;
,

nor would o ne s tudy O br e ch t for a re fin e d s ensi tiv e use of chroma tic ,

harmony .

In coun te rpoi nt th e art of pr e s e rving th e m e lodic ind e pe nd e nc e of

—

—
th e voic e s in a poly phonic harmonically acc e ptabl e com pl e x only two ,

e riods are to be consid e r e d s e riously : th e culmina t ions in polyphonic

p
music charac teriz e d by th e nam e s of Pal e s trina and Bach H e re we hav e .

a choic e and h e re to o th e ways divid e

, , ,
.

A s e ri e s of th e oris t s e x t e nding far back in to th e Six tee n th c e n tury b as e d

t h e ir t e aching upon Pal e s t rina A mong th e m w e r e Ce ron e I I F ux .
, . .
,

Ch e rubini A lbre ch t sb e rg e r S W De hn H e inrich Be lle rm an n H all e r

, , . .
, , ,

R o ck st ro Prou t K i t son Morris S tohr S ch e nk e r and R o th

, , A no th e r , , , ,
.

group which b e gan wi th John Philip Kirnbe rger and includ e d E F

, . .

R ich te r S Iadasso h n and H ugo R i e mann chos e th e art of Bach as its

, .
, ,

s tylis tic basis E rns t K ur th who has r e c en t ly j oin e d this group giv e s a
.
, ,

cl e ar concis e d e fini tion of th e te rm co unte rpo int in th e following words

,
3

f o u rte e n t h , h v i g b f ll y b v d i l h pp
o n e can no t re g ard it f h as p a n een u o ser e un t t e a e aran ce o t e a ca

pe ll a co m p
f h P l i p i d B h p hi bi i h w v p
o se rs o t e a e s tr n a l y pp er o . ot ro t o ns, o e e r, re se n t on a are n t ex

cep i t o n s— e
ff h gh wh p i h y dp i
e ct s t ro u p o se h Th io e rat o n t eo r an rac t ce re ac t u on o ne an o t er . e o r st s

di v i p i l m i p i l
sco er n ract ca d y fi l y l ig h ly d v l p d
us c a d l
art cu ar t e n hi e nc , at rst o n S t e e o e , an t ran s ate t e r

ob v i h fi
se r at o n s l Bt di g h i p f i l
e re o n to m
ru e s hyf ml h
. ut , acco r n to t e r ro e ss o n a c us t o , t e or u ate t e se

l
ru e s i nll an g i l d i l i m
a to o L cat e y g mp o r ca wh w i h
an gi n e ast c an n e r . ate r, o un co o se rs o s to an

p i l k wl d g d y h w i i g f h h i
ract c a no e e As tu l i i f m l
t e d pp
r t n s O t e t e o r sts . ru e , o n ce t s or u ate on a e r,

c an e xe rti fl an f ll p p n i h imp
ue nce p vi l y ib d i —
o ut o a ro o rt o n to t e o rt ance re o us attr u te to t c an ,

i d d
n ee ,i lm
e xerc se m gi p w I b
an m d ga O
o st f p f wh i
a c o er . t e co es an e ro u s . ut o re s e ct or at s

w i d w mp
r t te n o iv p h p h l f
n, co i ly b i g h i p i i h
o se rs s tr e, er a s a co n sc o u s . to r n t e r ract ce n to t e n e are s t

p i bl
o ss d w i h h i ib d l A d h h i fl
e acc o r t t ef h y
n scr p p i A
e ru e s . n t us t e n u e nce o t eo r re act s u on ract ce .

sim il h i f ar c i i b f d i h hi y f h N di l g g I D m k f
a n o re ac t o n s s to e o un n t e st o r o t e or c an ua e s . n en ar , or

e xam pl h b gi
e, ati g f h p t e y pe i i w
nn n mm o h v id m
t e ast ce n t u r ,
ro n un c at o n s e re co on t at ar e o re

w id l y f m h
e ro ld h d h f
t e o D i h p
er h— f t h m i g h gg
o nes t an o t o se o c u rre n t an s s e ec a ac t at t su e st a

som wh e p l i d v l pm
at e cu v B h ar h e pl i i b f d i h i
e o ent cu r e . ut e re , to o , t e ex an at o n s to e o un n t e n

fl h h wi w d
ue n ce t at t p p i A h b gi i g f h i
r tte n h
e xe r t s u y rac t ce t t e t e n ne te e n t c e n tu r

H
e or on . e nn n o ,

i D m k h
n en w
ar , ll y g
t i
e re f ki l l i di g T h h w i l g g
as an u nu s ua re at n c re ase o s n re a n . u s, t e r t te n an ua e ,

w hi h i c ,mp in co di y p k l g g i l w y h
ar so n to o r h gi g d n ar v iv s o en an ua e , s a a s rat e r un c an n an co n se r at e,

i d i fl
e xe rc se anp h l n d di
u e n ce u v li
on tp i i
e at te r, an c ause t t o re e rt t o e ar e r ro n u n c at o n s .

3
E K h G dl g d l i
rn s t u rt : K p k ru n B a p 1
en9 1 7 P g 143
es n e are n o n t ra un ts . e rn , au t, . a e .
 t

P REFA CE x,

The es se n ce o f t he t heo ry of co un te rpo in t is h o w two or m o re l in e s can un f o l d

Sim ultane o usl y in t h e m o st un re strain e d m e l o d ic d evelo pm e n t ,
no t b y m e an s o f th e

H
ch o rd s b ut i n s i te o f t h e m
p .

H e r e K u rth is und enia b ly righ t ; but from his hypo th e sis h e finds th e
s t yl e of Pal e s trina l e ss usabl e than Bach s as a b asis for th e t e aching of
’

e wri te s of t h e form e r :
4
counte rpoin t .

T h e in n e r di sso l utio n o f th e l in e ar f o un dat io n is S h o wn in t he w e ak e n in g o f th e

m e lo dic in d e pe n d e n ce f th e vo i ce s T h e ir m e lo d i c tre atm e n t i s m o re an d m o re de

o .

te rm in e d by th e h arm o n ic e lem e n t ; the l ine s adj u st t h em se l ve s to t he p ro g res sio n o f

h d
t h e c o r al struct ure ; t h e p l ay o f f ree m e l o d i c in v e n tio n i s re d uce d to g l
e n t e r, w av e
li k e m o tio n s— t o un d ulati o n s m o re le ve lle d i n co n to ur an d range ; and th e m e l o d ic
I
e t e ct s , e s
p e ci all y O f th e m i dd le p art s are ab so rb e d by h arm o n ic e f fe ct s
,
.

Itcanno t be d e ni e d tha t in th e Pal e s trina S t yl e e sp e cially in homophonic ,

assag e s and cad e nc e s m e lodic idioms occur t ha t are cl e arly t h e r e sul t

p ,

of harmonic consid e rat ions Th e s e how e v e r, are only e xc ep tions F or .

,
.

t ha t ma tt e r S imilar passage s occur in e v e ry kind of s t yl e — and n o t l e as t

,

in Bach s O n th e o th e r hand I hav e found that in Pal e s trina s s t yl e

’
.
,
’

t h e v e r t ical harmonic r e quir e m e n t s assum e m e r e ly th e e xclusiv e ly con

,

sonan t full harmony of th e chords in which modulatory r e la tions play

, ,

only a small part In Bach how ev e r c e r t ain chordal imp uls e s as S pi tt a

.
, , ,

has indica te d lie at th e b as e of th e musi cal s t ruct ure ; a c e rt ain modula tory
,

dis posi tion is pre s e n t .

Bach s and Pal e strina s poin ts of d e partur e are an tipoda l Pal e s t rina
’ ’
.

s t ar ts o ut from lin e s and arriv e s at chords ; Bach s m usic grows o ut of an ’

id e ally harmonic b ackground aga ins t which th e voic e s d e v e lo p wi th a ,

bold ind ep e nd enc e that is often b r e ath t aking -

.

O n e should avoid comparisons b et w e e n music and o th e r ar ts ; t h e y

are on th e whol e so di ff e r e n t in charac t e r and ma te rial tha t a com arison
p
is apt to prov e quite poin tl e ss Nev e rth e l e ss o n e parall e l is SO s triking .
,

tha t I f ee l it is wor th m e n t ioning a parall e l j ux t aposing on t h e o n e hand , , ,

th e mu t ual r e la t ions b e t w e e n th e polyphoni e s of Bach and Pal e s t rina and ,

on th e o th e r ( in th e fi e ld of art ) th e re la tions b et w een th e visual forms ,

of expre ssion of th e renaissanc e and th e b aroqu e In th e six tee n th ce n .

t ury th e r e e xis t e d a oly hony tha t gr e w in t o a unifi e d whol e from singl e

p p
lin e s b y vir tu e of th e ar tis tically con troll e d re la tion gov e rning th e m ; and

4
I bid .
, p . 1 23 .
xfi P REFA CE
in th e fi eld of th e plas tic ar ts th e r e e xis te d th e art of th e r enaissanc e swaye d ,

by a similar r e la tion Wi th r efe r enc e to this art H e inrich WOlfll in h as

.
,

wri tte n in h is K nnstg e sch ichtlich e Gruna beg rifi e ’

In t h is t y pe o f c as sical a rra n g e m e n t t h e se parate

l part s asse rt a n i nde pe n d e n ce , te

g ard l e ss o f ho w l
c o se ly t hey m ay b e b o u nd up in the w h o le . T h e i nde pe nde n ce is
n o t t h e aim le s s o n e o f p rim it ive art ; e ac h se parate d e tail is co n d itio ne d by the wh o le
w it h o u t , h o w e ve r ,
ce asin g t o b e an e n t it y
.

In baroqu e pain ting for e xampl e in R e mbrand t and R ub e ns th e uni ty

, ,

is no long e r a r e sul t ; t h e ar t is t b e gins wi th uni t y and works t oward

mul tiplici ty Ce r tain broad princi pl e s of cons truc tion such as tha t af
.
,

f e ct in g th e fall of th e ligh t und e rli e th e com posi t ion of th e pain tings , .

T h e d e t ails tha t l e nd in te r e s t or sus pe ns e grow o ut of th e wh ol e No t .

for a mom e n t is th e r e a dange r tha t th e pre s e nc e of to o many d etails s tand ,

ing s t range ly and coldly in op posi t ion to o n e ano th e r may prev en t th e ,

obs e rv e r from e x pe rie ncing a s e ns e O f uni t y This dange r we may sup .

,

os e assail e d th e b e hold e r O f th e pain tings of th e e arly Middl e A ge s and

p ,

th e lis te n e r t o th e mo te t s of th e ars an tiq ua T h e uni t y in baroqu e pain t .

ing h as pro e xis te nc e ; it is th e poin t of d e parture and th e founda tion of

-

A gain I should lik e to quo te WOlfIl in

6
t h e whol e .

Wh at t h e n , ,
the baro q ue bring s h at is n e w is n o t un it y in ge n e ral
t ,
b ut t hat basic
co n ce
p t i o n o f ab so l u te u n it y in w h ich t h e part as an i nde pe n de n t v al ue i s m o re or l e ss
su b m e rg e d i n t he w h o le N O lo ng e r do be au tif ul in di vidual part s un ite in a h arm o n y
.

i n w h ich t h e y co n t in ue t o m ain tain t h e ir i n div id ual it y ; t h e part s h av e be e n subo rdi

n at e d t o a d o m in an t ce n t ral m o t ive an d o n l y t h e co m b i ne d e ff e ct o f t h e w h o l e ive s
, g
t h e m m e an in n d b e aut y
g a

Wha t Wo lfil in says of b aroqu e p ain t ing may w e ll be appli e d in th e fi e ld ,

of music to th e art of Bach F or e xampl e as the ligh t p e rm e a te s Re m

,
.
,
“ ”
brand t s N igh t Wa tch so a broad format iv e e l e m e n t is at th e core of
’

Bach s music This e l e m e n t is a mo tiva t ing imp uls e a chordal modula

’
.
,
-

t ory o n e I t is a s t r e ak of ligh t which t o b e sur e br e aks up und e r th e

.
, ,

p olyphonic a pp roach as if t hrough a prism in t o a glis

,
t e ning s arkling
p , ,

lay— a lay whos e vari e t y n e v e r th e l e ss d e pe nds t o a c e r t ain e x te n t upon

p p , ,

illusion .

N at urally no thing has b e e n said re garding th e polyphonic valu e s in

,

5
F o u rt h E di i t on . Munic h ,
k
Bruc m ann , 1 9 20 . P ag e 16 .

6
I bid .
,
p 19 8 . .
 PRE FA CE x i ii
Bach s art or in Pal e s trina s ; in b o th th e y are imm e asurab l e F ro m th e
’

,
’
.

e dagogical vi e wpoin t how e v e r th e art t ha t t ak e s chords in t o consid e ra

p , ,

t ion th e l e as t mus t dou b t l e ss a ff ord t h e b e s t s t ar t ing poin t for acquiring

th e t e chniqu e of ind e p e nd e n t voic e l e adi ng .

E spe cially in Pal e s trina s favor in this conn e c tion s e e ms to b e th e v e ry

’

s tric t e conomy of h is s tyl e I t func tions wi th such small nic e ly cal cu

.
,

la te d m e ans and it husb ands it s efi ects so carefully tha t sure ly nowh e r e

, ,

e ls e can o n e b e t te r l e arn t o know and und e rs t and polyphonic ma te rial in

its mos t minu te d e t ails I t may b e said tha t in no o th e r musical s t yl e

.

do e s th e fundame n tal con tras t b e twee n consonanc e and dissonanc e appe ar

so cl e arly as in Pal e s trina s This is an advan t age tha t can hardly b e
’
.

ov e re s tima te d e sp e cially in a pe riod qui te as prodigal wi th note s as ours

, .

li
= = X
= =

O f all th e t asks of music th e ory among th e mos t impor t an t is tha t of ,

mak ing us as vividly con scious as possib l e of wha t we are re ally trying to
do and of how coun tl e ss are th e possibili ti e s inh e r en t in e v e n th e simpl e st
,

musical m e ans Musical th e ory may ne ith e r e n t ire ly disre gard con te mpo
.

rary pract ic e nor follow it b lindly I t may ev e n at t im e s hav e th e sp e cific .

t ask of vigorously opp osing r e c e n t t e nd e nci e s O f e xposing d e fici e nci e s

'

of te chniqu e in con te mporary composi tion of poin ting o ut th e r e m e dy , ,

th e p a th t oward r e cov e ry But it is n owh e r e pr e scri b e d that music th e ory

.

must k ee p anxiously up to da te I ts du ty is only this : to end e avor to .

l e ad us to musical valu e s re gardl e ss of wh eth e r th e s e are to be found in

,

th e pr e s e n t or th e pas t .

Whoe v e r want s to l e arn mus t firs t of all know what h e wan t s to l e arn ;
but h e mus t also r e aliz e tha t h e canno t l e arn e v e ry thing from any S ingl e
sourc e In ach of th gre at compos e rs wh eth e r Pal e s trina Bach Mozart
. e e —
, , ,

or o n e t h —
of e o th e rs we find valu e s that are mos t clos e ly associa te d wi th
th e p e rsonali t y of th e par t icular ar t is t H ugo R ie mann is th e re for e in .

e rror in his cri t icism of Be l l erm an n s K o n t ra un t b as d u on ’

p k (
’
e
p F ux s

Grad us ad P arnass um which in t urn is as I hav e said b as e d on th e s t yl e

, , ,

of Pal e strina ) wh e n h e ass e r ts tha t F ux s work was alre ady o ut of da te ’

at th e t im e of its pu b lica t ion in 17 25 R i e mann na t urally h ad t o r e gard .

it so b e caus e for him Bach poly phony was th e only acc e p t ab l e b asis for all
,

s tudy of coun te rpoin t and to this t ype of polyphony th e work of F ux could

,

n o t l e ad nor was it in te nd e d tha t it should

, O n e canno t pro pe rly d e clar e .

a tex tb ook ou tmod e d un til ano th e r pe dagogical work app e ars tha t pe rforms
x iv P REFA CE
th e sam e tasks b e tte r tha t is produc e s th e Sam e musical valu e s in full e r
, ,

m e asur e But in 17 25 th e Grad us s tood for th e n tire ly unchall enge d as

.

th e b e s t coun te rp oin t manual of it s kind and it jus t ly main t ain e d it s r e pu

,

t at io n for a long t im e th e r e af t e r .

I do n o t m e an tha t th e Grad us is wi thou t its faul ts from a p e dagogical

vi e wpoin t O n th e con trary I also b e li ev e tha t e v e n if F ux and th e th e or
.
, ,

ist s who hav e Shar e d h is s t and hav e chos e n a favorabl e s t ylis tic basis ( in
d ee d for pe dagogical purpos e s th e m o st favo rabl e s tylis tic b asis ) th e ir
, ,

p osi t ion b e com e s d e cid e dly vuln e ra b l e to cri t icism as soon as we ask

wh eth e r th e y w e re ab l e to mak e full use of th e possib ili ti e s to which th e ir

righ t b e ginning S hould hav e l e d .

W e find for e xampl e tha t P ux who expre ssly d e clare s in his Grad us
, , ,

tha t h e has chos e n Pal e s t rina as his mod e l s t ands only in a som e wha t
,

r e mo te r e lation to Pal e s trina s music Th ere are thr ee r e asons for this
’
.

F ux could hav e known comparativ e ly f e w of Pal e s trina s works for th e y ’

w e r e n o t commonly availab l e in th e e igh teen th c en tury ; h e was to a con

side rab l e d e gr ee d ep e nd e n t upon th e old e r I t alian th e oris t s who t augh t ,
“ ”
coun te rpoin t mor e as harmony ( it was n o t n e c e ssary to dwe ll e sp e cially
upon th e lin e ar e l e m e n t b e caus e at th e tim e such matters we re t ak en for
, ,

gran te d ) an d h e involun t arily allow e d th e musical idioms of his own t im e

to cr e e p in t o his s t yl e .

What I say ab ou t Fux appli e s also though p erhaps to a l e ss e r e x ten t

, ,

t o th e wri t e rs of n e arly all t e x tb ooks su b s e qu e n t ly b as e d upon him The .

ob j e c t ion has j ustly b e e n rais e d against th em as again st Fux that th e y

, ,

promo te a chordal rath e r than a lin e ar s tyl e Cri t ics hav e e sp e cially de
.

“
l o re d th e fac t t ha t th e s e t h e oris t s b e gin wi t h e x e rcis e s in no t e again s t
p
”
note . T h e s e crit ics say that whate v e r t e nd e ncy th e individual voic e s
migh t hav e t o att ain m e lodic ind ep e nd enc e is compl etely paralyz e d b y
such e x e rcis e s for with th e m it is a matt e r n o t of s ett ing o n e lin e against
,

anoth e r but o n e singl e t on e agains t anoth er It may be ob s e rv e d at this

,
.

oin t t ha t v e n though th e rhyt hmic id e n t i t y of all th e voic e s c e rt ainly

p e ,

do e s n o t h e l p t o giv e th e m m e lodic ind epend enc e yet a c e rtain d egree,

of ind e pe nd enc e may b e att ain e d through this t yp e of drill It can .

hardly b e d eni e d that a s t yl e such as that of th e firs t exampl e on page 1 12

( which ,
t o b e sur e d o
,
e s n o t com e from P ux ) is mark e dly lin e ar E ach .

of th e two add e d voice s is charac te rize d b y a s trong compact lin e ar con ,

st ruct ion and a tt ains a m e lodic climax wi th und e viat ing sur e n e ss Th e .
 PREFA CE X V

u ppe r add e d voic e r e ach e s it at th e b e ginning of th e musical lin e whil e ,

t h e low e r o n e r e ach e s it only t oward th e e n d In ge n eral I am firmly

.

convinc e d tha t if th e polyphonic wor th of th e e xampl e s giv en as mod e ls

,

by F ux and his follow e rs is sligh t th e faul t li e s n o t wi th th e sys te m i t s e lf

,

b ut ra th e r wi th inad e qua t e a pp lica t ion of i t s la t e n t p owe rs F or i n .

r e ali t y an almos t e n tire ly un t app e d min e of lin e ar possibili t i e s li e s hidd e n

h e re .

I th e r efor e consid e r it unn e c e ssary to abandon th e sys te m I f ee l im .

ll e d t o pr e s e rv e wha t p ar t s of it s ee m t o m e valuabl e — among o t h er

p e
“ ”
things th e ,
S p e ci e s so fre qu en t ly and e n e rgetically a tt ack e d F or in .
,

spi te of all app are n t pe dan try th e y are bas e d upon an id e a that is sound
,

and e xc e ll e n t In th e firs t plac e th e y assure grad e d progre ss from th e

.
,

e asi e s t t o th e mos t di fficul t an advan t age t ha t K irn b erg e r e sp e cially prais e d

,

as o n e of th e mos t valuab l e fe a ture s in th e te aching of Bach F ur th e r th e y .

,

r ev e al th e highly impor tan t re lat ion of th e ton e s to o n e ano th e r th e ir ,

vigor or fe e bl e n e ss th e s tr e ngth of th e culmina t ion no te s and th e ir de

, ,

p e n de n ce upon th e con t e x t T h e basic id e a of th e sys t e m is ind e e d j us t

.

t his : t ha t o n e mus t at firs t l e t th e rhy thmic prob l e m b e as sim p l e as po s

sibl e in ord e r to be a b l e to conc en tra te th e mor e m te n srve l y upon th e

,

pure ly m e lodic e l e m e n ts O nly wh e n o n e has fully mas te re d th e s e basic

.

musical ph e nom e na is th e rhy thm fre e d Ce r tainly it is p e dagogically

.

righ t to d e v e lo p th e m e lodic probl em s e para te ly But o n e would b e wis e

.

t o p rovid e in th e s t udy plan a gr e a t e r and mor e impor t an t plac e than has

, ,

b ee n cus tomary for th e s tage at which m e lody and rhy thm are fre e th e —

s tage e mploying what F ux calls th e fifth spe ci e s or florid coun te rpoin t , ,

t o which th e o th e r s pe ci e s are m e r e ly p r e para t ory .

A lso I consid e r it advisabl e to b e gin wi th th e prac t ic e of wri ting p ur e

,

o n e voic e m e lodi e s sinc e it canno t b e t o o s t rongly e mphasiz e d tha t th e

-
,

lin e ar id e a domina te s in coun terpoin t Abov e all th e te ach e r as w e ll as

.
,

th e pu p il may w e ll s ee k a much s tric te r command of th e laws of t h e

Pal e s trina s tyl e than can be found in F ux This th e oris t as I hav e said
.
, ,

was only mod e ra te ly acquain te d wi th th e works of Pal e s trina But to .

day th e large compl e te e di tion o f Pal e s trina s works is availabl e and ’

musicological m e thod is in gen e ral much mor e r e fin e d I t is pe rf e c tly .

na tural tha t we should hav e far mor e accura te knowl e dge conc e rning
Pal e s trina s s t yl e than was to be gl e an e d in th e eigh te en th and nin e te e n th
’

c en turi e s O ur advan tage s mus t be u tiliz ed A nd in conclusion wha t

. .
, ,
xv i P REFAC E
has b e e n im pli e d in th e fore going may h e re be e xplici tly a ffi rm e d : a ne w
work on coun te rpoin t may claim dis tinc t ion in re la tion to e arlie r tex t
boo ks by vir tu e of its clos e r conn e c tion wi th Pal e s trina s s tyl e and it
,
’
.

—
gre a te r s tress upon th e lin e ar e l e m en t a s tre ss tha t logically follows
.

KN U D JEPPESE N
O NT E NT S

A FTE R

I N TR OD U CTI ON TO THE ENGL IS H TR AN SLATION

PR EFACE

P art I

H
PR EL I M I N A RI E S

O U TLI NE H I S TOR Y OF CONTRA P UNTAL THEOR Y

C o un t e rp o i n t an d arm o n y C o n t raste d
T h e N in t h to t h e F o u rte e n t h C e n t u rie s : T h e B e g i n n i n g s o f C o n t rap u n tal

T h eo ry
T h e F i f te e n t h l
C e n t u ry : C ry stal i z at io n o f P rin ciple s
T h e S ixte e n t h C e n t u ry : T h e S t y le o f P ale st rin a
T h e S e v e n t e e n t h C e n t u ry : S o m e P e d ago g ical De ve lo pm e n t s
T h e E ig h t e e n t h C e n t u r y : T h e S t y l e O f B h ac

T h e N in e te e n t h C e n t u ry : P ale st rin a o r B h? ac
“
T he P ale strin a Mo ve m e n t ”
af t e r F ux

II . TECHN I CAL F EA TU RES

H
N o tatio n
T h e E ccl e siast ical Mo de s
Me lo d y
arm o n y

P art I I
C O N T RA P UNTA L E X E R C IS E S

I NTR ODU C TION .

Two PART CO UNTERPO I NT

-

Fi rst S pe cie s
S e co nd S pe cie s
T h i rd S pe cie s
X VII
 H Two P
x viii CO N TEN TS
C A P TE R
P AGE

— A RT CO U NTERPO INT ( Co nti n ue d )

F o u rt h S pe cie s
F if t h S pe cie s
F re e T wo P art C o u n t e rpo in t

H
-

I m i tat io n

T REE—PART
F i rst S pe c ie s
S e co n d S pe cie s
T h ird S pe cie s
F o urt h S pe cie s
F if t h S pe cie s
I m itatio n

FO U R PART CO U NTER P O I NT
-

F i rst S pe cie s
S e co n d S pe cie s
T h ird S pe cie s
F o urt h S pe cie s
F if t h S pe cie s

H
I m itatio n

H
CO U NTERPO I NT I N MORE T AN FO U R P ARTS

H
T E CANON

H
T E M O TE T
T E MA SS

H
A PP EN DI X

T E V O CAL
F U GU E
DO U B LE TR I PLE A N D QU ADRU PLE CO U NTER PO I NT
, ,

S UMM AR Y O F THE MO ST I M PORTANT CONTR AP UNTAL L A ws AND

R U LE S
Me lo d y
C o n so n an t C o m b in atio n s
D i ss o n an t C o m b in at i o n s

I NDEX
 PA R T I

P r elim in aries
 Ch apte r I

H
O U TL I N E H I S T O R Y O F C O NT R AP UN T A L T H E O RY

W ORD r e sumably origina t e d in th e b e ginning of

co un t e rpo i n t

T
E p
th e four t e e n th c e n t ury and w as d e riv e d from p unct us co n t ra pun c
“ ”
t um p
,
oin t agains t p oin t or no t e agains t no t e .

COU NTER PO I NT A ND H AR MONY C ONTR A STED

Wh e n we use this expre ssion today we hav e a much more concr e te

, ,

we ll de fi n e d conc ept than w as had form e rly In th e Middl e A ge s and dur

-
.

ing a p art of mor e mod e rn t im e s coun te rpoin t m e an t quite Simply th e

,

sam e as polyphony Toda y howe v e r we think of coun te rpoin t as o n e

.
, ,

p ar t icular s t yl e among o t h e r p oly p honic t y p e s Jus t as l

p yp
.o h o n y i m
m e dia te ly sugge s ts th e con tras ting id e a h o m o ph o ny so th e te rm co un
, ,

te rpo i nt calls t o mind th e corr e la t iv e c o nc e p t h ar m o n F or us music

,y .
,

falls in t o two large divisions : p olyphony in which we pe rc e iv e th e ,

chie f s truc tural e l e m e n ts in t e rms of m e lodic lin e s tha t is to say hori , ,

z o n t all y ; and homo hony in which t h e fundam e n t al consid e ra t ion is

p ,

th e harmonic S t ruc t ur e or as w e may say th e v e r t ical as pe c t O f music

, , ,
.

Th e s e two s t yl e s or t ype s of musical pe rc ept ion are dis tinguish e d

p ar t icularly in t h e a t t i t ud e t owards chords In harmony
. chords are

pr e suppos e d : t h e y are wha t is giv e n and do n o t r e q uir e an y discus

sion ; we submi t ours e lv e s to th e m and a tte m pt to d e riv e th e laws for
t h e ir t r e a tm e n t o ut of t h e ir r e ci procal re la t ions and inn e r s t a t e s of

t e nsion T h e Si tua tion is qui t e di ff e r e n t in coun te r p oin t : we b e gin n o t

.

wi th chords but wi th m e lodic lin e s H e r e chords are th e r e sul t of

“

s e v e ral lin es sounding simul tan e ously ; h enc e th e y are produc t n o t ,

p os t ula t ion .A S always in ma t t e rs of a rt t,

h e r e aris e s a n o t only
”
b ut also r e la tion : we mus t n o t only achi e v e t his b ut at th e sam e t im e ,

we mus t al so giv e its due to a s o m e t h ing e l se which is hardly compa tibl e

, .
4 OUTLINE HISTORY O F CON TRA P U N TAL THEORY
T he prob l e m is n o t only to wri te b e au tiful and ind ep e nd en t m e lodi e s
in all par ts b ut also at th e sam e tim e to d e v e lop th e chordal combi
,

na tions as fully as possibl e We mus t wri te fr esh life lik e harmonic .

,

p rogr e ssions and e

y p t r e s e rv e a na t ural convincing voic e l e ading M
,
os t .

h ighly cul tiva te d polyphonic music will hold up und e r inv e s tiga tion from
e i th e r th e lin e ar or th e harmonic vi e wpoin t T h e b e s t r e sul ts of con .

t rap un t al and of harmonic ins t ruc t ion are th e r e for e in th e las t analysis , , ,

almos t id en tical Ind ee d in coun te rpoin t and in harmony we s triv e

.

for th e sam e id e als and work through th e sam e ma te rials b ut th e ap ,

ro ach e s are from op p osi t e dir e c tions This di f f r nc in th poin t of

p e e e e .

d epar tur e how e v e r h as such a te lling e ff e c t u pon prac tic e tha t it s ee ms

, ,

appropria te t o main tain t wo disci plin e s wh e re id e ally o ne migh t be !

su ffi ci en t F or prac t ical p e dag o g ical r e asons it is wor th whil e to k eep

.

t h e subj e c t s s e p ara t e If on th e o th e r hand a more sci e n tific e xplana

.
, ,

t ion of th e caus e s of musical e ff e c t s and laws is d e sir e d t h e n o n e vi e w ,

poin t Should n o t be isola te d from th e o th e r If we wish to know for .

,

e xampl e wh y a par ticular tr e a tm en t in a harmonizat ion is e las tic and

,

life lik e we s e ldom find th e answ e r in harmon y alon e U suall y sp e cial

,
.

con trapun t al fac tors such as voic e l e ading mus t also b e t ak en in t o con
, ,

sid e ra tion j us t as we could n o t get v e r y far in th e opposite si tua tion wi th

,

o ut consid e ring harmony Many mis t ak e s and misl e ading e xplana

.

tions in coun t e rpoin t and mor e e sp e ciall y i n harmon y are due t o failur e

to und e rs t and t his simpl e f a ct .

A s has alr e ady b e e n said th e poin t O f d ep ar tur e is of v e ry r e al p rac tical

,

significanc e I t is by no m e ans imma te rial wh e th e r we say as in con

.
,
“
t rapun t al t e aching F irs t th e lin e s and th en in spi te of th e m th e b e s t
, , ,
” “
ossibl e harmoni e s ; or as in th e t e aching of harmony F irs t t h e chords
p ,

H H H H
,
”
and afte rwards so far as possibl e good voic e l e ading
, ,
.

T E N I NTH TO T E FO U RT E E N T CE N T U R I E s : T E BEGI NN I NGS OF

CONTR APUNTAL THEORY

L et us r e turn his tor y of coun te rpoin t O ri g inall y as we

to th e .
,

know co unte rpo in t m e an t polyphonic composi tion or composition in

,

gen e ral T h e firs t te x tbooks of coun te rpoin t tha t are known to us al

. ,

though t h e y do n o t use t his te rm at all are bas e d t h e r e for e on th e old e s t , , ,

form of E urope an polyphonic music of which e xampl e s are pre s e rv e d

“
for u s on th e S O call e d p arall e l organum ( abou t 900 A
,
- By paral .
 O U TLIN E H ISTORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L THEO RY
l el organum is m e an t th e principl e of m usical cons truc t ion b y which
“ ”
a princip al voic e or par t gen e rally a sacr e d Gr egorian m e lody is ac
, ,

comp ani e d by o n e or more voic e s ( by doub lings in oct av e s ) chi efl y in

parall e l fourths or fifths .

This te chniqu e of composi tion is so li ttl e in accord wi th late r con

H
ce t s of musical law and proc e dur e t ha t in th e b e ginning of th e pas t
p
c e n tury wh en a s e rious in te r e s t in th e his tory and e volu t ion of music
,

was v e ry much in e vid e nc e pe op l e w e r e inclin e d to look u p on th e

,

Musica e n chiriadis and th e o th e r tr e a t is e s of ucb al d G uido and , ,

th e o th e r e arli e s t wri te rs as pur e ly fr e e s p e cula t ions and t h e or e t ical fan

,

ci e s I t was ass e r te d tha t such a form of musical composi tion n e v e r

.

e xis t e d at all and wha t is mor e from a vi e wpoin t charac te rist ic of th e

, ,
“ ”
nin etee n th c en tury o n e e v e n spok e O f its moral impossibili t y
,
In .

more r e c e n t tim e s how ev e r e sp e ciall y throu g h th e inv e s ti g a tions of com

, ,

t i musicology w hav e com e t o r e aliz e t h a t song in parall e l four ths

p a r a ve e ,

and fifths is qui te an ordinary ph enom e non among pe opl e s who j udge d ,

b y our s tandards are on a low musical p lan e It is found for e xampl e

,
.
, ,

among pe opl e s of th e F ar E as t among o th e rs in Burma S iam and , , ,

China . Ind e e d it can s till be h e ard in sou th e rn E urope wh e n p e opl e ,

withou t musical trainin g improvis e in s e v e ral part s This old e s t pol y .

phonic th e ory which plainly had som

,
e prac t ical b asis is of cours e as ,

primi tiv e in charac te r as th e music upon which it is b as e d I t has dis .

cov e re d tha t four ths and fifths soun d good toge th e r and it now exploi ts ,

this discov e ry t o th e mos t e x tr e m e limi t s O th e rwis e how e v e r it giv e s

.
, ,

no furth e r though t as to wha t migh t sound good toge th e r A sid e from .

th e favori te in te rvals alr e ady m e n t ion e d cons o nanc e s and dissonanc e s

,

s ee m ab ou t e qually good

H
.

[l ucbaht

H
T he r a is e Musica e nchiriadis which was form erly a ttrib u te d to
t e t ,

ucb ald con t ains a rul e which pr e scrib e s c e r t ain r e s t ric t ions wi th r e f e r
,

e nc e t o t h e ran g e O f t h e fr e e low e r par ts for t h e purpos e of avoidin g

t h e dissonan t four th ( t rit o n us ) R e markabl y e nou gh how e v e r

. ucb al d , ,

him se lf do e s no t e v e n Ob s e rv e this rul e logically B e sid e s s e conds which

.
, ,

are dissonanc e s o f much Shar e r charac t e r than thos e o n e w as sup os e d

p p
to avoid are in troduc e d in t h e e am pl e s r e pe a t e dly Th e r e is no r e ason
, x .

why o ne should sp e ak of any sor t of dis sonanc e t r e a tm en t ; t h e whol e

6 OU TLIN E HI STORY O F CO NTRA PUN TA L THEORY
mus t be charac te riz ed as a v e ry g en e ral pre fe re nc e for c e r tai n consonanc e s
on th e o n e hand and a n o t to o logical avoidanc e of c e r tain dissonan t
,

combina tions on th e o th e r
C on te m porary music th e ory qui te na turally r e fl e c ts th e e volu tio n of

p oly p honic music in t h e cours e o f t h e t e n th and e l e v e n t h c e n t uri e s .

Parall e l mo tion is gradually abandon ed par tly to b e re plac e d by the ,

p rincipl e of consis te n t con trary mo tio n

( which is
p e rhaps jus t as s t i ff
and m e chanical b u t musically much mor e frui tful and ar ly facili a
) p t t o t t e

a fr e e r tr e a tm en t in ge n e ral ( which as a ma tte r of fac t was n o t unknown , ,

at an e arli e r da te ) N o t un t il th e music of th e t w e lfth and thir tee n th

.

c en turi e s th e so —call e d ars antiq ua do more s tab l e rul e s for th e tre a tmen t
, ,

of th e dissonanc e b e gin to d e v e lop and wi th th e m th e rudim e n t s of a re al

th e or y of coun te rpoin t Ind ee d the th e or y of the tr e a tm en t of th e dis
.
,

sonanc e during this p e riod shows tha t th e oris ts gradually cam e to r e aliz e
tha t th e r e can b e no t alk of an art so long as m e l o dic l in e s proc e e d wi th ~

no r e gard for e ach o th e r but ricoch e t along toge th e r wi thou t re s train t

in harsh uncl e ar tonal comb ina tions H e re c e rtain guaran tee s are t e
,
.

quir e d b y th e opposing vi e wpoin t b y th e v e r tical th e harmonic dime n , ,

sion O nly wh e re te nsion e xis t s b e tw e en th e two dim e nsions is poly

.

honic art in th e d ee p e r s e ns e ossi b l

p p e .

T h e F ran co n ian L aw

In the F ranconian law which s ee ms t o hav e com e in to b e ing abou t ,

th e middl e of th e thir t ee n th c e n t ury w e m ee t for th e firs t t im e in th e ,

“
his tory of musical th e ory a ge nuin e con trapun t al rul e : A t th e b e gin
ning of a m e asur e in all mod e s ( c e r t ain m e trical o rde rs) a consonanc e
’

mus t be p lac e d r e gardl e ss wh e th e r th e firs t no te is a long a b rev e or

, , ,
” 1
a s e mibre v e .

This law r e ally pe rt ains ch icfl y to rhy thm sinc e it consid e rs tha t ,

so call e d acc e n t e d b e a t s in t h e m e asur e a ttrac t mor e a t t e n tion

-
and are ,

mor e promin e n t than th e unacc e n te d on e s I t a ttains a validi ty which .

e x t e nds far b e yond th e t im e in which it was formula t e d Wi th a Singl e .

"
1 In m nib us m o dis ut e n d u nz e st se m pe r co n co rd antn s i n pri nci pi o pe rfectio nis l ice t sit l o ng a
o ,

”
bre vis ve l se m i bre vis ( Ge rbe rt : S cript o re s e ccl e siastici de m usica sacra po tissi m u m T yp is S an .

Bl asian is , 1 7 8 4 V o l 111, . p
I n e e , t s r u le i s t o b e f o u n
. . d d hi
in so me w at m o re nde n te d h i fi i
Jh
fo rm i n o an ne s G arl and ia s De Musica m e n surabil e po sitio
’ ”
( C o u sse m ak e r : S cript b r u m d e
m usica m e d ii ae vi P ar s D u ran 1 864
. i
V ol I, ,
d
w o se t re at se is co n s e re
. . . so m e p . h i id d
w h at o l d er t h an t h at o f F ran co ,
 O U TLI NE HISTORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L THEO RY 7

e xc ep tion th e susp e nsion dissonanc e which is mor e app ar en t than r e al

, , ,

it con tinu e s in forc e as long as th e classical vocal p olyphony pr e vails .

N o t un t il a b ou t 1600 wh e n mod e rn music b e g ins is its forc e brok en

, ,
.

E v e n t h e n it e x e rcis e s a c e r t ain influ e nc e which i s t o b e sur e ra th e r , ,

hidd en O n e of the mos t impor tan t rul e s in th e e volu tion of polyphonic

.

music is thus compre h end e d by F ranco and formula te d for musical

th e or y .

A no th e r valuab l e advanc e in th e e nd e avor to fi nd a rich e r mor e ar ,

f
t istic s t yl e is th e in troduc t ion of thirds and six ths n o t m e r e ly as acci ,

d e n tal harmoni e s b ut as basic consonanc e s as fac tors u p on which th e

, ,

musical s truc ture pri marily r e s ts Th e te chniqu e of th e ars antiq ua

.
,

on th e o th e r hand is bas e d chi e fl y on th e fifth If o n e e xamin e s a mo te t

,
.

or any o th e r polyphonic composi tion of th e t we lfth or thirtee n th cen

t ury o n e finds fif ths on mos t of th e acc e n te d b e a t s in th e m e asur e com
, ,

bin e d for th e mos t p ar t wi th oc t av e s Thirds and Six ths occur mor e

.

incid en t all y gen e rall y on th e unacc en t e d par ts of th e m e asure Th e y

, .

are thus us e d as dissonanc e s a circums t anc e t ha t accords v e ry w e ll wi th

,

th e fac t tha t throughou t th e gr e a t e r p ar t of th e Middl e A g e s th e y w e r e

ac tually re gard e d as such and S O classifi e d In th e m e an tim e th e r e are

.
,

many indica tions tha t in w es te rn E uro pe e s pe cially in E ngland and ,

rha s also in S can din av I a thirds and six ths w e r e us e d at a t im e wh e n

p e p ,

in o th er plac e s wh e re th e art was ne v e r th e l e ss p e rhap s more highly

—

d ev e lop e d ( as in Franc e ) th e fifth an d oc t av e w e r e s till us e d S ta te

-
.

m e n ts of various m e di eval E nglish th e ori s ts I t s e e ms as w e ll as som e

'

, ,

con te m porary musical works from th e Bri tish Isl e s mus t be und e rs tood ,

in this s e ns e A t any ra te towards th e e n d of th e fourte e n th and th e

.
,

b e ginning of th e fifte e nt h c e n tury th e re is a whol e s e ri e s of im por tan t

E nglish com pos e rs who wi thin a shor t t ime e x e rcis e an influ e nc e on
th e C on tin e n t e s pe cially in th e N e th e rlands and in F ranc e
,
T h e mos t .

im por tan t thing in th e art Of th e s e mas te rs tha t which m e ans mos t for,

fur th e r d e v e lopm e n t is a n ew and fr ui tful a tti tud e toward th e consonanc e

,

and th e reb y na turally also toward th e dissonanc e Whil e th e posi tio n .

of th e ars antiq ua wi th r e s pe c t to th e ma tte r of tonal comb ina tions was

ra th e r indiff e re n t and n e ga tiv e and whil e ab ou t th e only re quir e m e n t
,

was the d e mand for consonanc e s on acc e n te d plac e s ( for th e sak e of

t rans par ency ) this a tt i t ud e s ee ms from now on t o t ak e on a mor e posi
,

t iv e form T h e chord b e com e s a fac tor which r e ce iv e s car eful a tte n tion
.
,
8 O U TLI N E H I STORY O F CO N TRAP U N TAL TH EORY
and b e tw ee n th e m elodic and harmonic e l em en t s a c e rtain te nsion aris e s ,

in which th e m elodic for th e tim e b eing has th e supr e macy which how , ,

e v e r i t gradually r e linquish e s in th e cours e of th e fif t e e n th c e n tury S O tha t

, ,

th e s t a te of b alanc e b e t w ee n homophonic and polyphonic fac tors in t h e

Pal e s trina s tyl e is mad e possibl e only afte r r e n e w e d inroads of th e harmonic

v e r tical e l e m e n t ( th is tim e appar en tly through th e popular music form of

H
th e b e gin nin g of th e S ix tee n th c e n t ury in I t aly th e fro t t o l a) , .

T E F I FTEE NTH CENT UR Y : CRY S TALL I Z AT I ON OF PR I NC I PLES

In th e cours e of th e fiftee n th c en tury the polyphonic art d ev e lops and
b ecom e s e s tab lish ed and as e arly as the middl e of th e c en tury o n e can
,

s pe ak of a music th a t is in th e mod ern s ense in te ll e c tually mas te r e d and in ,

—
which th e none sse n tial th e mos t dange rous but n o t always e qually we ll ,

—
known e n e my of all art i s forcib ly put on th e d efe nsiv e Now aris e th e .

firs t gr e a t compos ers whos e art is a e s the tically sa tisfac tory to us tod ay wi th
o ut fur th e r r e s e rva t ions A mong t h e m are Duns t ab l e Dufay Binchois
.
, , ,

O ck e gh e m and Busn o is and in in t ima te r e la tion wi th th e prac tic e of

, ,

th e s e musicians th e firs t gr e a t th e oris t in th e mod e rn s e ns e th e F l e ming

, , ,

Johann e s de V e rwe re or T in cto ris as his nam e is wri tte n in L a tin

H
.
, ,

Tinct o ris

liv e d in N apl e s as Chap e lmas te r at th e cour t of F e rdinand

T in cto ris
I . e wro t e among oth e r things a tre atis e call e d De Co nt rapunct o
, ,

in th e y e ar 1477 This diss er t at ion is in L atin lik e most of th e li te rature

.
,

on musical th e or y of tha t tim e T h e in troduc tion a we ll known pr ef .

,
-

ato r discours e addr e ss e d t o K in g Fe rdin an dy re ads som e wha t as fol

y
2
lows :

o f the

p
B
f

art l y

h o n o r to
i n o rd e r
e o re I began
v ario u s t h in s
g p
to
e rt ai n i n
g t o m u

by m y o w n re ad ing and in ce ssant w o rk

m y se l f wit h th e n e ce ssary k n o wl e d ge
w rite , I stro ve to e q uip
sic, partl y t h ro ug h l i ste n in g t o o t h e rs an d

o we v e r I do n o t w r ite t o b ri ng

b e ne fi t o f o t h e rs w h o w ish t o stud y m u sic and f urth e r

m y se l f , b u t f o r t h e
n o t t o b u ry t h e t ale n t w h ich G o d h as b e sto w e d u po n m e A n d t h ere f o re
. H .
,

— ch is m ad e u p o f
I h ave n o w un d e rt ak e n t o w rite b rie fl y ab o u t co u n t e r
p o i n t w h i
- n n —
w e ll so un d in g co n so a ce s in Go d s h o n o r an d f o r t h e u se o f t h o se w h o are
’

s t riv i n f o r sk il l in t h is e xce l l e n t art B e f o re I pro ce e d n o w w it h t h e w o rk I

g . ,

w il l n o t h id e t he f act t h at I h av e st ud ie d w h at t he an cie n t ph il o so ph e rs su ch as ,

2 Fo r t hi s an d th e f ll o w
o igq
n i
u o t at o n s f ro m the wr t ii n
g s o f T i ncto ris, se e J o an n s i T incto ris
T ract at us de m usica ,
e di te d by E . ( le C o us se m ak e r, Li ll e, 1 87 5 .
 OU T L I N E H I STORY OF CO N TRAP U N TA L THEORY 9
P l at o an d P y t h ag o ras ,
as w e ll as t h e ir su cce sso rs, C ice ro , Macro b ius ,
B oet h iu s , an d
I sido r, be l ie ve co n ce rn in
g h arm o n y o f
th e the p
s h e re s S. i n ce h o we v e r
,
I h av e ,

f o un d h at t h e y diff e r
t ve r y m u ch f ro m e ac h o t h e r i n t h e i r t e ac h in g s I h av e t u rn e d ,

f ro m t h e m t o A ri st o tl e an d t o th e m o re m o d e rn p h il o so p h e rs an d n o o n e S h al l
,

m ak e m e be l ie ve t h at m u sical co n so n an ce s a ri se t h ro ug h m o ve m e n t s o f t h e h e ave n l y

bo d ie s f o r t h e y can o n l y be p ro d u ce d b y m e an s o f t e rre st rial i n st rum e n t s

,
T he .

an cie n t m u si cian s P l at o P y t h ag o ras N ich o m ach us A risto xe n us A rch it as P t o le

, , , , , ,

m ac u s an d m an y o t h e rs i n d e e d e ve n i n cl ud in g B o e t h iu s h im se lf de al t e xt e n siv e l y
, , ,

w i t h t h e co n so n an ce s an d ye t w e d o n o t k n o w at all h o w t h e y arran g e d an d cl assifi e d

H
,

t hem . A n d if I m u st n o w re f e r t o t h at w h ich I h ave se e n an d l e arn e d 1 m u st ,

co n f e ss t h at so m e o l d co m o si ti o n s o f u n k n o w n co m o se rs h av e co m e in t o m y
p p
h an ds pie ce s t h at so un d q uite sim ple an d t aste le ss so t h at t h e y rat he r d istu rb t h an
, ,

l e ase t h e e ar o we ve r w h at su r ri se s m e e s e cial l y i s t h at o n l y i n t h e l ast f o rt y

p .
p p ,

y e ars are t h e re co m po sitio n s w h ich in t h e j udg m e n t o f t h e spe ci ali st are w o rt h , ,

l i st e n i n g t o T o day h o w e ve r w e h av e bl o sso m in g f o r t h q u ite apart f ro m t h e

.
, , ,

larg e n um be r o f f am o u s sin g e rs— w h e t h e r it b e o n acco u n t o f h e ave n l y i n fl ue n ce s

or a rt i cul arl y z e alo u s st u d i e s— an al m o st un lim i t e d n um b e r o f co m o se rs f or
p p ,

e xam l e J o h an n e s O c k e h e m J o h an n e s R e is A n t o n i u s Bu sn o is F i rm in us C aro n
p g g , , , ,

G uil e l m u s F au g ue s an d al l can b o ast o f h av in g h ad as te ac h e rs t h e m u sician s w h o

,

d ie d re ce n tl y J o h an n e s Du n stable E g idi us B in ch o is an d G u ile lm u s Dufay N e arly

, ,
.

al l t h e w o rk s o f t h e se m ast e rs e xce l in l e asan t so un d ; I n e ve r h e ar o r l o o k a t

p
t h e i r co m po si t io n s w i t h o u t re j o icin g i n t h e m o r be in g i n st ru ct e d b y t h e m an d ,

t h e re f o re I t o o i n m y o w n co m po si t io n s ad h e re e n t ire l y t o t h e appro ve d st y le
, ,
.

H H
It is e vid e n t tha t T in cto ris was a prac tical m usician wh o dis p lay ed
‘

an ind epe nd e nc e ( qui te for eign to his t im e ) of th e classic au “

c tor e s ,

o th e rwis e r e gard e d as unshak e n au th o ri ti e s and of th e ir philosophical ,

spe cula tions e t urn e d dir e c t ly t o th e musical works

. e had a re .

markabl e und e rs t anding of th e d eci d e d b r e ak b e tw ee n th e music of

his tim e and tha t which imm e dia te ly pr e c e d e d it .

T in cto ris th e r e upon in t roduc e s his ac t ual t e x tb ook according t o th e ,

cus tom of th e t m e with a d e fini tion of th e subj e c t

i ,

C o u n te rpo in t is an art ist ic t o n al co m b in at io n w h i ch arise s wh e n o ne to n e is

pl ace d o
pp o si te an o t he r
f ro m w h ic h als o t h e t e rm c o n trapu nct us t h at i s, n o te
, ,

ag ain st n o t e , can b e d e ri v e d C o u n te rpo in t is t h e re f o re a co m bin at io n o f t o n e s

. If .

th is co m binat io n o r m ixt u re so un d s
p l e asan t , i t i s calle d co n so n an ce ; i f , o n t h e o t h e r

h an d it so un ds h arsh
, an d un
pl e asan t , it i s ca ll e d d isso n an ce .

H e r e T in cto ris giv e s no mor e com pr eh e nsiv e d e fini tion of coun te r

p oin t Wha .t h e says how e v e r is in t e r e s ting F or e xam l e h e s e aks
p , p ,
.
,

e xclusiv e ly of chords and h e d e riv e s t h e word co un t e rpo i n t qui te righ t ly

,

from som e thing pur ely v e r tical O n prope r voic e l e ading or m e lodic .

consid e ra tions h e was te s no words A s we alre ady know this omission

,
.
,
10 O UTLIN E H ISTORY OF CON TRA PU N TAL TH EORY
is e asy to und e rs tand for th e lin e ar was for tha t p e riod som e thing t ak en
,

for gran ted tha t r e quired no fur th e r explana tion whil e th e s e condary
, ,

consid era tion th e harmonic was more in dange r of b e ing n egl e c te d

, ,

an d th e r efor e d e mand e d e sp e cial a tt e n tion and e mphasis This th en .

is how i t h ap pens tha t a mor e promin e n t p l ace is giv e n to th e harmonic

e l e m e n t in th e th e or e t ical e xposi tion which how ev e r did n o t ac tually
, , ,

corr e spond to th e p rac tic e

H
.

F ollowing this d e fini tion T in cto ris obs e rv e s tha t h e wish e s firs t to
,

sp e ak of th e consonanc e s sinc e th e y play th e mos t im port an t rOle in

,

coun te rpoin t wh e r e as dissonanc e s are admi tte d only h e re and th e re

, .

e th e n classifi e s th e consonanc e s in di ff e r e n t ways among o th e rs in to ,

p e rf e c t and im p e rf e c t consonanc e s In t h e firs t

. class h e coun t s t h e

unison four th fifth and oc t av e which as h e says hims e lf s tand o ut

, , , , , ,

in e v e ry composi t ion and are th e mains t ay th e r e of T h e imp e rfe c t .

consonan c e s in which h e includ e s maj or and minor thirds and S ix ths

, ,

he consid e rs le ss good O n this poin t h e is r e markab ly cons e rva t iv e

.

and d ep e nd e n t on e arli e r th e oris ts C onc e rning th e minor six th which

.
,
“
th e old e r au thors class e d wi th th e dissonanc e s h e says In my ear to o it
, , , ,

sounds Som e what rough wh e n it s tands alon e and h e th e re fore pr efe rs

H
,

tha t it b e e xclud e d from t h e t wo p ar t composi t ion wh e r e it is mos t

-

notic e ab l e T in cto ris th e n brings in a surv e y of th e twe n t y two con

.
-

sonanc e s which h e consid e rs usabl e and finally pr e s e n t s th e di ff e r en t

p ossibili t i e s of comb ina t ions and progr e s sions e Shows for e xampl e
.
, ,

h o w o n e can progr e ss from a unison to a third fifth six th or oc t av e , , , ,

and how o n e proc e e ds from a third to ano th e r consonan t in te rval This .

discussion may s e e m som e wha t p e dan tic and d e t ail e d to us and ye t we ,

mus t consid e r how n ew th e rich e r and more vari e d use o f th e consonanc e s

was at tha t t im e I t was b y no m e ans poin tl e ss to indicate all th e possi
.

b il it ie s tha t e xis t e d possibili t i e s tha t w e r e c e r t ainly surp rising t o many

— .

In th e s e cond book of T in cto ris is th e lis t of dissonanc e s which are ,

t e rs e ly d e fin e d as combina t ions t ha t sound bad A mong th e s e T in cto ris

.

lac e s th e minor and major s e cond th e augm e n te d four th t h e minor

p , ,

and maj or nin th and so on T h e p e rfe c t four th h e do e s n o t consid e r

,
.

h e re b ut re marks e ls e wh e re that al though th e anci e n ts consid e r e d it a

,

consonanc e it sounds S O b ad to th e e ars of t rain e d musicians tha t it

,

re ally can b e us e d only if it occurs ov e r a fifth and so do e s no t mak e ,

a four th in re lation to th e lowe s t voic e but onl y to the middl e part .

 OU TLI N E H I STORY O F CO NTRA P U N TAL T HEORY 11

We migh t now expe c t T in cto ris to e xplain cl e arly as h e did with ,

th e consonanc e s how dissonanc e s can b e us e d wi t h consonanc e s and

,

wha t comb inat ions are availab l e But h e doe s n o t discuss this poin t at

H
.

—
all apparen tly b e caus e h e finds dissonanc e s so un e ss e n t ial that such
a care ful pre s e n t ation would b e sup e rfluous at this poin t A t any ra te .
,

h e p ass e s it ov e r and go e s on t o th e ac t ual discus sion of coun t e rpoin t .

e divid e s coun t e r oin t in t o t wo t yp e s : c o nt rap un ct us sim l e x in

p p ,

which no te s of e qual valu e are plac e d agai ns t e ach o th e r and co ntra ,

p u n ct u s di m i n ut us or fl o ri d us in
, which t w o or mor e no t e s of l e ss e r valu e

are
p lac e d agains t a no t e of gr e a t e r valu e Bo t h kinds. of coun t e rpoin t

can be pe rform e d e i th e r from th e no te s ( th e re fore p r e viously compos e d )

or e x te mporan e ously In th e firs t cas e it is r efe rr e d to as res facta in th e
.
‘

s e cond th e mann e r of pe rforming is call e d s upe r libr um cantare ( to sing

,

ov e r th e book ) A coun te rpoin t can be cons truc te d e i th e r ov e r a can t us

.

fi rm u s in no t e s of e qual l e ng th which is call e d can t us pl an us or ov e r a

, ,

cant us fig urat us a m e lody consis t ing of no t e s of mix e d t im e valu e s

, In .

“ ” “ ”
simpl e coun te rpoin t ( no te a gains t no te ) no dissonanc e s are p e rmitte d
at all . In coun te rpoin t wi th more rhy thmic mov e m e n t th e y may be ,

us e d und e r c e rtain condi tions T in cto ris says in this r e gard tha t more
.

dissonanc e s than consonanc e s occur in th e com posi tions of his p re d e

ce sso rs b ut h e Ob s e rv e s fur th e r tha t in improvis e d coun te rpoin t dis
,
‘

sonanc e s ac tually occur only in shor t no te valu e s and on unacc e n te d

b e a ts or as suspensions Dissonanc e s mus t always b e tre a te d in s tep wis e
’

.
,

p rogr e ssions ; a ski

p of a t hird is rar e ly p e rmissibl e T i n ct o r i s . fur t h e r
consid e rs it b ad to r e turn afte r a dissonanc e to th e pr e c e din g consonanc e
.
.

In oth e r words h e forb ids auxiliary no te s e v en if th e y occur in v e ry

,

shor t no te valu e s and h e th e r eb y formulate s a rul e which is n o t e n t irely

,

in accord wi th th e prac tic e but n e v e r th e l e ss which s e rv e s him as a poin t

,

of d e parture Th e re is also a discussion of th e qu e s tion conc e rning th e

.

l ength of no te which may b e us e d as a dissonanc e and h e r e T in cto ris ,

’

chi e f rul e is tha t th e longe s t no te which may b e dissonan t is in fac t a no te , ,

e qual i n l e n g th t o o n e — half th e uni t of m e asur e But h e also ci te s ex .

am pl e s showing tha t con te mporary compos e rs P e trus de Do m arto and ,

A n tonius Busn o is for exampl e b re ak this rul e and wri te dissonanc e s

,

e qual in l eng th t o th e whol e uni t of m e asur e .

In th e third and las t par t of th e work e igh t princip al rul e s of coun te r

,

poin t are finally s ta ted of which th e conten t is subs tan tially as follows
,
12 O U TLI N E HI STORY O F CO N TRA P U N TAL T HEORY
First r ul e : mus t b egin and e n d wi th a p erf e c t consonanc e , If
O ne
o n e b e gins wi th a r e s t
( up b e a t ) t h e n t h e e n t
,
ranc e may b e mad e wi t h
an imp e rfec t consonanc e as w e ll I t is also n o t wrong for singe rs who
.

are improvising a coun t e rpoin t t o clos e wi th an imp e rf e c t consonanc e .

In such a cas e how ev e r th e composi tion mus t be for s ev e ral v oic e s and
, ,

t h e six th ( or it s oc t av e ) a b ov e th e b ass mus t n o t b e us e d . .

S e co n d r ul e : O n e mus t n o t accompany th e te nor wi th p e rfe c t con

sonanc e s of th e sam e siz e but o n e may v e ry we ll do so wi th imp e rfe c t
,

consonanc e s S om e p e rmi t th e dire c t succ e ssion of p e rfe c t consonanc e s

.

in th e upp e r voic e s ev en wh en th e s e consonanc e s are th e sam e siz e and ,

th e y allow such parall e ls if t h e y are s e para t e d b y a r e s t S uch a way .

of com posing how ev e r is good only if a par ticularly b e au tiful e ffe c t

, ,

is a ttain e d b y it or if it is re quir e d b y s tric t imi t a tion T his rul e s ays

, .
,

in o th e r words tha t parall e l fifths and oc t av e s are no t p ermitte d wh e re as

, ,

parall e l thirds and S ix ths ma y v er y w e ll be us e d .

Th ird rul e : If th e te nor con t inu e s on o n e and th e sam e ton e b o th ,

p e rfe c t and imp erfe c t consonanc e s may be add e d T on e s may also be .

r epe a te d in th e add e d contrapun t al part Wh e n ev e r th e coun te rpoin t .

is ov e r a can tus fi rm us in n ote s of e qual valu e such r ep e ti tions of ton e s ,

are n o t e sp e cially good In res facta that I s I n wri tten coun te rpoin t
.
, , ,

t onal r e p e t i t ion may w e ll b e us e d wh e r e th e t e x t warran t s it .

F o urt h r ul e : T h e coun te rpoin t m us t con t inu e in good m e lodic form

e v e n if th e t e nor mak e s larg e skips .

Fifth r ul e : A cad enc e is no t p e rmi tte d ov e r any t on e wh e th e r high ,

or low if it in te rfe re s wi th th e d ev e lopmen t of th e m elody

,
.

S ixt h r ul e : R e dict a that is r ep et i t ion of th e sam e m e lodic idiom is

, , ,

n o t p e rmi tte d ov e r a cant us fi rmus in no te s of e qu al valu e an d l e as t of ,

all if th e can tus fi rmus its e lf con t ains such a r ep et ition T his applie s .

lik e wis e to writte n compositions al th ough o n e us e s such idioms occa

,

sio n al l y in ord e r t o imi t a t e t h e sound of b e lls or of h orns .

S e ve n t h r ul e : O v e r a can t us fi rm u s in no te s of e qual l ength o n e s h ould ,

n o t allow t wo cad e nc e s on th e sam e t on e t o follow o n e ano th e r t o o clos e ly .

O nly as a las t r e sort th e re for e should compos e rs choos e can t us fi rm i

, ,

which invi te m e lodic idioms lik e the redicta .

E ig h t h r ul e : O n e should always e arn e s t ly s t riv e in con t rapun t al writ

ing for vari et y and change b y al te ring th e m e asur e or t im e using now
, ,

synco p at ions now imit at ions and th e lik e Y e t o n e mus t k ee p in mind

, ,
.
 O UTLIN E HISTORY OF CO N TRA P U N TA L THEORY 13

th at a Simp l e song do e s n o t u se S O many di ff e r e n t m e ans as a mo t e t ; and

a mo te t lik e wis e n o t so many as a mass .

B y and lar ge we mus t look upon T in cto ris con trapun tal m e thod as
,
’

a brillian t accomp lishm e n t for i ts t im e th e r e sul t of his own fr ee re fle c

,

tion . H e r e sp e aks a musician who s t ands on th e pinnacl e of th e musical

t e chniqu e of h is t im e who always und e rs t ands i ts e ss e n tial c e n t ral fac t s
, ,

In t h e ir full Significanc e B e hind his

. t e rs e ma t t e r —
o f —
fac t words we
, ,

can always r e cogn iz e th e ar tis t th e prac tical musician whos e sp e e ch is

,

l e asingly fr e e from th e circumlocu t ious or confus e d phras e ology of mos t

p
of th e th e or e tical works on music of his day Tha t T in cto ris d e als al .

mos t e xclusiv e ly wi th chords and harmonic probl e ms in his discussion

13 undoub t e dly due as we hav e s e e n t o th e whol e a t t i t ud e and disposi t ion
, ,

of th e fif teen th c e n t ury N a turally it would be fa t al if this m e thod of

.
,

r e s e n t a t ion w e r e r e t ain e d and appli e d t o a la te r t im e in which th e lin e ar

p
id e a no longe r was h e ld b asic I t is always dange rous to dwe ll unduly
.

on a s e condary consid e ra tion for o n e th e r eb y e asily forge ts th e main

,

p oin .t O n e canno t h e lp no ticing this faul t in a larg e par t of t h e con

t rapun tal li t e ra t ur e bas e d upon T in cto ris which uncri t ically t ak e s ov e r

H H
his te aching .

T E S I XTEENTH CENTU RY : T E S T YLE OF P A L E S TR I N A

Wi th th e Six te e n th c e n tury aros e th e gold e n ag e of vocal p olyphony .

This art form which had b ee n mos t z e alously cul tiva te d during th e
,

p r e c e ding c e n t uri e s by th e E nglish F r e nch and N e th e rland e rs

,
was , ,

t ransplan t e d t o I t aly Wi th th e way prep are d by gre a t mas te rs e s pe

.
,

cial l Josquin d e s Pr e z i t r e ach e d its consumma t ion th e r e in th e R oman

y , ,

School in Pal e s trina and his pu pils and in mas te rs of o th e r na tions

, ,

( such as th e S paniards M oral e s and V ic t oria or th e N e th e rland e r

,
O r , ,

landus L assus ) who had s tudi e d in I taly wh e re during th e following

, ,

c e n turi e s th e mos t si gnifican t musical d e v e lop m en ts took plac e .

If th e art of t his p e riod of flor e sc enc e b e tw e e n 1560 and 1590 is com

a r e d wi th t h e music O f t h e las t p ar t of th e fif t ee n th c e n t ury Significan t
p ,

diffe renc e s will be s e en T h e di ff e r e nc e s in form are th e l e as t e vid en t

. .

In bo th pe riods are found a pproxima tely th e sam e forms : th e gr e a t

ar tis tic mass e s in which th e com pos e rs w e re abl e to rev e al all as pe c ts of
,

th e ir r e markabl e t e chniqu e ; t h e mo te t s in t end e d for church and chamb e r

14 OU TLINE H I STORY O F CO N TRAP U N TAL THEORY
music in which th e art of fi n e d e tail was prac tic e d ; and finally th e s e cular
,

songs chansons I talian fro tto l e and m adrigals as we ll as Ge rman L ieder

, , ,

In th e s ecular songs te chnical re fin em en t ofte n su ff e re d b e caus e of th e

d e mands of p opular t as te b ut expe rim e n ts flourish ed H e re for th e
, .

firs t tim e are found mos t of th e e l e m en ts which w e re n e w in th e music

of tha t tim e and which w e r e to be th e significan t m e ans of fur th e r
d e v elopm en t .

T h e e ss e n t ial d iff e r enc e b e t w e e n th e s e t wo s tag e s of d e v e lopm e n t

wi th in th e sam e mov e m e n t lay th e refore ra th e r in con te n t than in
, ,

form If th e harmony of th e fiftee n th c e ntury was ofte n a li ttl e asc e tic

.

and thin ( we s till find d e fini te trac e s of th e fifth and oc t av e supre macy
of th e p r e c e ding c en tury ) n ev e r th e l e ss th e composi tions of th e p e riod
wh e n vocal polyphony fl ourish e d w e re dis tinguish e d b y p e rfe c tion in
w e al th and vari et y of tonal comb ina tions E mp t y fifths and oc t av e s at .

l e as t are v e ry much suppre ss e d and are n o t chos e n for th e sak e of th e

sound ; b ut wh en th e y do occur th e y are always mo tiva te d b y th e mov e
,

m e n t s of th e m e lody by voic e l e ading imi t a tion or the lik e

, , , .

Imi ta tion ( a principl e in accordanc e wi th which th e voic e s imi ta te

e ach o t h e r b y in t roducing th e s ame t h em e in o n e voic e af te r th e o th e r
)
was e mploye d l e ss frui tfull y and logically at th e en d of th e fifteen th
c e n tury but b e gan to p lay a principal rol e in musical cons truc tion dur
,

ing th e Six tee n th c e n tury In th e firs t half of th e S ix tee n th c en tury

.
,

imi tation was us e d at t ime s wi th almos t pe dan tic s ti ff n e ss whi ch h o W , ,

e v e r s ee ms t o hav e b rough t a b ou t a na t ural and b e n e ficial r e ac t ion in

,

t h e works of Pal e s t rina and o th e r compos e rs of t h e la te S ix te e n t h c e n tury .

T re at m e nt o f the Disso nance

The atti tud e toward th e dissonanc e mus t be m en tion e d at this poin t .

D urin g th e e arli e r y e ars as we alre ady know dissonanc e s th e ms e lv e s

, ,

lay e d no r61e b ut w e r e r e gard e d as bad sounding and uncl e ar and w e r e

-
p ,

th e r e for e k e p t o ff th e acc e n t e d par t s of th e m e asur e as much as possibl e

wi thou t how ev e r b e ing su b j e cte d to any p art icular rul e s In th e course

, ,
.

of th e fif teen th c en tury th e law for th e conj unc t tre a tmen t of dissonanc es

b e cam e e s tablish ed as has b e en poin te d o ut n o t only to a c ert ain exten t
, ,

in ac tual prac tic e but also in th e ory e spe cially as formulate d by T in cto ris
,
.

T in cto ris sugg e s te d how e v e r th e possi b ili t y that occasionally dissonanc e s

, ,

migh t b e quitte d b y a skip of a third d e sc ending If we inv e s tigate th e .

 OU TLINE HI STORY OF CO N TRA P U N TAL THEORY 15

p rac t ic e of th e gr e a t com p os e rs of th e fif t ee n th c e n t ury D ufay Binchois —

, ,

O ck e gh e m and Busn o is for e xamp l e ( and e v e n Josquin de s Pr e z who

, ,

r e ally b e longs to th e e arly Six t e e n th c e n tury ) we see tha t t his rul e is ,

n o t m e r e ly o n e d e vis e d by T in ct o ri s b ut o n e w e ll roo te d in th e p rac t ic e ,

-

of th e t im e D uring th e Six tee n th c e n tury th e rul e conc e rning th e s te p

.

wis e t re a tm e n t o f th e dissonanc e b e cam e s tric te r Ins t anc e s occur l e ss .

of te n in which dissonanc e s w e r e in troduc e d or qui t t e d by skip s of a

third or th e lik e and in th e Pal e s trina s t yl e t his rul e w as s t ric t ly follow e d
,

wi th only o n e app ar e n t e xc eption : th e cam biata .

Whil e th e thir tee n t h and four te e n th c e n turi e s ( th e ars anti qua and th e
gre a te r part of th e ars n o va p e riod ) only took this pur e ly n e ga tiv e a tti
t ud e t oward t h e dissonanc e b y th e fif t ee n t h c e n t ur th e Si t ua t ion b e g an
y ,

to chan g e T h e s y ncop e dissonanc e or susp e nsion g raduall y cam e t o

.
, ,

b e us e d so fr e q u e n t l y and und e r such circums t anc e s tha t it was cl e arl y

us e d consciousl y for its e ff e c t In th e or y it is m e n tion e d appar e n t ly .
,

f o r th e firs t t im e b y Guil e l m us Mo n ach u s a monk whos e t r e a t is e De

H
, , ,

3
P rae ce ptis artis m usice et practice co m pe n dio s us l ibe l l us con t ains much
ori g inal and uni q u e ma te rial .

Guil e l m us in t roduc e s th e t r e a t is e wi t h a surv e y of th e various no t e

valu e s and th e complica te d propor tions and m e te rs of tha t t im e e .

go e s on to s pe ak of th e m e thod of com posi tion of th e E nglish th e faux ,

bourdon ( in mod e rn te rms a S t yl e o f wri tin g in parall e l chord s of th e,

six th ) The n follows a chap te r on coun te rpoin t as prac tic e d b y t h e

.

E n g lish and F r e nch in which h e firs t surv e ys t h e di ff e r e n t consonanc e s

,

hirds and Six hs b e lon g t o t h e imp e rf e c t consonanc e s ) and finall y nin e

( t t

con trapun tal rul e s O f th e s e rul e s only th e n ex t to th e las t is of e sp e

.
,

cial in te r e s t h e r e

A l t h o ug h w e h ave e n u m e rat e d o nl y t we l ve co n so n a n ce s( b o t h p e rf e c t an d i m
p f
e r e ct
) no t h in g p re v e n t s u s , acco r di n g to t he c u st o m a n d
p ract ice o f re ce n t t im e s ,

f ro m u sin g d isso n an ce s, as fo r e xam

p l e the se co n d h h
w ic a dd s s w e e t n e ss to the

H
,

lo w t h ird ; o r t he se v e n t h ,
w h ic h l e n d s sw e e t n e s s to t he h ; t h e f o u rt h
si xt , w h ic h
do e s l ik e w ise to t h e u p pe r t h ird ; an d t h is l ast ag ai n , w h i ch acco rd in g t o
,
re ce n t
i

ex
p e rie n ce , l e n d s swe e t ne s s to the fi f t h .

Thus far G uile l mus e says no thin g t o t h e e ff e c t tha t h e is r e f e rrin g

.

t o t h e syncop e dissonanc e t h e susp e nsion ; b ut t h e r e can b e no doub t

,

3 C o usse m ak e r , S cript o r u m ,
Vo l . 111 , p . 29 1 .
I6 O U TLIN E H ISTORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L THEORY
t ha t h e is sp e akin g of it T h e exampl e s con tain e d in the tre a tis e Show
.

tha t G uile l m us was familiar wi th pr e cis e l y this form of dissonanc e

tr e a t m en t ; and th e rul e s which h e g iv e s accord exac t l y wi t h th e laws

obs e rv e d in prac tic e I t is obvious tha t h e und e rs tands th e ma tte r thor

.

ou ghl y Wh en th e rul e sa y s tha t th e s e cond is to be re solv ed in th e low

.

third ( a som e wha t va g u e wa y of sa y in g tha t t h e dissonanc e mus t l ie

in th e low e r voic e ) and wh e n it fur th e r provid e s tha t th e s e v e n th Should

,
“ ”
b e r e solv e d in th e S ix th and th e four th in th e hi g h t hird ( in t h e la tte r
cas e th e dissonanc e mus t th e r efore be in troduc e d in th e upp e r voic e ) ,

ob viousl y th e v er y b e s t and mos t common forms of re solu t ions of the

susp e nsion dissonanc e are in tend ed as th e prac tic e of th e fifte e n th and ,

Six te en th c en turi e s shows If this passa ge appli e d to the passin g dis

.

sonanc e s such a compre h ensiv e exposi tion of th e in te rvals of re solu tion

,

would hav e b e en sup e rfluous ; for th e passin g s e cond r e solv e s j us t as we ll

in to th e unison as in to th e third th e fourth as w e ll in to th e fifth as ,

in to th e third and so on accordin g to wh e th e r th e mov em e n t is asc e nd

, ,

in g or d e sc endin g .

O f gr e a t ps y cholo g ical si gnificanc e is th e e xpr e ssion which Guile lm us

us e s in e xpoundin g th e use of th e s y ncop e dissonanc e s in tha t h e sp e aks ,
“ ”
of th e sw e e tn e ss which th e y l e nd to th e succ ee din g consonanc e This .

indica tes tha t th e m e n of tha t tim e h e ard th e s y ncop e dissonanc e j us t

as we h e ar it t oday as a conscious in troduc tion of dissonanc e in aesth e
,

t icall y s t r e ss e d con t ras t

t o con sonanc e — th e r e for e n o t as som e thin g to b e

avoid e d or sof ten e d as much as possibl e but as an eff e c t which is in i ts e lf ,

of gre a t valu e and which canno t b e replac e d by an y o the r eff e c t Zarlino .

,

th e g r e a t t h e oris t of th e six te e n th c e n t ur y e xpr e ss e d hims e lf in e xac t ly ,

t his mann e r r e g ardin g t h e susp e nsion dissonanc e :

No t on l y is su c h a d i sso n an ce di spl e asin g b u t , o n th e co n t rary , it aro use s g re at

no t

pl e asu re t h ro ug h th e i n cre ase d m ildn e ss an d S we e tn e ss w h ic h i t l e n ds t o t h e suc

din g co n so n an ce
ce e . A n d t h i s f o r t h e re aso n t h at e ve r y t h in g co m e s o ut m uch
m o re cle arl y as so o n as it i s pl ace d i n co n t rast w it h i t s o ppo s ite .

This is th e V i e w of th e fiftee n th and six tee n th c en turi e s ; and wha t

is mor e impor tan t than its sp e cific co n sequen ce th e susp e nsion this , _
,

conc ep tion influ e nc e d fur th er d e v e lopm en t I t marks a gr e a t s tep .

in advanc e as compare d wi th th e crud e ra th e r o ne sid e d a tti tud e of ,

-

e arli e r t im e s toward t h e s e ma t te rs .
 OU TLI N E H ISTORY O F CO NTRAP U N TAL THEORY 17

The six teen th c en tur y d e v e lop e d ano th e r fe at ur e in th e use of th e

dissonanc e a fe a tur e which as a ma tte r of fact was n o t e xploi te d full y
, , ,

un t il th e followin g c e n tur y : nam e l y t h e disso nance as a m e ans o f po etical

,

e x re ssio n as a s y mbol of t h e e mo t ions T his involv e s a fac tor in th e

p ,
.

proc e ss of e volu tion which influ e nc e d th e his tor y of music more p e rhaps , ,

t han an y o th e r .

T h e O rigin o f t he S tyl e

R ep e a te d a tte mp ts hav e b e e n mad e xplain the ori g in of the s tyl e

to e

of Pal e s trina B e s t known is the h ypo th e sis of H u g o R ie mann which

.
,

conclud e s from th e assump tion that most of th e music of th e fifteen th

c e n tury was in te nd e d for ins trum e n ts that th e e volu t ion took plac e wh en
,

p e opl e graduall y w e n t ov e r to vocal p erformanc e O f composi tions and ,

“ ”
various S O call e d ins trum e n t alisms ( idioms which R i e mann conc e iv e s
-

as havin g b ee n d e si gn e d e sp e ciall y for ins tru me n ts ) prov e d imprac tical

b e cause th e y we re n o t sui te d to th e natur e of th e human voic e ; and tha t
th e g r e a t e r impor t anc e th e sin g in g voic e a t t ain e d in th e proc e ss of e vo l u

t ion t h e mor e th e ins t rum e n t al idioms w e r e suppr e ss e d un t il t h e y finall y

,

disapp e are d e n tir e l y I t is po ssib l e but by no m e ans c e r tain that R ie mann

.

is ri ght wh en h e as sum e s that a par t of th e music of th e fi f t ee n th c e n tur y

is ins trum e n t al music A t an y ra te I t 13 mos t dou b tful wh e th e r at t ha t
,

tim e musicians dis t in g uish e d car eful l b e t w e e n vocal and ins t rum e n t al
y
composi t ion T oda y it is di fficul t to ima g in e music wi tho ut such a dis
.

t inc t ion ; we run t h e dan ger how e v e r of anachronis t ic t hinkin g if we

, ,

appl y our wa y of fee lin g hi ghl y d ev e lop e d in this r e sp e ct to a p e riod

, ,

which appar e n tl y had n o t d e v e lop e d it .

I t s ee ms much mor e lik e l y t ha t t h e attit ude t o ward t h e t e xt ma y hav e

b ee n t he imp e llin g forc e in th e ris e of th e Pal e s trina s ty l e .

Whil e th e tre a tm e n t of th e t ex t in th e fifte en th c e n tur y was charac

te riz e d for t h e mos t par t b y a s t rikin g indi ff e r e nc e and whil e t h e u se of ,

e ff e c t iv e,
un e q uiv o cal ton e pain tin g as a m e ans of e xpr e ssion can b e
found only in v e r y rare cas e s in E urop e an music b efore 1500 th e six teen th ,

c en tur y brou gh t a d e cisiv e chan ge in this si tua tion T h e t e nd e ncy cam e .

,

ap pare n tly chi e fly from th e madrigal ( dou b tl e ss pre par e d by th e fro tt o l a

, ,

howe v e r ) th e chi e f form of t h e I talian s e cular music of th e six tee n th

,

c en tur y In gen e ral s e cular m usrc took th e l e ad in th e d e v elopm en t

.
, ,

for re li gious music w as almos t alwa y s charac te riz e d by a c e r tain con

18 O U TLIN E H IS TORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L THEORY
se rv at ive a tti tud e In t he b e ginnin g of the six tee n th c en tur y th e fro tt o la
.

was flourishin g in I tal y This was a pol y phonic composi tion in a v e r y

.

shor t and concis e form wi th but f e w imi ta tions I t was chordal homo
, .
,

phonic and Simpl e throu g hou t It was us e d almos t exclusiv e l y by

, .

I talian compos e rs b ut corr e spondin g forms are to be Obs e rv e d amon g

,

con te mporar y S paniards A S how e v e r th e Ne th e rlandian compos e rs

.
, ,

ov e rran I tal y at th e b eg innin g of the c en tur y and b e g an to occup y th e m

s e lv e s s e riously wi th th e fro t t o l a a change in its charac te r is ob se rvab l e ;
,

it main tain e d in par t its ori g inal v e r t ical chordal form b ut was work e d
, , ,

o u t in a rich e r and mor e r e fin e d musical mann e r at t im e s wi t h imi t a t ion ,

and o th e r con trapun tal d e vic e s A lso a g radual chan ge took plac e in
.

th e t e x t .Thou gh in th e b e g innin g it was for th e mos t par t nai v e l y

ch e e rful it b e cam e li ttl e b y li ttl e an art of th e cour t a ma tte r of polish ed
, , ,

af f e c te d rh y m e s wi th a pr e dil e c t ion for b om b as tic e xa gg e ra t e dl y passion

,

at e wa y s of sp e akin g T h e r e la t ion b e tw ee n word and t on e is n o t v e r y

.

in tima te in th e fro tt o l a in spite of ob vious a tte mp ts at rapproch e m en t .

In th e madri g al th e mor e r e fin e d d e sc e ndan t of th e fro tto l a e xpre ssiv e

, ,

t e nd e nci e s com e e v e r mor e dis t inc tl y t o t h e for e and a mark e d incon g rui t y

is fe l t b e twee n th e rob us t e motional te x t and th e music which is an y

, ,

t hin g b ut ov e rwrou g h t b e in g e xc e ll e n t b ut r e markabl y abs t rac t

,
L ik e .

wis e th e fana ticall y humanis tic a tt i tud e of th e t im e which plac e d th e ,

s tud y O f th e anci en t wri te rs and music t h e oris ts so promin e n tl y in t he

for e g round had a pronounc e d influ e nc e upon th e e volu tion of an
,

e xpr e ssiv e musical t r e a t m e n t of t h e t e x t P e opl e now h e ard of th e .

wond e rful influ e nc e which th e music of th e ancie n t s e xe rcis e d upo n th e ir

“
spiri ts and amon g scholars th e slo g an aros e Dare spirit o vivo al l e paro l e
, ,

( g iv e words livin g spiri t by m e ans of t on e s ) Th e y b e g an to s triv e in.

all conc e ivab l e wa y s to construc t th e madrig al in th e li gh t of this sayin g

, ,

bu t t h e r e sul t s in th e be g innin g w e r e s t ran g e and ra th e r sup e rficial .

Wh en for exampl e po e ms m en tion e d an asc e n t or d e sc en t th e compos e r

, , ,

consci e n t iously atte mp t e d in th e music t h e corr e spondin g mov e m e n ts in ,

t h e scal e Musicians did n o t as ye t hav e suffici e n t command of th e

.

n e c e ssar y musical m e ans of e xpr e ssion but th e y t ri e d p e rsis te n tly and , ,

at an y ra t e l e arn e d o n e t hin g : a d e e p r e sp e c t for t h e t e x t From now on .

it was un t hinkabl e tha t the placin g of th e te x t Should simpl y be l e ft t o

t h e Sin g e r E v e ry thin g e ss e n t ial was car e fu lly pr e scrib e d and t h e music
. ,

was so compos e d that th e tex t unr e s train e d cam e full y in to its own, ,
.
 OU TLINE HISTORY OF CONTRA P U N TAL THEORY 19

Pop e Marc e llus II S famous admoni tion which was s e n t to th e papal

’

sin ge rs on Good F rida y in 1555 and which ord e re d th e s e l e c tion O f a

choral work sui te d to th e sad charac te r of this holiday as w e ll as t h e ,

mos t careful a tten tion to cl e ar e nunci a tion of th e te x t to ge the r wi th t h e t e,

f o rm ato ry a tte mp t s of t h e Trid e n t in e Council which w e r e found e d upon

similar vi e ws cons ti tu te in te r e s tin g e xpre ssions of th e g e n e ral will to
,

mak e music Subordina te to th e te x t This te nd e nc y is transf e rre d to

.

sacre d music from th e madrig al wh e re it firs t b e g ins to b e no tic e abl e

, ,

and in sacr e d music finds e xpre ssion at l e as t with more cons e rva t iv e
—

mas te rs such as Pal e s trina— ch icfly in r e fin e d d e clama t ion and g re a t

,

r e sp e c t for th e te x t Y e t b e sid e s th e fro tt o l a and th e madri g al t h e

.
, ,

s e cular l aude which flourish e d in I t aly at th e sam e tim e as th e fro tto l a

, ,

dir e c tl y influ e nc e d th e la te r d ev e lopm e n t of sacr e d music .

T h e inclina tion t oward th e drama t ic and p rogramma tic is l e ss p ro

n o un ce d but i t con t inu e s t o b e pr e s e n t
,
I t cons t an t l y s ee ks for n e w wa y s
.

and m e ans of e xpre ssion un til finall y toward th e e n d of th e c en t ur y it

, ,

forc e s its way throu gh and cr e a te s in th e op e ra t h e c e n tral form from

which prac ticall y all mod e rn m usic com e s T h e d e cisiv e chan ge h o w
.
,

e v e r did n o t t ak e plac e in t h e y e ar 1594 or 1600 b ut at th e mom e n t wh e n

, ,

t h e conc e p t app e ar e d tha t music is n o t m e r e l y a d e cora t iv e fac t or b ut a

‘

m e ans O f portra y in g human id e as and e mo tions This n e w poin t of vi e w

-

"
marks th e sharp dis tinc tion b e tw e e n th e Old er and th e n e w e r music ; th e
a tti tud e toward th e te x t is d e cisiv e in th e e volu tion A nd this a tti tud e .

charac te riz e s e sp e ciall y th e music O f th e la te r six teen th c e n tur y in com

parison wi th tha t of a c en tur y e arlie r I t accompani e d th e ge n e ral re
.

fi n e m e n t of musical te chni q u e and t h e sup e rior cul tur e Me lodi e s much .

more d e fini te ly tonal in charac te r and tre a te d wi th dispropor tiona te ly

gre a te r archi te c tonic mas te r y g re a te r fullne ss of th e chords and s tric te r
, ,

use of t h e dissonanc e are h e r e e sp e cially r e markabl e From our pre s en t

.

vi e wpoin t we mus t charac te riz e th e music of Pal e s trina in this mann e r .

L e t us l e arn som ethin g of t h e j ud g m en t of its con te mporar y th e oris ts .

Vice nti n o

V ice n tino famous work L A ntica m usica rid o tta al l a m o derna prat
’
s
’

t ica publish e d in 1555 s ta te s e xc e ll e n tl y th e t y pical con trapun t al th e or y

, ,
“
of the Six tee n th c en tur y E v en t he t itl e T h e Music of A n ti q ui ty
.
,

R educ e d for Mod e rn Prac tic e is charac te ris tic Do n N icola V ic en tino
”
.
, ,
 20 O UTLIN E H ISTORY O F CONTRAP UNTAL THEORY
a pri e s t from V ic enza and a pupil of A drian Willa er t the famous N eth er ,

l an d Chap elmas te r at S t Mark s church in V enic e was a z e alous advoca te

’
.
,

of e v er y thin g which h e consid e re d anci en t music In 1546 h e pu b lish ed .

“ ”
a coll e c tion of chroma tic madri g als as h e call e d th e m and in the , ,

t h eor e t ical work j us t m e n tion e d h e d e mons tra ted accordin g to t he ,

anci en t mod e ls n o t onl y th e dia tonic but also the chroma tic and en
,

harmonic tonal s y s te ms Detail e d discussion of this expansiv e work to

.
,

a g r e a t e x ten t d e cid e dl y e xp e rim e n tal in charac ter and d evo te d onl y

Sli gh tl y to th e prac tic e of th e Six tee n th c en tur y would l e ad us to o far ,

afi e ld N ev e r th e l e ss various por tions e sp e ciall y thos e d e alin g wi th dia

.
,

t onic music d e s e rv e consid e ra t ion

, V ic en tino e mphasiz e s for e xampl e
.
, ,

tha t in th e composi tion of madri g al s amon g o th e r thin g s li t t l e d ep e nds

, ,

upon th e p e dan tic main tenanc e of th e mod e and th e lik e ; mos t impor tan t
is to se e tha t life and b re a th be g iv en th e tex t b y th e ton e s and tha t t he
music expr e ss th e passions and fe e lin g s bi tte r as we ll as mild ch ee rful as
, ,

we ll as m e lanchol y E ls e wh e re in his b ook h e d efends th e use in suspen

.

sions of th e au g m e n te d four th which is o th e rwis e g en e rall y in disfavor

,
.

for expre ssin g som e thin g rou g h or unpl e asan t T h e sam e lin e Of thou gh t .

can also b e obs e rv e d in th e works of Zarl in o and o th e r famous th e or i s ts

of tha t t im e thou gh o n e looks for it in vain in th e oretical works of the
,

pre c e din g c en tur y It is a trul y typical t rait of th e six teen th c e n tur y

. .

O th e rwis e V ic e n tino apar t from som e wha t misg uid e d eff or t s to in tro
,

duc e th e use of chroma ticism and enharmonie s con trib u te s much tha t ,

is valuab l e and n ew B e caus e h e mix e s lon g known fac ts and n e w

.
-

ob s erva tions in a confus e d and unor g aniz e d mann e r his book mak e s a ,

som e what unfavorab l e impr e ssion ; but it con tains su ffici en t tha t is in
en io u s and si g nifican t to r e v e al V ic e n t ino as an in t ui t iv e t h e oris t an d
g
k e e n j ud ge n o t onl y of con te mporar y music but also of th e art of th e pas t .

E sp e ciall y r e markab l e is his fee lin g for his tor y which was d e cid e dl y ,

rare at tha t tim e wh en m en almos t n e v e r showe d an y in te r e s t in th e

“
gen etic vi e wpoin t In his discussions of th e passin g disson anc e s or dis
.

”
s o n an ze sci o l te fr e e dissonanc e s ) his f e e ling is v e ry no tic e ab l e F or
( t ,
.

e xampl e h e sa y s
,

T h e re ade r w il l re ali ze t h at in m u sic, f ro m t im e t o t im e , so m e pro g re ss is m ade ;

in O l d f ash io n e d co m po sit io n s w e can se e t h at t he co m po se rs pl ace d passi n g di s
-

so n an ce s in w h o l e n o te s ag ain st a b re ve ( w h ich i s e q ual t o t w o w h o l e n o te s ) w h e re b y

fi
th e y l e t t h e rst b e a co n so n an ce o n t h e st ro n
g b e at w h ile t h e se co n d w as a d isso n an ce .
 OUTLINE HISTORY O F CO N TRAP U N TA L THEORY 21

Late r t h e y f el t t h e se d i sso n an ce s to be t o o te d io u s an d ab an d o n e d t h is m an ne r o f co m

p o sit io n ; i n o rd e r t o di st u rb th e e ar l e ss, t h e y u se d h al f n o te s, t h e fi rst be in g co n so n an t

on t h e stro n g b e at, t he se co n d i sso n an ce o n t h e we ak be at an d t h is pract ice

d f o rm i n g a ,

w as co n tin ue d f o r so m e t im e To d ay t h i s custo m i s n o l o n ge r co m m o n b e cau se t h e

.

h alf n o te as a d isso n an ce is to o pro m in e n t an d n o t o n l y it bu t t h e q uart e r n o te as we ll

,

is to o sh arp a d isso n an ce if i t i s n o t u se d in a p ro pe r m an n e r ; w e t h e re f o re are acc u s

t o m e d t o u se o n l y q uart e rs an d e ig h t h s as d isso n an ce s .

V ic en tino h ere g iv e s us e n tire ly t rus twor th y his torical conclusions ,

e xc ep t t ha t h e is mis t ak e n wh e n h e sa y s t ha t dissonan t half no te s are

compl e te l y e xclud e d from th e music of his ti m e I t is t ru e how ev e r

H
.
, ,

tha t t h e y occurr e d som e wha t l e ss fr e qu e n t ly t h e n t han in e arli e r t im e s

and tha t q uar te r no te s app e ar e d mor e fr e q u e n tl y as dissonanc e s .

V ic e n t ino also mak e s som e p e r t in e n t and pr e cis e comm en t s conc e rnin g

q uarte rs . e sp e aks of t hr e e syncop e forms : ma j or if t h e syncopa tion ,

is a b re v e ; minor if it has th e valu e of a whol e no te ; and minima if it

, ,

has th e dura tion of a half no te A ll s y ncopa t i on dissonanc e s Should b e

.

re solv e d b y th e downward pro gr e ss i on of th e s e cond and wh e re possib l e ,

an imp e rfe c t consonanc e should follow th e m b e caus e as V ic e n tino write s , ,

na tur e is n o t f ond of ex tr e m e s b ut prefe rs th e middl e wa y ; a p e rfe c t con

sonanc e would mak e t o o sharp a con tras t wi t h t h e pr e c e din g dissonanc e .

In addi tion V ic e n tino s e ts up th e re asonabl e rul e t ha t th e r e solvin g t on e

,
'

should hav e half t h e wor t h of t h e s y ncopa t ion i t s e lf O n e can also use .

syncopa tions wi thou t dissonanc e as l on g as s yncopa tions do n o t occur —

simul tan e ousl y in all par ts ; if th e y should o n e would n o t b e abl e to get ,

a cl e ar impre ssion of th e s y ncopa tion at all .

A fte r acc e n te d half no te s wh e th e r s y ncopa te d or n o t th e firs t of t wo

, ,

q uarte rs d e sc endin g s tepwis e can be a dissonanc e but onl y in d e sc e ndin g

"

mo ti on ; in th e opposi te dire c tion only th e s e cond unacc e n te d quarte r may

H
, ,

be mad e a dissonanc e Tha t V ic e n tino is a tru e so n of t h e Six teen t h

.

c e n tur y is s ee n e sp e cially in th e chap te r in which h e giv e s d e fini te rul e s

conc e rnin g t h placin g of th e te x t und r he no e s such a ma tte r would
e e t t —

scarc e l y hav e in te r e s te d a th eoris t of an e arli e r da te is d et ail e d t r e a t .

m e n t of imi ta tion is also a typical trai t of the c en tur y ; h er e we are told ,

amon g o th e r thin g s tha t in imi ta tion o ne should k e ep th e voic e s in an

,

e asily und e rs tandabl e r e la tion to e ach o th e r and t ha t imi t a t ions at t h e

s e cond s e v e n th or nin th should be avoid e d S O far as possible F ur th e r

, ,
-
.
,

o n e should n o t d e lay t h e e n t ranc e of t h e th e m e in t h e accompan y in g

voic e s to o much e sp e cially wi th four b e a ts to a b r ev e Tha t a th em e

, .
22 OU TLIN E HISTORY OF CONTRA P U N TAL THEORY
which b e gins on a s tron g b e a t ma y be brou gh t in on a w e ak b e a t in the
imi ta tion provid e s for a valuabl e varia tion which will pl e as e th e lis te n e r
, .

O n e Should avoid brin g in g in th e soprano to o hi g h ; doin g so e asil y pro

duc e s a harsh and unr e fin e d e ff e c t V ic e n tino fur th e r warns ag ains t
.

b e g innin g s wi th runs ; rapid mov e m e n ts Should g row o ut of slowe r on e s

H
.

A nd appar en t l y V ic en tino is th e firs t to in troduc e the rul e conc e rnin g t h e

tonal answ e r of th e fu g u e th e m e : tha t a skip of t h e four th mus t b e

answ e r e d by a Skip of th e fifth in ord e r to pr e s e rv e th e uni ty of the k e y .

e also sp e aks of dou b l e coun t e rpoin t composi t ions for s e v e ral chorus e s
, ,

and o th e r prob l e ms b e lon g in g to a la te r tim e .

V ic en tino th e r e for e mak e s many Si gnifican t obs e rva tions ; for th e mos t
par t how e v e r h e h as n o t prog r e ss e d a s te p b e y ond th e th e oris ts of th e
, ,

pr e c e din g c e n tury Tim e s hav e chan ge d and wi th th e m s ty l e Th e re

. .

for e th e music which V ic e n tino discuss e s is di ffe re n t from tha t wi th

which T in cto ris d e al t Bo th how e v e r had only va gu e no tions of th e
.
, ,

i e al probl e ms O f coun te rpoin t simply b e caus e for t hos e t im e s whic h

, ,

r e c e iv e d th e pol yphonic s ty l e as a gift at b irth so to sp e ak such prob l e m s

, ,

scarc e ly e xis te d .

But V ic en t ino is r e pr e s e n t a tiv e of onl y a c e r t ain asp e c t of th e S ix te e n t h

“ ”
c en tury of th e mod e rn in te rms of what would b e r eg ard e d mod e rn in

H
,

t ha t t im e ; t o r e g ard h im as t ypical of t h e whol e six t e e n t h c e n t ur y would

be wron g for h e is t o o much of an in div idualis t Wi t h am azin g shr e wd

,
.

n e ss and as t onishin g boldn e ss h e discov e r e d for hims e lf th e dire c t ion

e volu t ion w as t akin g and g av e frank e xpr e ssion t o h is vi e ws . e is

t ypical of h is a e insofar as h e e xpr e ss e d hims e lf r e g ardin g som e of th e

g
q u e s tions which mos t conc e rn e d th e m en of his t im e and for th e solu tion
of which th e y w e r e mos t e a ge rly s trivin g al thou gh wi th li ttl e succ e ss
,
.

A l thou g h th e six te e n th c e n tury q ui te unmis t akabl y pr e par e d th e way for

t h e s e v e n t e e n t h and wi t h it for t h e ris e of e mo t ional sub j e c tiv e l y t in ge d
,

music it is cl e ar tha t this charac te ris tic is manife s te d mor e in its a tte mp ts
,

t han in it s d e e ds T h e r e al accomplishm e n t s of t h e six te e n th c e n t ur y are

.

d e pic te d b y o th e r th e oris ts b e tte r and abov e all more te mp e ra te l y than

, ,

by V ic e n tino I t mus t be consid e r e d to o tha t th e te nd enc y to th e e x

.
, ,

pr e ssiv e and sub j e c tiv e which was pr e dominan t in th e c en tury and which
,

charac te riz e s this p e riod in comparison wi th th e pre c e din g e poch was ,

cut across by som e wha t s t ron g coun t e r—t e nd e nci e s t oward t h e Ob j e c t iv e

and univ ersal .

 OU TLINE HISTORY O F CO NTRAP U N TAL THEORY 23

L a Musica Co m un a

T he
six tee n th c e n tur y Shows a c e r tain pr efe re nc e for an a e s th e tic con
“
c ep t l a m usica co m una a phras e which is n o t e asy to transla te b ut
, ,

which m e ans som e thin g lik e e asil y compr e h e nsibl e r e g ular p e rhaps , ,

acad e mic music T h e six tee n th c e n tury lov e s cl e arn e ss dir e c tn e ss n at

.
, ,

uraln e ss I t wan ts ord e r s tric t conformi t y t o rul e and n o t to o much of

.
, ,

th e sup e rfluous A mor e implacabl e cri t i q u e t han t ha t of th e Six te e n t h

.

c e n tur y has n ev e r b ee n applie d to th e fan tas t ic c e r e monious Go thic of th e ,

Middl e A ge s F or originali t y which is highly sugge s t iv e of g e nius

.
,

accordin g to mod e rn id e as influ enc e d b y roman ticism th e six te en th ,

c e n tur y had li ttl e und e rs t andin g T h e id e al of th e compos e rs was to .

work o ut th e ir art in such a wa y tha t as man y as possibl e could und e rs t and

4
it and r e j oic e in it .

N o wond e r Pal e s trina cam e as th e g r e a te s t r e pr e s en t a tiv e of an e poch

which ch e rish e d th e s e vi e ws Pos te ri ty has ri gh tl y call e d him t h e g re a t .

”
imit a tor of na ture and ind e e d a g ifte d na turaln e ss is expr e ss e d in all his
works a sure fee lin g for t h e occasional th e e asil y compre h e nsib l e in
, , ,

short for classical e xpr e ssion H is art s eeks univ e rsali t y and is charac
,
.

t e riz e d by a d e e p j oy in th e d e v e lopm e n t and fulfillm e n t of t h e law It .

is onl y Sli g h t l y conc e rn e d wi th t h e new ; th e old is e te rnall y n e w t o it .

l e xpansion of t he m eans of ar tis tic

I ts e ss e nc e is in d e p t h ; e xp e rim e n t a
e xpr e ssion is for e i gn t o it I t is t h e p e rf e c t mas t e rl y e xpr e ssion of th e .
,

m usica c o m una t ha t mov e m en t wi thin t h e music of th e Six t ee n t h c e n t ur y

,

which d e dicate d i t s e lf to th e pas t but which in its wa y is S O much more ,

impor tan t and t ypical in th e art of music of th e t im e t han th e mor e

“
forward lookin g e xpr e ssiv e te nd e nc y l a m usica rese rvata ( as t h e

H
-
,

f hi v i hi h i i g k E l E
H
4
1n d icat ive w is l e t te r w G f the Du

H
o t s e a c a ce r t a n an , an a ent o e rco e s te

o f F e rrara , w ro te at t he be gi i g nn n o f th e i
s xte e n t h ce n t u r y . p e re o rts he reh f ll wi g
t e o o n

ig g p y ly J q i P z i ih
I

co nce rn n t wo o f t he re ate s t co m o s e rs o f t he ce n t u r , n am e os u n de s re d an e nr c

I s aac :
“
I call y o ur ig h n e ss
’
i
at te n t o n to th e f act t h at th e i
s n
g er I saac h as b e e n in F e rra ra h as an d

co p d m
m o se a o te t on th e hm
t e e
‘
L a m i Ia so l 1a Shi h i v y g
i la mi
’
w c s er o o d an d w ch h e hi
fi i h d i
n s ew n t o dya s . F ro m hi t s o ne c anno t c o nc u l d h wi h h e ot er se t an t at k v y
h e w o r s e r f ast ;
b id hi h
es es t s, e al so co m p o se s in h s uc a w ay t h i pl
at h p pl
t e ase s t e eo e . h
I fi nd t at h e is
b e tte ri d s u te to se r e v y J qi b
o ur hm aj e s t
h m ib y h t an o s u n, e cau se e as a o re so c a le m ann e r an d

w i m
r te s h o re t at i s w I ine h w v h J q i mp
. t b h
s hwv
t r ue , o e e r, t at os u n co o se s e t te r ; e act s , o e e r,

di g h i
ac co r n to s o w d i n d pl d
e s re andi g h w i h f h p pl e asu re an n o t acco r n to t e s es o t e eo e .
”

A di g
cco r n to o urp d d J q i i m
re se n t f i h I
stan Ev i
ar os u n s o re o a g e n us t an saac . en so , t is
i h I
ce rta n t at s aac , di g h l
acco r m h m n ly m h d m
to d whi h p p l
t e e t te r, uc o re n e ar et t e e an s c eo e o f
h i h
t e s xtee n t ce n t u r ymd f g i a e o a e n us .
24 OUTLIN E HISTORY OF CONTRAP U N TAL THEORY
N e th e rland e r Co cl icus call e d th e la tte r a b ou t the middl e of th e c en tur y ) .

To und rs and how hise t t m usica co m una— th e

Pal e s trina s ty l e the g en e r ,

e t e —
ally us d s y l of composi tion of th e tim e was formula te d by th e th e orists ,

we will hav e t o consid e r a confusin g numb e r of s t a te m e n ts s ev e ral of ,

which are q ui te convincin g Wh e n we ob s erv e howe v e r th e numb e r .

, ,

of rul e s which w e re se t up in comparison wi th th e numb e r which migh t

hav e b ee n mad e we are surpris e d to find tha t th e form e r are ex tre m e l y
,

f e w T h e gr e a te r th e in te rval b e tw ee n th e th eoris t and th e tim e of which

.

h e wri tes th e e asi e r h e finds it to formula te a th e ory I t is much mor e

, .

di fficul t to se e e v en ts n e ar at hand in pe rsp e c tiv e than to see th e m from

a li ttl e dis tanc e .

T h e r e sul t of th e musical lawmakin g of th e six te en th c e n t ur y is how ,

e v e r n o t onl y q uan t i t a t iv e l y sli g h t b ut e v e n impor t an t rul e s which e v e r y

, ,

con trapun tis t ob s e rv e d ofte n e i th e r w e re n o t known at all by th e th e oris ts .

t e —
or h y are n o t m e n t ion e d a r e markabl e circums tanc e which su gge s ts
t ha t compos e rs and t h e oris t s p e rhaps for b usin e ss r e asons only par t ially , ,
5
disclos e d th e ir knowl e d ge .

I t is also possi b l e t ha t a r e mark of th e Ge rman t h e oris t O ttmar

s

L uscin ius ( 1487 1537 ) tha t t h e oris t s of e arli e r t im e s spok e so li ttl e abou t
— —

e v e ry thing p e r t aining t o th e dissonanc e only b e caus e t h e y r e gard e d t his

t h e m e as p e r t ainin g ra t h e r t o prac t ic e t han t o t h e or y — ca n b e extend ed

t o appl y t o musical t e chn i q u e i n g e n e ral so t ha t we can assum e tha t t h e ,
“ ”
t e ach e rs ini t ia t e d t h e ir pupils in t o various s e cr e t s which t h e y for various

r e asons did n o t se e fi t to wri te down or to pu b lish .

I t is w e ll known t ha t s ev e ral of th e g r e a t compos ers of th e six teen th

c e n tur y en g a ge d in te achin g That Pal e s trina was a kind of cons e rvatory .

dir e c tor in R om e is to b e sur e onl y a l e gend ; howev e r it has b ee n prov e d

, , ,

t ha t s e v e ral of th e impor t an t mas te rs of t h e g e n e ra tion imm e dia t e ly

followin g him w er e ins truc te d and t rain e d b y him S o far as we know .

,

how e v e r h e did n o t l e av e an y wri tte n docum en t s which mi gh t enli gh te n

,

u s as t o th e na t ur e of his ins truc t ion T h e only b it of wri t in g which .

com e s to our aid in this r e sp e c t is a l ette r which h e as a famous mas te r , ,

wro te to th e Duk e of Man tua Guil e l m o Gonza ga This princ e was a ,

.

5 I t is t o l d of C o stan z o P o r ta , th e co m p o se r o p h
f C re m o n a, f o r e xam l e , t at w h en i n P adua
he saw fo r the fi rst t im e a co py o f Z acco n i
’
s hi h pp
P ratt ica di m usica w c a e are d in 1 5 92 , he
cr e id i o ut n z
am a e m e n t : N o t fo r a t h o u san d d d
ucat s w o u l I h v di
a e d
scl o se th e se c re t s w h h ic

t hi m k h
s on as re v e al e d h e re .
”
 O U TLIN E HISTORY OF CO NTRA P U N TAL THEORY 25

z e alous musical amate ur and had s en t Pal e s trina som e pi e c e s of his own
composi tion for cri ticism Pal e s trina s comm en ts on th e m are how ev e r .
’

, ,

of a som e what gen e ral charac te r and are obviousl y in a g re e m e n t wit h

Z arl in o s doc trin e s But this do e s n o t m e an tha t Pal e s t rina t ook t h e m
’
.

6
ov e r from th e works of tha t gr e a t th e oris t .

But e v e n this pauci t y of comm e n t is n o t by an y m e ans r e marka b l e for ,

his tory has d e mons tra te d tha t g r e a t compos e rs are Ofte n onl y m e diocr e
t h e oris t s tha t m e n who display in prac t ic e an as t oundin g ind e p e nd e nc e
,

and b oldn e ss in th e ir s tyl e are ofte n r e markabl y naiv e and h e lpl e ss in

th e or y uncri t icall y t e achin g rul e s t ha t th e y hav e in t h e ir t im e found
,

availabl e in som e book or o th e r and for th e mos t part r e s tric tin g t h e m

se lv e s m e re l y t o g en e rali ti e s .

Ne i th e r Pal e s trina nor th e o th e r gr e a t mas te rs of tha t p e riod wro te

th e or e tical works Th e r e are how e v e r in th e L ic e o Musical e of Bolo gna
.
, ,

— wh ich —
poss e ss e s o n e of th e rich e s t and choic e s t music lib rari e s of th e
world a f e w hi th e r to e n tir e l y unno tic e d manuscrip ts of t h e ore tical con
—

t e n t which com e from impor t an t compos e rs of th e Pal e s t rina s t y l e

, O ne .

of th e s e is a manuscrip t of th e Six teen th c e n tur y d e si gnate d as ins truc tion

g iv e n by Cos tanzo Por t a ( 1530 to 1601 ) to a c e r t ain Pa te r T omasso
Gra tiano of Ba gnacavallo I t b e gi ns wi th a discussion of th e in t e rvals
.

and follows wi th a surv e y of consonanc e s and dissonanc e s Th e n follows .

th e usual s e c t ion on t h e mov e m e n t of p e rf e c t consonanc e s in to imp e rf e c t ,

of imp e rfe c t in to p e rfe c t of p e rfe c t in to p e rfe c t and so on wi th som e

, , ,

su b s e q u en t r e marks on ini tial idioms and cad e nc e s and on th e succ e ssion

of no te valu e s A whol e no te is b e s t followe d b y a half and t his in t urn
.
,

by a quar te r A quar te r can how ev e r also follow a whol e b ut in such

.
, , ,

a cas e it had be s t b e do tte d F or th e r e s t th e ma te rial is put t og e th e r .

,

som e wha t h e l te r sk el te r and includ e s a colorful mix tur e of ev e r y thin g

-

—
ima ginab l e circl e canons e ccl e sias tical mod es in te rval pro g re ssions
-
, , ,

rul e s of no ta tion m ensural th e or y and S O on T h e t r e a tis e con t ains

, ,
.

prac tically no thin g re all y n e w or r e markabl e ; rul e s such as thos e g ive n

h e re can b e found in o th e r con te mporar y or e arli e r th eoris ts mor e cl e arl y
and s y s te ma ticall y pre s en ted .

0
S ee m y dy stu : Ue b e r i
e ne n i i
Br e f P al e st r nas , Fest sch ri/t s um 60 . Ge b urt stag vo n P eter
Wag ner . L ipzi g
e , 1 9 26 . p . 1 00 .
 6 OUTLINE HISTORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L THEORY

Gio vanni Maria and Be rn ardin o N anini

T he si tua tion is som e wha t similar in ano th e r manuscrip t also pre s e rv ed

in Bolo gna and a ttribu te d to t h e t wo bro th e rs Giovanni Maria and
B e rnardino N an in i famous compos ers who liv e d in Pal e s trina s time and
,
’

are said t o hav e b e e n clos e l y associa te d wi t h him A l thou g h this manu

.

scrip t as a whol e is n o t r e markabl e it do e s con tain som e passage s which

,

are surprisin g in th e ir ind e p e nd e nc e H e re pe rhaps for th e firs t t ime

.
, ,

we com e across th e rul e tha t t wo q uar te rs ma y n o t occur alon e in th e

plac e of th e acc en te d h alf no te s in a m e asure We find also s ev e ral o th e r
.

impor tan t m e lodic rh y thmic rul e s which appare n tl y are n o t s t ate d e ls e

-

wh e r e un til la te r in th e s e v e n te en th c en tur y : for e xampl e th e rul e tha t ,

a s tepwis e prog r e ss i on i n q uar te rs should so far as possibl e be con tinu e d

, ,

un til it com e s to an acc e n te d half no te ; on th e o th e r hand it is n o t SO good ,

if such a mov e m e n t in q uar te rs e nds on an un acc e n te d half unl e ss th e

la tte r is ti e d ov e r and b e com e s a s y ncopa tion T h e manuscrip t also s t ate s
.

a rul e tha t S O far as possib l e o n e or two s teps of a s e cond downward

, ,

should follow an asc endin g Skip of a four th fifth or oc t av e S O far as , ,

.

I know th e r efor e h e re is s t a te d for th e firs t time thou gh in a mos t

, , ,

primi t iv e way th e impor tan t law conc e rnin g prop e r b alanc e of th e

,

m e lod y F ur th e rmor e it is t au g h t t ha t an asc e n di n g or d e sc endin g s te p

.
,

wis e mov e m en t in q uar te rs should n o t b e gin on th e firs t b e a t in t h e

m e asur e ; it is b e s t to l e t th e s e mov e m e n ts in q uar ters b egin in th e plac e
of th e unacc en te d halv e s .

If this manuscrip t r e all y date s fro mth e t im e of Pal e s trina it is re mark ,

abl e in tha t it r ep e at e dl y an t icipa te s sub j e c t s which o th e rwis e we r e n ev e r

for m ula te d and discuss e d un til th e th e oris ts of th e s e v e n te e n th c en tur y .

By and large howev e r th e r e is no e ss en tial diff e r enc e b e twe en this sourc e

, ,

and th e oth e r more Offi cial th e ore tical works of th e Six te en th c en tur y
,
.

Th e r e is th e r efore hardly any r e ason for assuming tha t prac tical musi
c ian s surpass e d t h e r e al t h e oris t s in knowl e dg e t o a d e g r e e wor t h m e n t ion

in g— gran te d that in accordanc e wi th a t aci t a gree m en t t he y pu b lish ed

, ,

onl y th e rou gh e r workin g rul e s .

Z arl in o

A l t hou gh th e con t rapun t al te a

chin g of th e sixte en th ce n tur y by no
m e ans encompass e d th e po si t iv e sid e of t h e con t rapun t al pro b l e m s e v e ral ,
 O U TLIN E H IS TORY O F CO N TRAP U N TA L THEORY 27

thin gs l e ad us to conclud e that th e p e culiari ti e s of th e pol yphonic t y p e O f

composi tion we re b y no m e ans unknown to th e th eoris ts F or e xampl e .
,

Z arl in o th e mos t impor t an t t h e oris t of t h e Six t e e n t h c e n t ury d e clar e d

, ,

r ep e a te dly tha t harmony aros e o ut of m e lodi e s soundin g Simul tan e ously .

A lso wi th r e g ard to th e conc e p t of m e lod y h e t ook mor e pains t han an y ,

t h e oris t b e for e him — j us t as in g e n e ral h e tr e a te d all asp e c ts of te chni q u e

in a more fundam e n tal w ay than t h e y w e re e v e r t re a te d b efor e In .

t h e Pal e s t rina s t y l e i t s e lf as is w e ll known t h e rul e h e ld tha t only p e rf e c t

, , ,

maj or and minor in te rvals could be us e d in m e lodie s and t ha t all t h e s e

, ,

in te rvals up to th e fifth co uld b e us e d wi thou t r e s tric tion in b o th dirce

t ion s . A lso th e oc t av e could b e us e d bo th asc e ndin g and d e sc e ndin g , ,

whil e all o the r skips wi th th e e xc e p tion of th e minor six th asc e ndin g

, ,

7
we r e forbidd e n O f this rul e Z arl in o wri te s as follows
.
,

T he o ct ave , fifth , f o u rt h , an d t h ird can be u se d , as w e ll as t h e t e n t h ,

w h ic h J o sq uin
u se s ( as a m atte r O f f act h e u se s t h e t we l f t h in O n e l ik e w i se u se s

d isso nan ce s h as t he m in o r an d m aj o r se co n d I t is t rue t h at o ccasio n all y b ut v e ry

su c .
,

in f re q ue n tl y n in t h an d se ve n t h s are u se d as o n e h as o b se rve d i n g o o d m ast e rs a n d

, ,

s t il l can O b se rve t o d ay O n e sh o u ld h o w e ve r as i s t h e pract ice w it h m o d e rn co m

.
, ,

o se rs avo id u si n t h aug m e n te d f o u rt h t h e d im in i s h e d fi f t h an d sim il ar in t e rv al s

p , g e , ,
.

O ne s ee s at onc e tha t Z arl in o whos e work firs t app e ar e d in 1558 d e als , ,

principall y wi th th e prac tic e O f th e N e th e rland compos e rs as it d e v e lop e d

durin g the firs t half of th e six tee n th c e n tury in I tal y and t ha t h e do e s n o t ,

pr e s e n t t he ac tual se t O f rul e s of th e Pal e s trina s t yl e Tha t is som e thin g .

h e could n o t do at t ha t t im e for obvious r e asons For exampl e wi th .

,

t h e s e e arli e r com os e rs such a fr e e r t r e a t m e n t of t h e m e lod y wi t h lar g e r

p ,

Skips was n o t unusual whil e it is e x tr e m e l y rare in th e composi tions of

,

Pal e s trina and h is con te mporari e s I t is wor th no ti n g tha t Z arl in o says .

no thin g conc e rnin g th e possibili ty of usin g th e minor six th b ut th e rul e ,

for its use is alre ady to b e found in t h e famous work of t h e S wiss t h e oris t
C lar e an in t h e Do de cac h o rd o n which o th e rwis e is valuabl e mor e as a
, ,

coll e c tion of e xampl e s Wha t Z arl in o and th e la te r th e oris ts of t h e ce n

.

t ury hav e to sa abou t t h e fin e r m e lodic r e la t ions is in no wis e s t rikin g

y .

A S a rul e th e y r e s tric t t h e ms e lv e s t o g e n e rali t i e s such as Z arl in o s as se r tion

’

tha t t h e voic e s should pro g r e ss q ui e t ly and s t e pwis e b e caus e t h e b e au t y ,

of th e composi tion larg e l y d ep ends upon this m e thod T h e r e q uir e m en t .

7 Zarlino , G .
, L I stit utio n i h ar m o n ic h e
'

, T u tte l O pere
’

. V i
e n ce , 15 8 9 . Vol . I , pp . 25 1 ff .
28 OU TLIN E HISTORY OF CO NTRA PU N TAL THEORY
th ta s tepwis e mov e m en t pr edomina te is b as e d chie fly upon the id e a tha t
such a tr ea tm en t produc e s som e thin g which is e asi er to S in g A rtusi .

sa y s for exampl e tha t m elodi e s S hould mov e s tepwis e S O far as possib l e

, ,
’

b e caus e this m e thod is in accord wi th na ture and at th e sam e tim e is

H
conv eni en t for t h e Sin g e r to o ; and in a con trapun tal work : Dial o go de l
Do n P ie t ro P o ntio P ar m igian o da t in g from 1595 which accordin g to a , , ,

cus tom of th e tim e is arrange d in th e form of a dialogu e th e pupil asks :

, ,

o w Should o n e proc ee d in ord e r t ha t sin ge rs ma y sin g wi t h e as e and

pl e asur e wha t o n e compos e s ?

To this q u e s tion t h e mas te r replie s : B y l e ttin g th e par t s proc ee d s tep
,

wis e and in pro gre ssions from o n e harmon y to anoth e r ; by havin g prop e r ,
”
w e ll propor tion e d in te rvals
-
A nd A rtusi follows a S imilar lin e of
.

t hou g h t wh e n h e for b ids th e chroma tic s tep b e caus e it confron t s t h e

Sin ge r wi th difficul ti e s In vi e w of th e d e cid edl y vocal charac te r of th e

.

art of t his p e riod such a b asis for th e laws is q ui t e compr e h e nsi b l e b ut

, ,

t h e r e is n e v e r t h e l e ss a c e r t ain su e rfi cial it a b ou t it T h e insis te n t de

p y .

mand for a voic e l e adin g tha t is s tepwis e and ev en as far as possib l e was , ,

dou b tl e ss b as e d much mor e on a ps y cholog ical than on an y prac tical

r e ason and ma y v er y w e ll hav e b e en conn e c te d partl y with the s tron g
ur ge toward th e simpl e and natural which is charac te ris t ic of this c en tur y , ,

and partl y wi th an unconscious te nd e nc y to s tre n gth e n and fortify th e

polyphonic e l e m en t as agains t th e chordal which is notic e ab ly gaining ,

in influ enc e durin g th e c e n tur y .

If we turn now to th e tr e a t m e n t of th e dissonan ce we will be surpris ed ,

t o o b s e rv e t hat dissonanc e s for t h e mos t par t w e r e s t ill r e g ard e d chi efl y

as ornam en ts for consonanc e s Wha t Zarl ino thinks in this r e sp e c t is .

8
charac te rist ic :

A l t h o ug h e ve r y co m po sit io n , e ve r y co un t e r
p o i n t , in d e e d e ve n e ve r y h arm o n y is
c h ie fly an d pre f e rabl y m ad e up o f co n so n an ce s o n e n e ve rt h e le ss u se s d isso nance s t o o
, ,

al t h o ug h q uit e se co n d aril y an d i n cid e n tal l y ( pe r acci de n te ) i n o rd e r t o f urt h e r t h e

be a u t y a d o
n r n am e n t at io n— d i sso n an ce s w h ic h al t h o ug h t h e y so un d so m e w h at u n
, ,

l e asan t s t an d in al o n e are n o t o n l y b e arab l e b u t act uall y re f re sh an d pl e ase t h e e ar

p g ,

if t h e y are i n t ro d u ce d i n a su it ab l e an d l aw f ul m ann e r T h e se d isso n an ce s aff o rd t he .

m u sician t w o ( am o n g o t h e r ) ad van tag e o u s po ssibilitie s o f sig n ifi can t v al ue : t he fi rst

i s t h at a d i sso nan ce m ay aid o n e t o pro gre ss f ro m o n e co n so nan ce t o an o t h er ; t he
s e co n d ad v an tag e i s t h at d i sso n an ce s h e ig h t e n t h e pl e asure o f t h e co n so n an ce s w h ich

f o l lo w im m e d iat el y af te r t h e m j u st as l ig h t i s m u ch m o re ple asan t and l o ve l y t o t he

,

8 Z arl ino o p . cit .

,
p . 2 12 .
 O U TLI N E H I STORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L TH EORY 29

e i f i t f o ll o w s d ark n e s s, an d j u st as So m e t h i n m i l d see m s so m u c h b e tte r an d sw e e te r

e
y g
af t e r so m e t h in b i tt er E x e rie n ce t e ac h e s u s t h at t h e c ar w h i c h i s h u rt b d i sso
g p .
y a

n an ce fi n d s t h e co n so n an ce w h ic h im m e d iat e l y f o l l o ws SO m uch the m o re h arm in g

c

an d b e autif ul . Fo r t h is re aso n
m u sician s o f o l d w e re o f t h e o pin io n
t he t h at n o t o n l y

e rf e ct an d im e rf e ct co n so n an ces S h o u l d b e u se d i n t h e ir co m o s it io n s, b u t d i sso n
p p p
an ce s as w e l l ; t h e y re al i z e d t h at t h e b e au t y o f t h e ir co m po si t io n s c o u l d b e e n h an ce d b y

t he u se o f t h e l at te r C o m po sit io n s w h i ch a re m ade u p so le l y o f co n so n an ce s m a y
.

t he m se l ve s so un d g o o d an d h ave a be au tif ul e ff e ct ; b ut t h e re i s so m e t h in g im pe rf e ct
ab o u t t h e m bo t h m e lo d ical l y an d h arm o n ical l y i n t h at t h e c h arm w h i c h m ay arise

f ro m t h e u se o f co n t rast i s l ac k in g A n d al t h o u g h I h ave said t h at o n e S h o ul d f o r t h e

.

m o st part u se co n so n an ce s in co m po sitio n an d t h at d isso n an ce s S h o ul d be u se d o n l y

se co n d ari l y an d m o re i n cid e n t all y o n e m u st n o t t h e re f o re assu m e t h at t h e l at t e r can
,

be u se d wit h o ut an y ru le o r o rd e r f o r f ro m t h is u se o n l y co n f u sio n w o ul d ari se

,
.

Wi th r e sp e c t to th e tr e a tm en t of dissonanc e s Z arl in o s chi ef rul e is ,

’

t ha t t h e ma y n o t occur in no te a g ains t no te wri t in g or on t h e acc e n te d -

y
-

par t of th e m e asur e b e caus e th e y are to o ob tru siv e th e r e O rdinaril y th e

,
.

half note is th e lon ge s t valu e which ma y form a dissonanc e and ye t t his ,

is admissibl e onl y on th e w e ak b e a t ( h e nc e on th e s e cond and four th half

no te s in a m e asure ) and th e r e it is p e rmissibl e onl y in con j unc t mo tion
,
.

Tha t is to say if th e dissonanc e is approach e d and q ui t te d s tepwis e and

,

in th e sam e dir e c tion But half no te dissonanc e s tha t mov e by S kip are
.
-

n o t allow e d at all F or q uarte r no te s approxima te l y th e sam e rul e s appl y

.

as for half no t e s In a pro g re ssion b y Skip onl y consonanc e s ma y b e us e d ;

.
,

on the o th er hand if th e mov e m e n t pro gr e ss e s by s tep th e unacc e n te d

,

q uar te rs ( that is th e S e cond fourth Six th and e i gh th q uar te rs ) ma y b e

, , , ,

dissonanc es .

9
V ic e n t ino e xpre ss e s this mos t b ri efl y and cl e arl y

In co m
p o si t i o n o n e o rd in ari ly u se s a co n so n an ce as t h e fi rst
q u arte r in a m e asu re ,
a d isso nan ce as t h e se co n d , a co n so n an ce as t h e t h ird ,
an d a d i sso n an ce ag ai n as t h e

f o u rt hWh e re h o we ve r
.
, , on l y t w o q u arte rs o ccu r an d w h e re , th e se f o llo w a syn co
ate d w h o l e n o t e o r a h al f n o te and t h e p ro g re ssio n m o v e s i n a d e sce n din g di re ct io n
p ,

t h e se co n d an d n o t t h e fi rst o f h
t e se t w o q u arte rs m u st b e a co n so n an ce ; if , on t he
ot h e r h an d t he m o ve m e nt
, is asce n d in g ,
the fi rst
q u art e r m u st be co n so n an t , t he

se co n d d i sso n an t .

A rt usi Tigrini Ravn , , , an d S wee l in ck

Wha t Z arl in o and V ic en tino teach wi th r e sp e c t to th e t e t r a m en t of t h e

“
dissonanc e is su ppl e m e n te d b y A rt usi as follows
1°
In s te pwis e mo tion ,

9 L A ntica m usica
’
rid o t t a al l a m o d erna prattica p . 32 v .

1°
L A rt e de l
’
co n t rapo nto p56 . .
30 OU TLIN E H ISTORY OF CO NTRA P U N TAL THEORY
compos e rs commonl y wri te two q uar te rs as dissonanc e s ( in imm edia te
”
succ e ssion ) and th e reb y ob tain an exc e ll e n t e ff e c t O ra tio Ti g rini a .
,

canon of A re zzo who in 1588 publish ed an exc e ll e n t work Co mpe ndio ,

“
d e l/ a m usica wri te s : Prac tical musicians if th e y hav e to mak e an y

H
, ,

kind of a cad e nc e wi th th e use of four quarte rs ordinarily arrange th e m ,

in such a wa y tha t th e third q uar te r forms a dissonanc e A par t from .

som e e xplana tor y e xampl e s w h ich follow Ti g rini g iv e s us onl y t he mos t

,

m e a g e r informa tion e s t a te s m e r e l y tha t idioms of this sor t are in

.

g e n e ral use and tha t A rtusi r eg ards th e succ e ssion of two dissonanc e s
( S e cond and t hird q uar t e rs
) as t h e mos t r e markabl e f e a t ur e of t h e combi

na tion Ti g rini do e s mak e th e in te r e s tin g Obs e rva tion how e v e r tha t we

HH
.
, ,

e t e —
find this us of th e acc e n e d q uar r no te dissonanc e chi efl y in cad enc e s
t .

T h e D anish music th e oris t H ans Mikk e ls e n R avn ( Co rvin us ) who in ,

1646 publish e d a w e ll wri tte n b ut n o t e sp e ciall y ori g inal work on music

-

th e or y e t ach o rd um danic um appar e n t l y bas e s his Obs e rva t ions on

p

H
, ,

A rt usi A t any ra te h e wri te s

.
,
In s te pwis e mo tion th e firs t and las t
,

q uar t ers are consonan t e t h e n in troduc e s som e e xplana t or y e xampl e s

.

which are q ui te in accord with A rtusi but which h e appar e n tl y t ook,

dir e c t l y from th e Co m po sitio nsre gel n e rrn M Jo h an P e te rsse n S we e l .

in g t h e work of t h e famous Du t ch or g an compos e r S w ee linck a pupil of

, ,

Z arl in o H e r e th e e xampl e which corre sponds is g iv e n in conn e c tion

.

“
with th e s t a te m e n t : Thus o n e m ay mak e b o th of th e middl e q uar te rs
”
bad b ut th e firs t and th e last mus t be good
,
But this r ul e which is
.
,

bas e d upon ra th e r sup e rficial consid e ra tions is appar e n t ly much old e r ; ,

at an y ra t e w e find it alr e ad y in Pi e tro A ron s T o scan e l l a i n m usica a

’

work which app e are d in 1523 in V e nic e H e r e th e r e la tion b e t wee n .

consonanc e and dissonanc e is s t a te d in a mos t re markabl e mann e r ; th e

au thor r e quir e s tha t th e firs t and las t of th e four no te s which may follow
e i t h e r a br e v e or a whol e no te mus t b e consonan t thou g h t h e t wo middl e ,

H H
no te s ma y b e dissonan t .

T E SEV E NTEENT CENTURY : S OME PEDAGOGI CAL DEV ELOPM ENT S

Ce ro n e

W e Ob t ain r e ally sa tisfac tory informa ion on q uar r no te dissonanc e s

t te -

only much la te r throu gh th e I t alian Pi e tro Ce ron e who for a numb e r of

, ,

11 g
Pa e 33 .
 O U TLINE H ISTORY OF CON TRAP U N TAL THEORY 31

y e ars was a Sin ge r at th e cour t chap e l at Madrid and who in 16 13 pub ,

l i sh e d in S p anish h is e p och making work E l Me l o pe o a work tha t is

-
, ,

imposin g n o t m e r e l y b e caus e of its Siz e We find in it an al mos t ov e r .

wh e lmin g abundanc e of exc e ll e n t obs erva t ions as w e ll as valuabl e in

forma tion abou t th e use of dissonanc e s on th e third of four q uar te rs .

C onc e rnin g t his ma tte r C e ron e wri te s

1 3

O nly in case s w h e re th e p art m o ve s d o w n ward co n u n ctj l y i n f o u r q uart e rs an d

w h e re t he se q u art e r s in t ro d u ce a cad e n t ial de v ice , i s it pe rm i ssibl e f o r t h e rst fi an d

f o u rt h q uarte rs t o be co n so n an t w h ile t h e se co n d an d t h ird are d isso n an t O ne .

s h o ul d n o t i ce e sp e cial l y t h at u n d e r su c h ci rcu m st an ce s all f o u r q uart e ts m u s t m o v e

st e pw i se d o wn w ard an d al so t h at t h e n o t e w h ich f o ll o w s t h e f o urt h an d l ast q u art e r

is the uppe r se co n d to t his .

C e ron e s rul e s are almos t p e rfe c tly in accord w i th th e laws which are
’

Obs e rv e d in th e Pal e strina s ty l e : s tepwis e d e sc endin g mov e m e n t of four

q uar te rs and th e n a S tep of th e s e cond upwards which giv e s th e followin g ,

me lodic idiom N ev e r th e l e ss ,
e v en C e ron e
’
s O b se r

va tion is n o t e n tir el y e xhaus tiv e for in ac tual prac tic e th e fi gur e j us t ci ted
,

almos t alwa y s occurs in combina t ion with a susp e nsion dissonanc e in o n e

of th e o th e r parts Ce ron e m e n ti ons j us t as Tig rini do e s t ha t th e
.
, ,

p ar t icular form of t h e quar t e r no t e dissonanc e r e f e rr e d t o occurs only in

-

cad enc e s ; tha t h e is n o t thinkin g h e r e e xclusiv e ly of cad e n tial formulas

wi th susp e nsions howe v e r is suffi ci e n tl y e vid e n t from th e musical exam
, ,

p l e s giv e n .

O th e rwis e wi th r e sp e c t to th e tr e a t m e n t of q uar te rs as dissonanc e s it ,

—
is r e markabl e tha t th e so call e d auxiliary no te s which are unusually 1 3
,

common in prac tic e r e c e iv e onl y Sli gh t a tte n tion from th e th e oris ts For
,
.

t h e mos t par t th e y are n o t m e n t ion e d at all ; wh e n an y t h e oris t do e s m e n

t ion th e m h e usually m e r e ly forbids th e m

,
O f th e following idioms .
,

A rtusi sa y s it is b e s t for t h e hi gh e s t t on e of th e firs t as w e ll as t h e low e s t ,

12
El Mel o pe o p . 6 50 .

13
Dre h n o te n— I m e an by thi s th e d vie ce hi h
w c i
co n s s t s o f a t urn n ig w ih
t the u pp er o r

d
l o we r se co n and su se ue n t b q re t urn to the p i ip l
r nc a to n e , t h us :
32 OU TLINE HISTORY OF CO NTRA P U N TAL THEORY
t on e of t h e s econd ,
to be consonan t ,
no t dissonan t as man y s e e m to t hink .

I t is fur th e r wor th no tin g tha t t h e S O call e d an ticipa tion dissonanc e -

e n t o disso nan z —
( P o rt a m ) which aris e s wh e n an unacc e n t e d no t e a
p
ro ach e d from a b ov e is r e p e a t e d ( in which t h e dissonanc e normall y can
p
is

hav e onl y th e dura tion of a q uar te r ) :

fl — is no t m e n tion e d at

all b y th e th e oris ts al thou gh it is e v e r y wh e r e in common use in the pra e

,

t ical music of t h e six t ee n th c e n t ur y S t ill mor e r e markab l e howe v e r is

.
, ,

th e fac t t ha t o n e of t h e favori te d e vic e s of t h e fif te e n th and six t ee n t h ce n

t u t i e s th e so call e d cam biat a is n o t discuss e d by any of th e con te mporary

,
-
,

t h e oris t s and e v e n in t h e s e v e n te e n th c e n t ur y do e s n o t s ee m to hav e b e e n

“ ”
no tic e d Cam biata is th e nam e giv e n to a figur e which aris e s wh en an
.

unacc en te d dissonan t quarte r in troduc e d b y s tep from ab ov e ins te ad of

, ,

con tinuin g th e con j unc t mo tion downward mak e s a skip of a t hird ,

downward and is follow e d b y a s te p of a s e cond u pward t hus re aching

H
,

th e t on e of r e solu t ion al thou g h la t e ,

A S has b e e n said compos e rs we r e
.
,

v e r y fond of usin g t his d evic e Ce rt ain th e oris ts amon g whom was .

,
“ ”
A n ge lo B e rardi who wro te in 1689 in t roduc e various no te cam biate
, , ,

as B e rardi calls th e m ( li te rally changing no te s ,

e m e ans b y this

t e rm how e v e r chi e fl y fi g ur e s lik e t hos e pr e viousl y m en t ion e d in which

, ,

th e firs t of t wo d e sc e ndin g q uar t e rs aft e r an acc e n t e d half forms a d is

sonanc e or wh e re th e third of four q uarte rs is a dissonanc e S o far as I

,
.

know th e idiom wi th th e Skip Of a third is e sp e ciall y d e si gnate d as

,

cambia t a for th e firs t t im e in 17 25 th e y e ar in which th e A us trian ro y al

,

chap e lmas te r Johann Jos e ph Fux pu b lish e d his fam o us te x tb ook on

coun te rpoin t Grad us ad P arnass um Conc e rnin g th e tre a tm e n t of e i gh th
,
.

no te s th e th e ory of th e Six te en th c en tur y has no thin g much to sa y and

, ,

conc e rnin g susp e nsion dissonanc e s th e la te r th e oris ts of this c en t ur y say

-
,

li ttl e mor e than V ic en tino ; abou t th e forms of composi tion and the lik e ,

how e v e r t h e y do Off e r a gr e a t d e al of information which is mos t sign ifi

,

can t in th e s tud y of th e musical s tyl e of th e Pal e s trina p e riod b ut which

do e s n o t dir e c tl y a ffe c t t h e sp e cial probl e m of coun te rpoin t .
 OUTLINE H ISTORY OF CONTRA P U N TA L THEORY 33

In summar y th e music th eor y of th e six te e n th c e n tur y by no m e ans

,

e xhaus t s or cov e rs con te mporar y prac t ic e Ind ee d o n e mi ght say t h e

.
,

— —
same p erhaps wi th e v e n mor e j ustifi catio n abo u t music t he or y of t h e
t w e n t i e t h c e n t ur y O n e mus t marv e l at th e clari t y and obj e c t ivi t y wi t h
.

which th e t im e a tte mp ts to d e scrib e its music ; in scarc e l y an y o th e r fi e ld

was more s trai gh tforward valuab l e sci e nt ific work accomplish e d T h e se
,
.

diss er ta tions are n o t of cours e tex tb ooks in th e mod e rn s e ns e for sp e cial

, , ,

p e da gog ical conc ern is ye t to o much in th e b ack ground a situation un —

“ ”
changed t ill th e d e v e lop m en t of th e te aching of th e spe ci e s in th e n ex t
c e n tur y .

In th e six te en th c en tury as has b ee n said two mov e m ent s mad e th e m

, ,

s e lv e s fe l t Th e firs t was a m usica co m una b as e d ra th e r upon th e past

. .

E s pe cially e vid e n t in th e music of th e ch urch; it found it s mos t dis tin

uish e d r e pr e s e n t a t iv e in Pal e s t rina T h e s e cond mov e m e n t was t h e
g .

s e cular music and tha t church music which was more s tron gl y influ enc e d
b y th e madri g al wi th its cl e arl y e mphasiz e d expr e ssiv e te nd enci e s T h e
,
.

la tte r mov em en t prepare d th e wa y for th e music of th e s e v e n t eent h cen

t ury wi th it s n e w forms : th e op e ra th e solo ca n t a t a th e conc e r t o and
,
-
, ,

o thers .

T h e r e has b e e n a t e nd enc y t o r e g ard th e e v e n t s which t ook plac e ab ou t

1600 as a radical r e volu t ion in music i But t h e y w e r e r e volu t ionar y ra th e r
in th e ir tend e nci e s than in th e ir ini tial manife s ta tions T h e musical .

situa tion at th e en d of th e Six te en th c e n tur y and th e b e ginnin g of th e

s e v en teen th r ev e als upon clos e r examina tion a compara t iv e l y e v e n t ran
, ,

sit io n from o n e musical s t y l e t o ano th e r .

T h e d e cisiv e fac tor r e all y app e ar e d at t h e b e g innin g of th e Six teen th

c en tu ry wh en th e n e e d for making music s e rv e th e e nds of po e tic e xpre s
,

sion was firs t cl e arl y manife s te d This urge had no v e ry s trikin g re sul t s
.

to Show at firs t . A t the b e g innin g of t h e s e v e n te e n th c e n tur y how e v e r , ,

it r e c e iv e d a r en e w e d d e cisiv e s tr e ngth e ning from wi thou t from th e

, ,

r e alm of li te ra ture T h e op era was cre a te d a drama tic form which in

.
—

t h e b e g innin g us e d a kind of music as inad e q ua t e t o e xpr e ss wha t was

d e sire d as the madri gal music of th e six teen th c en tur y T h e will how .
,

ev e r
, was pres e n t and p e rsis te d un til finall y afte r g ainin g su ffi ci en t ,

mas te ry ov e r th e musical m e ans of ex pre ssion it a ttain e d its goal : a su b ,

e ct ive music abl e to g iv e e xpr e ssion t o t h e fe e lin g s and passions of t h e

j
individual .
34 OU TLINE HISTORY OF CONTRA PU N TAL THEORY
This d e v elopm en t was mad e possibl e in man y wa y s : firs t throu g h the ,

r e moval of th e s tric t tre a tm en t of dissonanc e s accordin g to law fur the r ,

by r eplacin g th e ar tis tic polyphonic w e avin g of th e voic e s of th e pre c edin g

tim e wi th a mor e chordal s t y l e T h e old e ccl e sias tical mod e s w e r e re .

plac e d b y th e maj or and minor scal e s T h e fe e lin g for tonal comb ina .

t ions b e cam e mor e r e fin e d a Sharp e r dis t inc t ion was mad e b e t w e e n vo Cal
,

and ins trum e n t al wri tin g and shor te r no te valu e s more e n e rge tic mov e
, ,

m en ts and s tron ge r rhy thmic acc e n ts w e re in troduc e d

, .

Be rardi

Dou b tl e ss th e re ason th e th e oris ts cl e arly compre h e nd the trend of this

whol e d e v e lopm en t so q u i ckly is tha t th e time was rip e for it Thus .

re la tiv e l y e arly in 1689 we find for e xampl e in a th e ore tical work

, , , , ,

Misce ll ane a m usical e by th e pr eviously m e n tion e d canon A nge lo B e rardi

,

of V i te rb o a his torical surv e y which in my opinion is b e tte r ori en te d con

,

c ernin g wha t was th e n e ss e n tial in th e Si tua tion than mos t mod e rn dis
e ussions of it B e rardi wri te s :
.

T wo st y le s o f m u sic are in u se t o d ay : t he fi
b ase d upo n Pl ato s w o rd s : m usic
rst is
’

i s m aste r o f t h e t e xt ; t he se co n d st y l e is t h at t o w h ich m o d e rn m u sic b e lo n g s b ut t h e ,

S ituat io n is re ve rse d fo r h e re m usic i s se rvant o f t he te xt T h is m u sic is calle d t h e

,
.

se co n d ract ice b e cau se co n so n an ce s an d di sso n an ce s h ad t o b e u se d o t h e r t h an t h o se

p
u se d i n t h e pract i ce o f e arl ie r co m po se rs I n t h e i r co m po sit io n s o u r pre d e ce s so rs h ave
.
, ,

f o r e xam ple n e v e r u se d d is so n an t in te rv al s su ch as dim in ishe d fi f t h s t h e t rito n e and

, , ,

o t h e r d i sso n an ce s T h e se re ce n tl y i ntro duce d in t h e se co n d pract ice m ak e po ssibl e

.
, ,

n e w e ff e ct s w h ich are n e ce ssary t o e xpre ss t h e w o rd s an d w h ich i f u se d i n appro priat e ,

p l ace s are f re e o f al l b an al it ie s as w o rk s o f v ari o u s f am o u s co m po se rs atte st

, ,
M o n te .
~

“ ”
v e rd i i n t b e L am e n t o f A riann a f o r e xam ple in t ro d u ce s w it h t he o pe n in g w o rd s
, ,
“ ” “
Lasciat e m i m o rire ( L e t m e t h e d im in i sh e d f o u rt h in a w ay e ff e ct ive l y de

s ig n e d t o a o u se t h e sy m pat h y o f t h e l ist e n e r
r A n d N e n n a ( t h e m adrig al ist P o m pe o
.

N e n n a) u se s t h e sam e in te rval in th e fi rst o f h is f o u r part m ad rig al s at t h e w o rd -

“ ”
u m il ita C ip rian o de R o re u se s t he aug m e n te d f o u rt h in h is m ad ri
“ “
g al
“
P o i c h e m i n v i t t a a m o re
’ ”
at t h e w o rd s D o l ce m ia vit a
”
M
( y s
,
w ee t and

G iach e s de We rt e m pl o y s t he sam e i n te rv al i n t h e m ad rig al Mise ra n o n at t h e w o rd

”

n add it io n L u ca Mare n z io an d o t h e r e xce lle n t m ast e rs u se

“ ”
e ssan ue
g i
t h e m
,
a s t h i r w o rk s cl e arl y i n di cat e
e A n d m an y e xam pl e s can b e f o un d i n w h ich
.

m o de rn COI T DO S CI S u se t h e se ve n t h t o o u n pre pare d an d acce n t e d

‘ ‘

, ,
Mo de rn m usi .

e i au s in g e n al t ry t o su p pl an t t h e p ract ice o f f o rm e r t im e s i n t h at t h e y see k t o g iv e

e r
,

im pre ssive e xp re s sio n t o t he t e xt in or de r be t t e r t o aro u se the d passio n s o f

f e e l in g s an

the l iste n e rs, as o u r pre d e ce sso rs w e re u n abl e t o do . O u r pre d e ce sso rs e m pl o y e d o nl y

o n e an d t h e sam e st y l e an d m o d e o f t re at m e n t o f co n so n an ce s an d di sso n an ce s, i n al l
 O U TLIN E H ISTORY O F CO NTRA P U N TA L THEORY 35

the w o rk s p t he y
h ed u bl is
I f w e t u rn . f o r e xam p l e t o P a l,e s t r i n a t h e
p rin ce a n d , ,

f at h e r o f m u sic t h o ug h b y n o m e an s an e spe ciall y O l d co m p o se r w e fi n d o n l y a sl ig h t

, ,

diff e re n ce be t w e e n t h e st y l e o f h is m o te t s ( sacre d co m po sit io n s ) an d t h at o f h is se cul ar

m adrigal s .

A n d if w e e xam in e h
t e se se cul ar so n g s w it h F re n c h an d F l e m is h te xt s, p r i n te d
du rin g 1 5 45 , 1 5 46, 1 5 49 , 15 5 0, an d 1 552 an d co m po se d b y such m ast e rs as C re q u ill o n ,
Jan l u ys, P e tit , J e an d e L at tre , Bast o n , C l e m e n s n o n P apa, R ico u rt , J o sq u in , A drian ,
V erde l o t , and m an y Ot h e r co m
p o se rs o f v ario u s n at i o n s, we fi nd h e re ,
to o ,
y l itt le
ver

d iff e re n ce be t w e e n se cul ar so n
g s an d sacre d co m
p o sit io n s . O n e di ff e re n ce i s t h at t h e
m o ve m e n t s f t h e f o rm e r are so m e w h at m o re
o l ive l y w h e re
t h e w o rd s are g ay an d
“ ” “ “
in t h e so n g s L a be ll a Marg arita, B
”
pl ay f ul , as L a G iro m e t ta, an d L a at tag l ia o f
Jan n e q uin an d V e rd e l o t I f , h o w e ve r, t h e co n t e n t o f t h e t e xt i s se rio u s, t h e n t h e re i s
.

l ittl e o r no d iff e re n ce w it h re spe ct t o st y le an d t h e tre atm e n t o f co n so n an ce s an d dis

s o n an ce s be t w e e n t h e m asse s an d m o te t s o f t h e se m ast e rs an d t h e i r m adrigal s F ro m .

t h is i t i s o b v io u s t h at t h e e arl ie r co m o se rs k n e w o n l y o n e w ay o f w rit in g , o n e st y l e ,
p
an d t h at t h e y u se d it f o r sacre d as w e ll as se cul ar m u sic . Mo de rn co m po se rs h ave at

t h e ir dispo sal h e r h an d t h re e st yl e Spe cie s : a st y le f o r re lig io us m usic a st y le

,
on t he ot ,
-
,

f o r do m e sti c m u sic an d a d ram at ic st y l e f o r t h e t h e at e r

,
A nd ye t t h e re are as h as .
,

be e n said t w o k in d s o f pract ice ( t w o ch ie f st y l e S pe cie s ) : in t h e fi rst m u sic i s t h e

,
-

m aste r O f t he te xt b u t in t h e se co n d t he se rvan t o f t h e t e xt
,
.

B e rardi go e s as far as this But it is som e wha t surprisin g tha t in spi te

.
,

of his cl e ar conc e p tion of th e di ff e re nc e b etw ee n th e music of his own

t im e and t ha t of t h e pr e c e din g c e n t u ry t h e rul e s of coun t e rpoin t which ,

h e formula te d Should b e almos t id e n t icall y th e sam e as t hos e of t h e

t h e oris t s of t h e Six t e e n th c e n t ur y Be rardi s rul e s of coun te rpoin t t h e r e
’
.
,

fore hav e v e ry littl e to do wi th th e n e w prac tic e of which h e s e e ms

, ,

o th e rwis e such a z e alous supporte r T h e sam e is t ru e n o t only O f B e rardi

.
,

but also of all t h e oris t s of th e s ev e n te e n th c e n t ur y : t h e y pr e ach t h e n e w

b ut hold fas t to th e old O nl y occasionall y o n e or ano th e r of th e musical
.

idioms of th e ir own tim e cree ps in to t h e ir music al e xampl e s probabl y —

wi thou t in ten t ion We fac e a co ntrast be t wee n t h e o ry and practice

.

doub tl e ss unparall e l e d in th e e arli e r or la te r his tory of music Y e t we .

should probabl y be t akin g this r e la tion to o s e riousl y if we w e r e to assum e ,

som e conscious proc e ss of r e asonin g at th e roo t of th e ma tte r T h e .

e xplana t ion is conc e ivabl e how e v e r tha t t h e t h e oris t s of t h e s e v e n t e en th

, ,

c e n tury b e lie v e d th e n e w s tyl e in s pi te of its o th e rwis e valuabl e charac

,

t e rist ics n o t w e ll adap t e d t o p e da go g ical us e s

,
O r p e rhaps th e e xplana .

t ion li e s in t h e g e n e ral human t e nd e ncy to r e sis t chang e in in e r tia In , .

t h e cours e of t h e six te e n th c e n tury con t rapun t al th e ory had a t tain e d S O ,

36 OU TLINE H ISTORY OF CO NTRAP U N TAL THEORY
solid an org aniza tion tha t it was n o t to be cas t asid e casuall y ; if n e c e ssar y
it could con tinu e t o e xis t for a t im e ind ep end en t of prac tic e .

A l thou g h we find in th e s e v e n te en th c en tur y for th e mos t par t th e

, ,

sam e con t rapun tal rul e s as in Z arl in o V ic en tino and A rtusi th e r e is a

, , ,

n e w e l e m en t in t h e wa y t h e t e achin g s y s te m i t s e lf was work e d o ut T his .

n e w e l e m e n t brin g s t h e t h e oris ts of tha t t im e in to a much mor e in t ima te

r e la tionship wi th wha t we now r e gard as coun te rpoin t from a pedago gi ,

cal vi e wpoin t .

T h e Can t us P ir m us an d t h e S pe cies

For mod ern musicians p a

co u n t e r p e da g o g ical t e rm is clos e l y
o i nt as
“ ”
associa te d wi th t h e id e a of a can tus fi rm us and th e sp e ci e s SO far as .

t h e can tus fi rm u s is conc e rn e d we find t his id e a n o t onl y in th e s e v e n

,

t e e n th c e n t ur y b u t also in t h e th e oris t s of e arli e r t im e s O ri ginall y it .

w as n o t mo t iva t e d by p e da g o g ical consid e ra tions b ut w as t ak e n ov e r in to ,

t h e ory wi thou t fur th e r d e lib e ra t ion b e caus e it pla y e d a v e r y impor t an t

rOl e in t h e e arli e r polyphon y C los e l y r e la te d to th e inn e rmos t na tur e of

.

music it e mbodi e s o n e of th e Old e s t and mos t profound musical id e as

,
.

T h e followin g rul e ma y b e se t up as a primar y law in t h e e volu t ion of

music : from a c e r tain form A o n e arriv e s at a n e w form B by varyin g A
, ,

g raduall y un til finall y it is S O far varie d t ha t it b e com e s th e n ew form B .

From this vi e wpoin t o n e may wi th a c er tain j us tifica tion re gard all music
, ,

up to this t im e afte r a thousand y e ars of con tinuous modifica tion as a

, ,

gig an tic proc e ss O f varia t ion I t is an un endin g chain of varia tions all
.
,

na turally s tanding in more or l e ss Obvious re lat ion to th e th e m e b ut all ,

havin g o n e thin g in common nam e l y th e visib l e or invisibl e ac tual or

, , ,

id e al can tus fi rm us to which th e y are link e d and upon which th e y

,

con tinu e to build Pol y phony i ts e lf is b as e d upon this principl e of varia

.

t ion in o n e of it s mos t pr imi t iv e forms t h e so call e d h e t e rophon y ( which

,
-

in t h e e volu t ion of our m u sic li e s b e for e th e t im e from which t h e e xampl e s

of polyphony are transmi tte d t o us) In h e te rophony t h e re aris e s a .

c e r tain ra th e r accid e n t al kind of pol y phony wh e n s ev eral voic e s Sin g t he

sam e m e lod y simul t an e ously whil e e ach sin ge r or ins trum en talis t vari e s
th e m e lod y accordin g t o his inclina t ion A nd in th e pre viously m en.

t io n e d or g anum which is t h e old e s t w e s t e rn E urop e an form of pol y phon y

,

pr e s e rv e d for us th e c mpositions are buil t up by addin g o n e or more

,
o

upp e r par ts to a Gre g orian m e lod y This principl e of cons truc tion is .
 OU TLINE H ISTORY OF CO NTRAP U N TAL THEORY 37

r et ain e d in th e mo te t wri t in g of th e t we lfth and t hirteen t h c en turi e s ;

ind ee d its influ e nc e is s trongly fe l t un til w e ll in to th e fiftee n th c e n tury .

T h e can tus fi rm us wh e th e r it is now an e ccl e sias t ical m e lod y or a folk

—

—
song occurs ge n e rally in th e te nor but occasionally in o n e of th e o th e r
voic e s A nd for a lon g t im e in fac t un t il th e o rdinari um composit ions of
.
,

th e six te e n t h c e n t ur t his principl e was s t ron g l y f e l t b ut h e r e t h e can t us

y , ,

fi rm us t e chniqu e is of ten of a mor e id e al charac t e r F or e xampl e o n e no .

,

lon ge r fe l t oblig e d to g iv e to a sin g l e voic e th e sol e ri g h t to th e can tus

fi rm us but allow e d all voic e s in succ e ssion t o use c e r t ain mo t iv e s t ak e n
,

from this basic m e lod y H e nc e it was n o t at all r e markab l e that t h e

.

t h e oris t s of t h e Middl e A g e s S hould acc e p t t his t e chniqu e ( which t hus has

its d e epe r basis in th e fac t that music dis plays a c e r t ain gravi t a t ing t end
e ncy and in e r t ia in it s e volu t ion and adh e r e s t o it s firs t princi l e s wi th
p
r e markab l e tenaci t y ) O n th e o th e r hand it is mor e r e markabl e t hat
.
,
’

t his t e chni q u e can ass e r t i t s e lf wi t hin con t rapun t al t h e or y and t ha t it

is re tain e d wh e n compos e rs onl y rar e l y tre a t th e can t us fi rm us in such

an obvious mann e r Me anwhil e it is q ui te Si gnifican t tha t co ntrapuntal
.

the o r
y i s in t h e
p ro ce ss o f c h an i n
g g f ro m a d isci li n e co n ce r n e d wit h
p
de scribing a styl e as be st it can to o ne which em
p h asiz e s
pe da o ical e n ds
g g .

Con trapun t al h e or y is n o t con te n t m er e l y t o

t formula te th e rul e s which
it ob s e rv e s in p rac t ic e or which it thinks it obs e rv e s t h e r e ; it b e gins t o
consid e r m e thods which will l e ad growin g compos e rs q u ickl y and t hor
ou ghl y to th e mas te ry of th e te chni q u e of music m e thods par ticularl y ,

us eful to th e m in prac tic e I t is no lon ge r sufli cien t to d e scrib e t h e

.

t e chni q u e of t h e g r e a t compos e rs and t h e n l e t t h e s t ud e n t s imi t a t e t h e s e

mod e ls as b e s t th e y can S p e cial e x e rcis e s involvin g sp e cial difficul ti e s

.

are d e vis e d which are n o t t ak e n from ac tual music b ut which are de ,

si gn e d to a ttain th e goal more q uickly Th e s e a tte mp ts app e ar mos t

.

“
cl e arly in t he s y s te m of sp e cie s .

A common popular conc e p t ion of coun te rpoin t is to think t ha t it is

,
“ ”
id en tical wi th the fi ve sp e ci e s H e r e th e m e ans is confus e d wi th t he
.

e n d ; b ut it shows how clos e l y t h e t e achin g of sp e ci e s h as b e com e e n t win e d

in the las t c en turi e s wi th th e d e fini tion of coun te rpoin t A t pr e s en t .

n e arl y ev e ry tex tb ook of coun te rpoin t divid e s th e ma te rial accordin g to

sp e ci e s How e v e r much th e vi e ws of th e diff e r en t au thors ma y div e rge
.
,

th e y do a g ree wi t h v e r y f e w e xc e p t ions in t h e t e achin g of th e Sp e ci e s

, ,
.
 H H
38 O U TLI N E H I STORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L THEORY

T E E IGHTEENTH CENTUR Y : T E S TYLE OF BACH

F ax an d t he S pe cie s

This principl e of division wi th a mo tiva tion similar to tha t of more

,

r e c en t te x tbooks we find firs t in t h e famous Grad us ad P arnassum T h e

, .

au thor of this b ook pu b lish ed in V i enna in 17 25 by ro y al su b sid y was th e

, ,

hi ghl y r e sp e c ted compos e r Johann Jos e ph Fux This book is s till us ed

, .

for ins truc tional p urpos e s in th e e di tions of Be lle rm an H all e r and , ,

o th e rs wh e re it h as b e e n chan ge d in l e ss e ss e n tial poin t s I ts prac tical

, .

si gnificanc e which no o th e r work on con trapun tal th e or yhas a ttain ed

, ,

is due n o t onl y to th e p e da g o g icall y e xc e ll en t arran ge m e n t of t h e ma te rial

so t ha t th e difficul t i e s incr e as e g raduall y but also par t l y to t h e fac t t ha t
,

F ux was o n e of th e firs t to tak e a more mod e rn a tti tud e toward coun te r

poin t T h e e arli e r th e oris ts e i th e r conc en trate on th e prac tic e of t h e ir
.

own tim e or p e rhaps in accordanc e wi th lon g e s tab lish e d cus tom follow
,
-
,

t h e t h e ori e s of t h e ir pr e d e c e ssors wi t hou t consid e rin g con te mporar y pra e

t ic e
. F ux how ev e r was full y aware tha t one is confron te d wi th a choice
, , “

in th e ma tte r of music th e or y ; o n e do e s n o t l e arn e v e r y thin g of sign ifi

—
canc e from an y o n e s tyl e sp e ci e s E v e ry s ty l e has its particular te chni q u e
.

and th e r efore o n e mus t know e xac tl y wh y h e choos e s som e particular

s t yl e ra th e r than ano th e r as th e b asis of ins truc tion Mos t of th e th e oris t s .

of th e six te e n th and s e v e n tee n th c en tu r i e s wi thou t g ivin g th e matte r ,

fur th e r consid e ra tion b as e d th e ir work on th e music ab ou t th e m and onl y

,

occasionally mad e som e comm e n t to th e e ff e c t that this or tha t idiom is

b e au tiful or mod e rn or tha t ano th e r is old fashion e d or l e ss usab l e Fux -
.
,

how e v e r l e av e s th e music of his own t im e th e Bach H and e l e poch and

, ,
-
,

choos e s consciously and wi th cl e ar for e si gh t th e music of Pal e s trina as

t h e b asis of his t e achin g This is c e r tainly n o t m e re l y a matte r of t h e
.

cons e rva tism of old e r p e opl e E ux was six t y fi ve ye ars old wh e n h e wrote
— -

th e Grad us ad P arn ass um — for Fux b e lon g s by no m e ans to t h e r e ac tion

H
ari e s who hold on wi th t oo th and nail t o wha t was th e law in th e ir y ou t h ,

e v e n t hou gh h e sp e aks sharply a b ou t con te mporar y music which as h e , ,

“ ”
write s in th e Ge rman e di tion of his b ook has almos t b e c o m e pe rv e rs e,
.

e is in fac t a fr e e spiri t a man who t hinks prac t icall y and ind e p e nd e n t ly

,

who r e co gniz e s t h e w e akn e ss e s of h is own tim e to th e minu te s t d e t ail and

who see k s an e ff e c tiv e r e m e d y But Fux s sup e riori ty h as ofte n b een
.
’
 OU TLINE HISTORY OF CO N TRAP U N TAL THEORY 39

unr e cogniz e d . T h e Ge rman h e oris t of th e P e riod of E nligh te nm e n t

t ,

K irnb erge r in ,
17 82 wro te a s t ud y call e d Ge dan ke n ube r die ve rsc h ie de
ne n L e h rart e n in d e r K o m o sit io n ( T h o u h t s o n t h e V ari o us Me t h o ds
p g
o f T e ach i n o m o sit io n in which h cri iciz e s F ux s proc e dur e on t h e
)
’

g C p e t
“ ”
ground that it is to o s tric t ( rein ) K irnb e rger e xamin e s Fux s m e thod
.
’

in conn e c tion wi th th e music of h is own tim e and r ej e c t s it b e caus e it

do e s n o t corre spond L ate r th e oris ts e v e n to our own t im e hav e r ep e a te d
.

th e sam e o bj e c t ions .

F ux th e r e for e choos e s th e s ty l e of Pal e s trina as his b asis and in a v e r y ,

“
d e mons trativ e mann e r ind ee d : in his p r efac e h e calls Pal e s trina that
sp l e ndid ligh t in music to whom I o we e v e rything I know of this
sci e nc e E v e n if Fux s d e sir e t o l e arn and th e will to mas te r th e t e ach
’
.

in g of Pal e s trina is s tron ge r than his ab ili ty to do so and al thou gh h e ,

in te rmix e s e l e m en t s of his own con te mporar y music in his discussions /

— q ui te possi b l y wi thou t r e alizin g it— n e v e rth e l e ss his Grad us is on th e

H
f

whol e s till a valuab l e work e sp e ciall y wi th r e sp e c t to division and

,

org aniza tion of th e ma te rial .

F ux proc e e ds as I hav e said by s te ps from Simpl e to Compl e x from

, , ,

e asi e r t o mor e di ffi cul t e b e g ins t h e prac t ical par t of his book wi t h
.

—
“
t wo par t coun t e rpoin t and e v e n t uall y
-
o e s on to t hr ee and four par t
, g
coun te rpoin t and th e n to imi t a tion to th e fu g u e and t o doubl e coun te r
, , ,

poin t F or e ach particular kind of w

. ri t in g, two t hree and four part
/
-
,

h e s e t s up th e sam e fi ve e x e rcis e s or sp e ci e s In th e firs t sp e ci e s h e adds

.

an upp e r part th e n a low e r par t in whol e no te s to th e can tus fi rm us so

, ,
“
t ha t t h e coun t e rpoin t mov e s no te a g ains t no te in th e form call e d in
t h e pr e c e din g c e n t uri e s c o n t ra un t o se m lice F ux h e r e t e ach e s t h e
p p
!
.

sam e principl e t au gh t in e arli e r tim e s t ha t dissonanc e s ma y n o t b e us e d

,

in this Sp e ci e s at all But h e do e s n o t proc ee d as was th e cus to m of th e

.
,

th e oris t s of t h e fif te e n t h and six t ee n t h c e n t uri e s dir e c t l y from simpl e ,

coun te rpoin t no te a g ains t no te to tha t wi th mo tion th e so call e d coun te r

, , ,
-

poin t b y diminu tion in which diff e r e n t no te valu e s and rh y thms are

us e d in an e n tire l y fr e e mann e r Ins te ad Fux con tinu e s q ui te sys
.

te m at ic all and in t h e s e cond sp e ci e s s e t s t w o half no te s to e ach whol e

y
no te in th e can tus fi rm us Dis sonanc e s are admi t te d in this sp e ci e s only
.

on th e unacc e n te d portion of th e me asure and th e n only if th e y are ,

t r e a te d as passin g no te s In t h e third sp e ci e s cons eq u en tl y four q uar

.
, ,

te rs are wri tte n a g ains t e ach whol e no te in t h e can tus fi rm us He re th e .

40 OUTLINE HISTORY O F CO N TRA PU N TA L TH EORY
w e ak q uar ters th e s econd and four th no te s of e ach m e asur e ma y dissona te
, ,

j us t as in th e s e cond sp e cie s as passin g no te s In Fux s opinion th e

— .
’

third quar te r may b e dissonan t provid e d bo th of th e quar t e rs which

adj oin it on e i th e r sid e are consonan t Wh e re F ux found this rul e I do .

n o t know ; possi b ly h e formula te d it hims e lf A t any ra te it is n o t b as ed

.

upon th e prac tic e of the Pal e s trina s ty l e In this sp e ci e s furthe rmore .

, ,

F ux m en tions appar en tly for th e firs t t im e in music th eory th e cam biata

, ,
.

In th e four th sp e ci e s a g ain onl y half no te s are us ed but this t im e as ,

susp e nsions E v e r y unacc e n te d half is t ie d ov e r to th e succ ee din g ac

.

cen t e d no te T h e s e acc en te d half no te s in troduc e d b y ti e s may dis

.

sona te but th en th e y mus t d e sc end s tep wis e to th e f o llo wmg unacc e n te d

,
‘
por tion of th e m e as ure F inall y th e fif th sp e ci e s is th e sO—call e d co ntra
.

“ ”
p un ct us fl o rid us
( fl o w e rin
g coun t e rpoin t
) and corr e sponds t o t h e c o n

t rapunt o di m i n ut o of the e arli e r t h e oris t s P ux in t r o duc e s h e r e no p ar

.

t icul arl y d e t ail e d rul e s b ut h e do e s obs e rv e tha t t wo isola t e d quar t e rs may

occur in th e plac e of an acc e n te d half no te onl y und e r c e r tain r e s tric tions .

This rh y thm ical arran ge m e n t of the sp e ci e s is howe v e r n o t Fux s in , ,

’

v e n t io n T h e b e g innin g s of t his proc e dur e are found t oward t h e en d

.

of th e six te e n th c e n tur y 11 Transil vano . a we ll known th e oret ical -

work b y Girolamo Diru ta for th e firs t tim e tre a ts coun te rpoin t in half
,

no te s ( tha t is th e s e cond sp e ci e s of Fux) A fte r tha t com e s coun te rpoin t

,
.

in s yncopa te d halv e s and th e n in q uar te rs and finall y e xe rcis e s wi th ,

mix e d no te valu e s .

In A driano Ban ch ie ri s Cartell a m usical e a work which app e are d in

’

16 14 in Ve nic e we find almos t e xac t l y th e sam e arran g e m e n t of t h e

,

s pe ci e s as in Fux : firs t coun te rpoin t in note against no te th en t wo

, ,

halv e s agains t e ach whol e note of th e can tus fi rm us ; afte r that four ,

q uart e rs th e n s y ncopa te d half note s H ow ev e r in place of th e fifth

,
.
,
”
sp e ci e s Banchi e ri m e n tions th e so call e d co ntrapunto fugat o T his
,
- .

nam e impli e s tha t th e con trapun tal part imit ate s and obviousl y a tte mp ts
t o produc e t h e illusion of a fu g u e in t hat it in t roduc e s a t h e m e which is

answ e re d in th e fifth late r in th e sam e part Th e n follows the co ntra .

unt o o sti n at o in which t h e con t rapun t al par t has compl e te rh y t hmic

p ,

fr ee dom wi thin th e limi ts of a m e lodic mo tiv e an asc ending scal e of six ,

t on e s which t h e r efor e mus t b e rh y t hmicall y vari e d so t ha t it conforms

,

at all t im e s t o t h e can t us fi rm u s .

F inall y Z acco n i s P rattica di m usica

,
’
an exc e ll en t and more
 OU TLIN E H ISTORY O F CON TRAP U N TA L THEORY 41

compre h e nsiv e work in troduc e s in th e s e cond par t all th e Fux sp e ci e s

,

in e xac t ord e r : whol e no te s halv e s q uar te rs s y ncopations and mix e d

, , , ,

valu e s In addi tion to th e s e fi ve sp e ci e s Z acconi has a larg e numb e r of

.
,

o th e r ex e rcis e s : exampl e s for coun te rpoin t in which onl y s tepwis e mov e

m en t may occur and for coun te rpoin t in j us t th e opposi te mann e r in ,

which only Skip s are allow e d ; exampl e s for i mitatio ne pe r dire tt o wh e re ,

a scal e wis e d e sc endin g mo tion is answe r e d af te r th e mann e r of th e fu g u e

in o n e and th e sam e voic e and for im itatio ne pe r co ntrario in which a
, ,

d e sc endin g scal e wis e pro gr e ssion is imi ta te d in th e inv e rsion ( lik e wis e .

in th e sam e par t ) and a numb e r of o th e r similar sp e ci e s This te nd e nc y .

to t hink U ar t ificial diffi cul t e x e rcis e s s ee ms to g row in t h e cours e of

p ,

t h e s e v e n tee n th c e n t ur y .

In o n e of th e mos t re pr e se n ta tiv e works of this c e n tury on th e t h e ory of

music th e Do cum e nti arm o nici of A n ge lo B e rardi who has b ee n m e n
, ,

t io n e d b e for e we find for e xam p l e a coun t l e ss numb e r of such tricks

, , , ,

which may possibl y hav e s timula te d th e ima g ina tion of th e pupil but
which we re o th e rwis e hardl y of g re a t valu e B e rardi b e g ins wi th th e .

“ ”
co n t ra un t o all a z o ppa ( limping
p coun t e r oin t
p ) in which th e rhy thm
is main tain e d s tric tly T h e n B e rardi pr e s e n ts coun te rpoin t in
.

s tep wis e progr e ssion in which skips may n Ot occur at all and finally a
, ,
’

,
“ ”
ski pping coun terpoin t in which s te pwis e mov e m e n t is forb idd e n In

H
.

t h e n ex t cha p t e r h e in troduc e s coun t e rpoin t in which a Singl e no te valu e ,

t h e do tt e d half n o t e is us e d and follows t his wi th coun te rpoin t which

-
,

main tains the following rhythm t hroughou t J JJ J ) ) . e n ex t

r a s coun te rpoin t which mov e s e xclusiv e ly in th e rhy thm

t e t
J J JJJ .
) ) )

and many o th e r kinds of invariabl e rhy thms B e rardi te lls fur th e r as do e s .

,

Banchi eri of co ntrapunt o fug at o and o stinat o and in addi tion of coun te r
,

poin t in which c e r t ain in tervals such as fifths oc tav e s or ten ths are ,

forb idd en ; of coun te rpoin t in fr ee no te valu e s in which dissonanc e s

ma y n o t occur at all ; of coun te rpoin t in te rnar y m e asur e ; and of coun ter

poin t in sal t are ll o , which mov e s in a c er tain danc e rhy thm

In S hor t his powe r of inv en tion
, is almos t in exhaus tibl e .
H ow e v e r color
42 OU TLINE H ISTORY O F CONTRA PUN TAL THEORY
ful and confus e d all this ma y s ee m and howev er li ttl e significanc e in
con trapun tal ins truc tion o n e ma y be inclin e d to a ttribu te to it t he ,

t end e nc y h e r e manif e s te d d e s e rv e s a tte n t ion ; it g iv e s e vid e nc e of a c e r t ain

urg e toward p e dagogical arrange m en t of th e ma terial on th e par t of th e

th e oris t T h e e xampl e s which th e y in troduc e in th e ir books are no
.

lon g e r tak e n dire c tl y from ac tual composi tions b ut cons truc te d b y th e

r e sp e c tiv e au thors th e ms e lv e s O bviousl y no compos e r wri te s a compo
.

si tiou of an y l en g th which prog re ss e s for e xample e xclusiv e l y in halv e s

, ,

or q uar te rs A nd ye t it ma y be q ui te appropria te tha t t he pupil should

.

at firs t disr e g ard rh y t hmical probl e ms and conc e n t ra te compl e te l y upon

t h e t r e a t m e n t of th e m e l odic lin e and t h e dissonanc e so t ha t th e fur th e r

diffi cul ti e s which aris e o ut of th e combina tion of rh y thms are allowe d

, ,

t o com e U onl y af te r h e has full y mas t e r e d t h e s e I t would lik e wis e

p .

b e di fficul t t o find composi t ions in which th e voic e s mov e s t e pwis e ex

e lusiv e l y ; and e t o n e ma y conclud e wi th som e j us t i fi ca tion t ha t t h e
y
prac tic e of coun te rpoin t which e mplo y s onl y con j unc t mo tion and m as
te r of t his wa y of wri t in g builds a r e s e rv e which will h e lp a compos e r
y
t o wri t e a v e r y fr e e flowin g e v e n m e lod y t o a can t us fi rm us
, , .

I t canno t b e d eni e d how e v e r t ha t man y e n t ir e l y sup e rfluous e x e rcis e s

, ,

and th e ore tical trifl e s w e re in troduc e d in te x tb ooks of th e s ev e n tee n th

c e n t ur y ; n o t un til F ux t ak e s th e matte r in hand r e ducin g th e sp e cie s ,

t o fi v e and incr e asin g th e di ffi cul t i e s succ e ssiv e l y is a form e volv e d which

,

is r e all y prac t ical for p e dago g ical purpos e s .

Wi th th e firs t half of th e e i gh tee n th c e n tur y th e re fo r e th e primi tiv e

, ,

s t age of con trapun tal th e ory is l e ft b e hind O n e no longe r wri te s down

.

wi thou t r e s e rva tion or cri tiqu e th e rul es which h e ob s e rv e s or b e li ev e s h e

obs e rv e s in prac tic e but h e b e gins to r e ason ab ou t th e m and to s t yliz e th e m
,

if h e consid e rs this d e sirabl e ; h e s e l e c t s and rej e c ts T h e Si tuation is to b e

.
,

sur e a much mor e comp licate d o n e than that in th e Six tee n th c e n tury
,
.

In th e in te rim an art h as d e v e lop e d which has d e fini te ly almos t e xclu ,

sive l
y,
a harmonic b asis A s a. r e sul t in musical t h e or
, y t h e r e has aris e n

an e nt ire l y n e w disciplin e : th e t h o ro ughbass syst e m of ins truc t ion which ,

d ev e lops wi thin a shor t tim e in to th e t h e o ry o f h arm o ny wi th its com ,

l e m e n t ar conc e p t co unt e r o i nt Th e r efor e in d e scribin g music

p y , p .
,
o ne ,

mus t choos e b e tw e e n th e two m e thods wh e re form e rly th e re was n o

choic e .

A lon g wi th this d e v e lopm e n t polyphonic music a tt ain e d its s e cond

,
 O UTLINE HISTORY OF CO NTRAP U N TAL THEORY 43

climax in th e firs t half of th e e i gh teen th c e n tur y wi th Johann S eb as t ian

Bach We are fac e d wi th a fur th e r choic e in con trapun t al th e or y : Bach
.

or Pal e s trina ? From now on con trapun t al th e or y divid e s in two dir ce

t ions ; and al thou gh mos t t h e oris t s hav e d e cid e d in favor of Pal e s t rina ,

Bach is n o t wan tin g in followe rs amon g whom are man y impor tan t
,

p e rsonali ti e s O n e of th e firs t th e oris ts possib l y th e firs t to follow Bach

.
, ,

was K irn be rger .

K irn be rge r

Johann Philipp K irn be rger who s tudi e d wi t h Bach in L e ipzi g r e t ain e d

, ,

t hrou g hou t h is life t h e d e e p impr e ssion which h e r e c e iv e d from t h e

p e rsonali ty of the gr e at mas te r ; in fac t h e e v e n s e e m e d som e wha t

ridiculous to his con te mp o rari e s b e caus e of th e obvious fana ticism wi th /

which h e d efe nd e d e v e r y thin g p e rt ainin g t o Bach s honor and g r e a tn e ss ’

.

H is cri ti q u e of e v e ry art o th e r than Bach s was harshl y d e ro g a tor y ye t

’

h e did n o t s ee m to hav e a t rul y cri t ical j ud g m e n t hims e lf O nl y t h e .

posi tiv e asp e c ts of his th eori e s are of r e al valu e T h e a tt acks in his .

Gr un dge dan ke n iibe r die ve rsch ie de n e n L e h rarte n i n de r K o mpo sitio n

'

dir ec te d a g ains t B e rardi Bononcini and Fux who in his opinion are
, , ,

re sponsib l e for th e b e s t and pur e s t works on th e th e or y of music consis t ,

of a s e ri e s of ob j e c tions tha t hav e li tt l e poin t Be rardi s s ty l e displa y s .

’

uni t y and charac te r but it is n o t to be re comm e nd e d b e caus e of it s v e r y

,

s tric t vi e wpoin t B e sid e s h e do e s n o t discuss various more mod e rn

.
,
.

advanc e s in music Bononcini to be sure ma y be l e ss limi te d in h is

.
, ,

s ty l e but h e doe s n o t tak e care tha t th e charac te r o f th e initial t h e m e

,

domina te s the whol e composi tion F inall y so far as Fux is conc e rn e d

H
,
.
,

K irnbe rg e r finds tha t his rul e s are to o s tric t and tha t his t e x tbook t o o
quickly tak e s up th e fugu e which Kirn b e rge r also r e gard e d as b y far
,

th e mos t di ffi cul t form of com p osi t ion K irn b e rge r s cri tiqu e is obviously
’
.

lacking in ma ture re fle c tion e assum e s qui t e as a ma tte r of cours e tha t

.

t h e Bach s t yl e is t h e onl ri g h t o n e ; if th e e arli e r th e oris t s do n o t a g r e e

y
wi th this s tyl e th e n th e ir te aching has th e reby cond e mn e d i ts elf O n th e .

o th e r hand Kirnb e rge r wri te s conc e rnin g h is g re a t te ach e r

,

H
J o h ann S e b ast ian B ach u se s a th o ro ug h l y pu re st yl e in all h is co m po sitio n s ; e ve ry
w o rk o f h is h as a de fi n ite u n ifi e d c h aract e r R h y t h m m e lo d y h arm o n y in sh o rt
.
, , , ,

al l t h at m ak e s a co m po s it io n re al l y b e au t if ul h e h as co m pl e te l y at h is co m m an d as i s
,

atte ste d by h i s wo rk s . is m e th o d i s t he b e st f o r h e m ak e s t h e t ran sitio n f ro m t h e

,
44 O U TLINE HISTORY OF CO NTRA P U N TA L THEORY
e asie st t o th e m o st d iffi cult ste p by ste p in h o ro ug h m anne r and f o r th is ve ry re aso n
a t ,

t he st e p t o t h e f ug ue it se l f is no m o re d iffi cul t t h an an y o f the o th e r ste ps o n the way .

Fo r t h is re aso n I co n si der th e m eth o d o f J o h an n S e bastian Bach t h e o ne and o nl

y
m e th o d . I t is d th at t h is g re at m an ne ve r w ro te any t h ing t h eo re tical
to be re
g re t t e

ab o u t m u sic an d t h at h is t e ach i n s h ave co m e d o wn to t it y l y t h h h i

g p o s e r o n ro ug s

u il s I h av t t e m t e d t o re d uce t h e m e t h o d o f t h e l ate J o h an n S e b ast ian Bach t o

p p . e a
p
it s b as ic p rin ciple s and i n m y K un st de s re i n e n S at z e s t o re ve al h is t e ach ing s t o t he
, ,

w o rl d t o t h e b e st o f m y ab il it y .

T he work which K irnbe rge r m e n tions h e re re all y con tains such an

a tte mp t and comparison b e tw ee n the r e sul t h e re and the e arlie r con tra
,

pun tal th eor y ma y th e re fore b e of in te re s t

H
.

A S usual K irnb e rg e r b egins wi th an acous tical e xposi tion of th e tonal

,

ma te rial and of in te rvals T h en h e b rings in som e s e c tions on chords.

in which h e discuss e s th e diff e ren t forms and inv e rsions of th e triads

and chords of th e s e v e n th and g iv e s rul e s for th eir tr e atm e n t e also .

m en t ions th e dissonan t susp ension B e caus e th e dissonanc e s b rough t .

abou t in this mann er can b e omitte d wi thou t causing a mist ak e or a lack

“ ”
of cl e arn e ss K irnbe rger calls th e m un e ss en tial dissonance s O n th e
‘

, .

“ ”
o th e r hand h e charac te riz e s as e ss en tial thos e dissonanc e s which occur
-

in a chord as for e xampl e th e s ev e n th of th e chord of th e s ev e n th K irn

,
.

b e rge r wri te s in gr e a t d e tail ab ou t th e tre atm e n t of b oth e ss en tial and

un e ss e n tial dissonanc e s ab ou t harmonic p e riods and cad enc e s ab ou t
, ,

modula t ion in to n e arly r e la te d and more dis t an t k e ys ab ou t harmonic ,

and inharmonic ( consonan t and dissonan t ) skips in m el odie s More .

ov e r h e discuss e s in gen e ral th e whol e mate rial ordinarily includ e d in a

,
.

sys te m of harmon y b efore passin g on in th e ten th chap te r to t he discus

,

sion of th e prob l e m which h e calls simpl e coun te rpoin t in two or mor e

part s And we find ra th e r e arl y in this s e c tion a re mark charac te ris tic
.

of Kirnb e rger :

S im ple st rict co u n te rpo in t can b e in t wo ,

t h re e f o ur Or m o re
, , p art s . I t is b e st t o
b e g in w it h f o ur part co un te rpo i nt b e cau se it is h ard l y po ssibl e to
- w rite in t w o o r t h re e

t f t l y u n t il f u - art
w rit in h as b e e n m aste re d F o r S in ce t h e co m ple te
p r
a s p e r e c o r p g .

h arm o n y i s in f o ur parts, so m e th ing m u st alway s be m issin g in t wo an d t h re e -part

w o rk s, SO t h at o n e cann o t j ud ge safe l y as t o w h at i s to be o m itte d f ro m the h arm o n y

in the d iff e re nt case s w h ich arise unl e ss h e h as a t h o ro ug h k n o wle d ge o f f o u r part -

w ritin g .

Wi th o n e s trok e this re mark ac tuall y disclos e s th e whol e transforma

t ion which t o o k l ace in t h e pol y phonic ar t durin g t h e s e v e n te e n t h and
’

p
 O UTLINE HISTORY OF CONTRAP U N TAL THEORY 4S

e i gh te en th c en turi e s K irn be rge r no lon g e r b e g ins wi th th e lin e as

.
,

did his pr e d e c e ssors b ut wi th th e chord ; and ye t h e wan t s pol yphon y

,
.

But h er e h e is e n tir e l y in th e ri g h t b e caus e th e pol y phon y h e is s trivin g

for is th e harmonicall y conc e iv e d lin e ar music of th e la te baro q u e of ,

th e Bach s t y l e H is compl e te br e ak wi th th e prac t ic e up to t hat t im e

.
,

which b eg an wi th t wo par t coun te rpoin t and graduall y incr e as e d th e

-

numb e r of voic e s and his d epar tur e in an almos t diam e tical l y oppos e d
,

dire c tion giv e e vid e nc e throughou t of logicali t y and of a vigorous p ow e r

.

of obs e rva tion T h e r e asons h e g iv e s for this bre ak are mos t S i gnifican t
.

for him th e chord is primar y ; th e in te rval is compr e h ensib l e onl y as a

cons ti tu e n t of a chord A third for exampl e is an incompl ete triad of
.
, ,
“ ” “ ”
which e i th e r th e rO Ot or th e fifth is missin g ; th e e mp ty fifth is e mp ty
b e caus e th e in te rm e diate third is lackin g which would mak e it a com ,

l e t e t riad F rom h e r e it is ac tuall y onl y a s te p t o t h e R i e mann de fi n i

p .

t ion of th e dissonanc e as S impl y a nonharmonic e l e m e n t .

K irnbe rger now proc ee ds to d e scrib e firs t t h e four par t coun te rpoin t -

“ ”
in no te a g ains t note th e n th e thre e par t and finall y th e two part te ch
,
-
,
-
'

niq u e T h e las t m e n tion e d h e d e si gna te s in conn e c tion wi th his e arli e r

.
-
,

discussions th e mos t difficul t of all th e wa y s of wri tin g involvin g a

, ,

t e chni q u e impossibl e t o mas t e r wi thou t an accura t e knowl e d g e of t h e

four par t s ty l e A fte r this h e discuss e s fi ve and S ix—part writin g and

'

- .
,
“ “ ”
th e n proc e e ds t o th e S O call e d ornam en tal or florid coun te rpoin t
- .

By this h e m e ans th e sam e form as tha t which th e e arl y con trapun tal
t h e oris ts call e d co ntra unt o d i m i n ut o ( h nc for xampl t h fif h
p e e e e e ,
t ,

sp e cie s of Fux) and h e divid e s this sp e ci e s in to three groups th e firs t

, ,

of which compris e s t h e S o —call e d chordal fi gura tion a te chni q u e com ,

l e te l for e i g n t o t h e t h e or y of t h e S ix t e en t h c e n tur y T h e s e cond g roup

p y .

includ e s th e so call e d passing no te s which can b e e i th e r r e gular or irreg

-
,

ular ; th e form e r occur on w e ak acc en ts lik e th e p assing no te s which ,

we know from Fux and th e I talian t h e oris t s and g en e rall y fill o ut t h e ,

in te rvals of a third which ad j oin th e m on e i th e r Sid e But th e s e can

H
.
,

in con tras t to the prac tic e of Pal e s trina s tim e be approach e d and q ui tte d
’

,
”
b y Skips B y irr eg ular passin g no te s K irnb e rge r m e ans th e acc en te d
.

passin g dissonanc e which is now call e d the appo gg ia tura dissonanc e

,
.

e is conc e rn e d h e r e wi th an idiom which si g nifican tl y di ff e r e n tia te s t h e

Bach pol y phon y from the Pal e s trina s ty l e ( wh er e such dissonanc e s do

no t occur at l e as t n o t on t h e un e q uivocall y acc e n te d por t ions of t h e
,
46 O U TLIN E H ISTORY OF CO N TRA PU N TAL THEORY
m e asur e ) Wh e r e t wo or mor e voic e s prog r e ss Simul tan e ousl y wi th
.

p assing no t e,s U
p t o four dissonanc e s may occur dir e c t ly in succ e ssion
provid e d t h e mov e m e n t is liv e l y and th e m e lod y e asily und e rs tood Y e t .

h e r e o n e will b e wis e to se t to work som e wha t cau tiously It is b e tte r .

,

sa y s K irnb erge r to follow Chap e lmas te r Graun in this ma tte r than

,

H a nd e l or Johann S ebas tian Bach b e caus e Graun wri te s wi th th e gr e a te s t

,

of prud e nc e and in vocal wri tin g aims for th e most harmonious combina
-

t ions . Bach is mor e v e n tur e som e in this r e sp e c t than an y on e e ls e ; con

s e q u e n tl y his composit ions r eq uire a v e ry par ticular p e rformanc e o n e ,

w e ll sui te d to h is wa y of wri tin g for o th e rwis e lis te nin g to his works

,

would ofte n b e unb e arab l e on accoun t of th e ir harsh eff e c t s O n e who .

do e s n o t und ers t and harmon y thorou g hl y Should n ev e r pla y his more

diffi cul t works ; on th e o th er hand if o n e is abl e to achi e v e th e righ t sort
,

of p e rformanc e e v e n th e mos t l e arn e d of his fugu e s sound e xc e ll e n t

, .

K irn b e rge r h e r e t ak e s co gnizanc e of a p e culiar e ss e n t ial sid e of t h e Bach

,

t e chni q u e wh e r e in spi t e of t h e d e cid e dly chordal basic vi e wpoin t t h e

, , ,

lin e ar e l e m e n t s com e t o th e fore so s tron gl y S O ind ep end en tly at c e r tain

,

t im e s t ha t t h e harshn e ss of t h e t onal combina t ions is und e rs t andabl e onl y

,

t hrou g h t h e lo g ic of t h e voic e l e adin g T h e t hird g roup which K irn

.

”
b er g e r discuss e s is th e S O call e d un e v e n progre ssion
-
un l e ich e
g
By this te rm h e m e ans th e r e la tion in which tw o voic e s originally in ,

t e nd e d t o mov e Simul t an e ously no te a g ains t no t e are s e para t e d by a,

re ciprocal displac e m e n t g ivin g ris e to a sp e ci e s of s yncop e mos tl y i n v e ry

, ,

small no te valu e s Wi t h t h e s e discussions K irnb e rge r clos e s t h e firs t

.

p ar t of his book .

T h e s e cond par t b e g ins wi th ins truc t ion conc e rnin g th e four par t har -

m o n iz atio n of a g iv e n Soprano K irn b e rger th e n in t roduc e s a s e c tion

.

on th e various old e r and more mod e rn mod e s and scal e s T h e t hird .

chap te r is e sp e cially in t e r e s tin g b e caus e it tr e a ts of m e lodic pro gre ssion

“ ”
and of flowin g m e lod y K irn b e rger inv e s ti g a te s firs t of all th e ton e
.

wi th which a m e lod y Should b e g in in ord e r that th e mod e ma y b e r e cog

n iz e d as q uickly as possibl e Wi th r e g ard to th e fur th e r d e v e lopm en t
.

of th e m e lody h e r e marks tha t e v e ry good m e lody mus t hav e c e r tain cor

r e c t harmoni e s as a basis ; m e lodi e s in which th e harmonic founda tion is
n o t palpabl e and e asily g rasp e d canno t b e flowin g K irn b e rge r s t h e or y
’
.

i s h e r e c e r t ainl y mos t limi t e d b e caus e of t h e t im e in which h e liv e d b ut ,

 OUTLINE HISTORY O F CONTRAP U N TAL THEORY 47

H
it corre sponds exc e ll e n tl y wi t h his whol e basic conc ep tion V e r y wis e l y .

h e adds t ha t o n e mus t n o t j ump t o th e appar en t corollar y b e caus e n o t

e v e r y m e lod y which r e s t s upon a cl e ar and corr e c t harmonic b asis is n e ce s

saril y succ e ssful . e fur t h e r o b s e rv e s t ha t small e r in te rvals such as ,

s e conds and thirds are b e tte r for th e flowin g pro gre ssion of th e m e lod y
,

t han S ix ths s e v en t hs oc tav e s and so on

, , , T h e la tte r in te rvals t h e r efor e
.
, ,

should b e us e d onl y wh e re a s tron ge r acc e n t is d e sire d or wh er e th e

smooth mov e me n t is ab andon e d in consid e ration of th e e xpre ssion T o .

e xpr e ss an ge r or j o y skips are mos t e ff e c t iv e but t o e xpr e ss a mor e q ui e t

, ,

mood s tepwis e mov e m en t is b e s t suite d ; but this kind of mov e m e n t mus t

,

n o t be carri e d t o e xc e ss b e caus e con tinu e d scal e wis e glidin g up and

,

down is mono tonous and irksom e Me lodi e s that con tinu e for lon g .

p e riods wi th ton e s l y in g exclusiv e l y wi thin o n e scal e v er y e asil y b e com e

insipid ; th e r e is ind ee d onl y a hand s b r e ad th b et wee n th e flowin g and
’

th e t rivial In ord e r to obvia te this sor t of mono ton y a ton e fore i gn to

H
.
,

th e k e Should be wov e n in occasionall y e sp e ciall y if th e chi e f acc e n t of

y ,

t h e passa ge is t ransf e rr e d t o t his par t icular ton e .

K irnberge r t h e n discuss e s in succ e ssion th e m e lodic use of th e di ff e r e n t

in te rvals wi thou t b rin g in g in an y thin g e sp e ciall y wort h no tin g e e nds .

finall y wi th a surv e y of th e e mo tional e ff e c t s of th e in te rvals This con .

e lusion is in accord wi t h t h e S O Call Cd t h e or y of th e e mo tions of th e P e

- /

rio d of E nligh te nm e n t T h e augm e n te d prim e asc e nding for e xam pl e

.
, ,
“ ”
te nds t o produc e an e ff e c t of anxi e ty ; d e sc e ndin g it is mos t m e lan ,
“
ch o l T h e diminish e d s e v e n t h sounds painful t h e minor s e v e n th
y
.
,
“ ”
te nd e r and m e lancholy t imid ,
th e maj or s e v e n th
,
viol e n t raving full , ,
”
of d e spair all in asc e nding mov e m en t De sc ending th e diminish e d
-
.
,

” “ ”
s ev en th sounds lam en tin g th e m i nor s e v e n th som e wha t fe arful th e
, ,
”
major s ev en th te rrib ly fe arful and so on , .

T h e four th s e c tion of th e s e cond book d e als wi th m e te r and rh y thm

and now and th e n in troduc e s som e thin g re all y valuabl e and n e w T h e .

t wo la st and mos t e x te nsiv e divisions finally discuss th e subj e c t of doubl e

coun te rpoin t .

By way of summing up Kirnbe rg e r s work o ne mus t say tha t in Spi te ’

of all his thorou ghn e ss and abili ty h e is abl e to draw o ut v e r y li ttl e of

t h e pol y phonic valu e s which l ie hidd e n in Bach s incomparabl e art T he
’
.

vie wpoin ts upon which K irnbe rge r s work r e s ts are often v e r y n e arl y
’
48 O U TLIN E H I STORY O F CO NTRA P U N TA L TH EORY
ri g h t Bach who in o th e r r e sp ec ts s e e ms to hav e r e cogniz ed th e Fux
.
,

”
m e thod appar e n t l y follow e d i n t he ins truc tion of his p ersonal pupils
,

a m e thod v e ry similar to tha t d e scrib e d b y K irn be r e r Bo th Kirnb e r

g .

g e r s S ta te m en ts and thos e of Philipp E manu e l Bach confirm th e assum p

'

t io n tha t t h e g r e a t Joh an n S e bas t ian l e t his pupils b eg in con trapun t al

ins truc tion wi th th e four—par t harmoniza tion of choral e s onl y afte r th e y

had work e d through th e whol e of harmony Bach for e xampl e le t

H
,
.
,

H e inrich N ikolaus Ge rb e r his p u pil firs t go through th e inv e n tions and

, ,
“ ”
th e n som e sui t e s and t h e W e ll—Temp e r e d Clavichord L a te r h e pro .

ce e de d t o t h e t horou g hbass and g av e G e rb e r t h e t ask of workin g o ut in

four par ts di ff e r en t bass e s from A l b inoni s violin composi tions e us e d

’
.

a similar proc e dure in th e ins truc tion of ano th e r pupil Johann F ri e drich ,

A g ricola t o whom h e firs t g av e prac tical ins truc tion in org an and clavi e r
,

H
pla y in g in troducin g him la te r to th e s tud y of harmon y
,
.

T E N I NETEENTH CENTU RY : P ALESTR I NA OR BACH ?

d e scri pt ion of Bach s s tyl e was m e anwhil e n o t dire c tly con tinu e d
The
’

aft e r K irn b e rge r A t th e en d of th e e i gh te e n th and th e b e g innin g of

.

t h e nin e t ee n t h c e n t uri e s co n t ra un t al ist s d e p e nd e d chi efly on F ux

p ,
.

H aydn ins truc te d th e young B e e thov e n according to th e Grad us ad

P arn ass um T h e r e al p rogr e ss in musi c th e ory consis t s of a mor e funda
.

m en t al and mor e r e fin e d working o ut o f th e th e ory of harmony which ,

had alre ady r e c e iv e d d e cisiv e a tt en tion in R am e au s Traite d e l h arm o nze ’ ’ ’

R ich t er

con tinuation of th e work b e gun by K irn b e rger app e are d onl y wi th

A
E rns t F ri e drich R ich t e r s L e h rb uch de s e i n fach e n und d o ppe l t e n K o n
’

t ra un hts which w as publish e d in 1 87 2

p ,
M uch e arli e r in 1 8 3 8 th e .
, ,

B e rlin Profe ssor A B Marx had in th e s e cond volum e of his K o m po si

. .
,

t io nsl e h re t r e a t e d t h e con trapun t al forms from t h e vi e wpoin t of t h e

,

Bach polyphony al thou gh on a broad e r mor e formal basi s S tran ge l y

, ,
.

e nou g h how e v e r t h e n e wly awak e n e d in t e r e s t in Bach which is o n e of

H
, , ,

th e mos t Si gnifican t f e a t ur e s of th e Me nd e lssohn g e n e ra t ion produc e d ,

14 Ph . S pi t ta : I h an n
o S e bast ian Bac h . L ipzi g
e ,
Bre i k pf
t o und arte l , 1 8 7 3 —1 8 80 . Vo l . 11 ,
pp . 6 04—605 .
 O U TLIN E HI STORY OF CO N TRA P U N TA L THEORY 49

H
no compreh e nsiv e works on Bach s s t yl e p ossibly b e caus e of th e sligh t
’

rOl e which s tric t pol y phon y g e n e rall y pla y e d in th e composi t ions of t h e

roman tic compos e rs .

R ich te r us e s to a c e r t ain e x te n t th e sam e m e thod as K irnberge r e .

assum e s that th e pupil has a compl ete mas te r y of harmon y and b e g ins
wi th four part wri ting note ag ains t no te T h e chi e f rul e h e re is that all
-
,
.

chords includin g th e chords of th e s ev e n th and th e ir inv e rsions ma y be

, ,

us e d R ich te r mak e s use of three sp e ci e s comin g clos e r in t his r e sp e c t

.
,
“
to F ux t han K irnb e r e r com e s
g T h e firs t of th e s e sp e ci e s is
. no te a g ains t
”
no te ; in th e s e cond two half no te s are wri tte n a g ains t e v e r y whol e no te
,

in th e can tus fi rm us O n th e acc e n te d por t ion of the m e asure onl y

.
,

consonan t chords or susp e nsion disso n an ces are p e rmi tte d O n th e un

'

acc e n te d b e at passin g dissonanc e s ma y occur but onl y so far as th e y are ,

cons ti tu en t s of som e s e v en th chord or o th er chord tha t is corr e c tl y tre a te d .

In such cas e s t h e y ma y e v e n be approach e d and q ui tte d by Skips e sp e ,

ciall y wh e r e th e harmonic progr e ssion is r e la t iv e ly smoo th In third spe .

cie s R ich te r lik e F ux s e t s four quarte rs to e ach whol e no te in th e can t us

, ,

fi rmus H e r e t h e firs t no te in e ach m e asur e mus t be a harmon y no te

.
,

e t in e xc e p t ional cas e s a susp e nsion t ha t is w e ll t r e a te d or a chan g in g

y
no te ma y occur ins te ad of th e chord ton e O th e rwis e passin g or chan g .

in g no te s ma y be us e d an y wh e re but always onl y wi th s tepwis e t re a t

,

men t R ich ter s furth e r sp e ci e s includ e coun te rpoin t wi th thre e or six

.
’

no te s to e ach no te in th e can tus fi rm us Th e s e addi tions are j us tifi e d .

,

Sinc e the ob j e c tion can b e rais e d a g ains t Fux that h e n e gl e c t s th e te rnar y

m e asure in accordanc e wi th th e prac tic e of th e Six tee n th c en tury a de fi ,

cie n c which th e la t e r r e visions of th e Grad us s e e k t o r e m e d y In a

y .

similar mann e r R ich te r now tre a ts th e three par t and th e n th e two par t - -

coun te rpoin t L a te r on th e larg er con trapun t al forms and dou b l e coun

.
,

t e r o in t follow
p .

Iadasso h n , R ie m an n Kre hl ,

S Jadassohn s L e h rb uch des K o ntrapun kts pu b lish e d in 1883 is drawn

.
’

, ,

u in accordanc wi t h a roxima t e ly t h e sam e princi l e s In comparison

p e pp p .

wi th K irnb e rge r b o th R ich te r s and Jadassohn s works re all y r epr e s en t

,
’ ’

a retro grad e S tep for throu gh th e m o ne a ttains e v en l e ss of t he g re a tn e ss

,

of the Bach s ty l e than throu g h K irnb e rge r s works Moreov e r th e y are ’

.
,
50 O U TLINE HI STORY OF CON TRA P U N TAL THEORY
vacilla ting in th e ir m e thod in te rmixing th e principl e s of the harmonically
,

ori en te d coun te rpoin t wi th thos e of the Pal e s trina s ty l e T h e re sul t is .

ac tuall y n ei th e r harmon y nor coun te rpoin t but a va gu e cha r ac te rl e ss , , ,

mon g r e l produc t .

H u g o R i e mann in his L e h rb uch des K o ntrapun kts which app e ar e d

, ,

in 1888 b egins in th e sam e way as R ich te r and Jadassohn but h e has a

, ,

much b e tte r conc ep t of th e e ss e nc e of th e Bach s ty l e F or him to o .

, ,

harmon y is th e h y po th e sis throu gh which all the rul e s of voic e l e adin g

of th e e arli e r coun te rpoin t tex tbooks are mad e sup e rfluous ; for h e sa y s :

T wo part co u n te rpo in t k n o w s o n l y t he law s w h ic h l ik e wi se g o ve rn f o ur-part

-

h arm o n ic w ritin g But t h e se law s m ust u nco n scio usly g u id e t he g ift f o r m e lo d ic

.

in v e n t io n ; t he im ag in at io n m u st be ab le to m o ve f re e l y w it h o ut re fle ctio n w it h i n t he
re a lm o f t he av ail a b le p o ssi b il it ie s .

L a te r R i e mann r e marks how e v e r possib ilit y of a harmonic

, , t ha t th e

in te rpre ta tion of a can tus fi rm us is for th e mos t part v e r y limite d ; ind eed
t h e r e is of t e n t h e prob l e m of findin g t h e o n e and onl y possib l e solu t ion .

He r e R i e mann ob viousl y has som e appre h e nsion l e s t the coun te rpoint

should be to o clos e l y link e d wi th harmonic consid e ra tions ; th e refore h e
would lik e to re pre ss chordal fee lin g s in to th e re alm of th e su b conscious .

S tefan K r e hl how e v e r in his li tt l e handbook K o ntrapun kt

, ,
b oldly
v e n tur e s to draw th e cbn clusio n which R ie mann h e re avoids K rehl .

r e marks that th e pupil who proc ee ds from the t horou gh s tud y of harmon y
to coun te rpoin t b e com e s so accus tom e d t o com b inin g m e lod y and har

mony tha t h e is r e ally comp e ll e d to conc e iv e the ton e s as re pre s e n tativ e s

of c e r tain chords Th e r efore it is n o t particularl y di ffi cul t for him to
.

ima g in e th e missin g ton e s wh e n h e cons truc ts a chord o ut of onl y two

t on e s . N ow in ord e r t o produc e th e mos t favorabl e pre s e n t a tion or
,

r epre s e n t a tion of th e particular chord e v e ry m e lody or can tus fi rm us ,

t o b e t r e at e d mus t firs t b e harmoniz e d in four par t s In two part writ .

-

in g th e n th e prob l e m is to s e l e c t th e ton e s which b e s t and mos t cl e arly

, ,

r epre se n t th e harmony But at th e sam e tim e prope r a tten tion mus t

.
,

b e paid to th e voic e l e ading T h e placing of coun te rpoin t on a harmonic

.

basis could scarc e ly b e formula te d mor e cl e arl y .

Y e t it is r e markab l e tha t b o th R i e mann and K r e hl in spi te of such ,

a n a t t i t u de t o ward chords follow e xac t l y t h e sam e

,
proc e dur e as F ux ;
 OU TLIN E HIS TORY O F CO N TRA P U N TA L THEORY 51

tha t is th e y b e gin wi th two p art coun te rpoin t and gradually incr e as e

,
-

th e numb e r of voic e s Th e y also use th e sp e ci e s wi t h o n e two t hr ee

.
, , ,

four or six no te s in th e add e d par t to e ach no te of the can t us fi rm us

,
.

“ ”
In bo th we see more ov e r a kind of a t avism : b o th use th e rh y thmiz e d
, ,

coun te rpoin t in tha t e v e r y s epara te voic e main t ains its own par ticular
, ,

more compl e x kind of mov e m e n t j us t as in con trapun t al prac t ic e b efor e

,

F ux A fte r r e adin g th e works of R i e mann and K r e hl we mus t admi t

.
,

t ha t th e form e r is ri g h t wh e n in an e n t ir e l y di ff e r e n t conn e c t ion h e

, ,

main t ains tha t th e more mod e rn th e or y of music in spite of all a tte mp ts , ,

has n o t had th e sligh te s t succ e ss in making th e laws of th e Bach po l yph

ony cl e ar .

K urt h K ro h n Grab ne r
, ,

O ne work howev e r d e s e rv e s to be m e n tion e d in t his re sp e c t th e

, , ,

pre viousl y m en t ion e d book of E rns t K urth : Grundl age n de s l ine are n
K o n t rapun /( ts This work is no te x tboo k of music the or y in t h e re al

H
.

s e ns e but ra th e r a book d e alin g wi th s t yl e from a ps y cholo gical and

,

biolog ical vie wpoin t In his e xposi tion K ur th succ e e ds in pr e s e n t in g

.
,

much of his unusual und e rs tandin g of Bach s gre at boldn e ss and powe r ’
.

e calmly cr e a te s an e n t ir e ly n e w symbolism for th e d e scri t io n of mus i c

p
and carri e s on more in te nsiv e work w i th m elodic probl e ms H is basic .

his torical vi e wpoin t is how e v e r e ss e n t iall y imp e rfe c t I n tha t h e has onl y
, ,

o n e sid e of t h e Bach s t y l e in vi e w t h e lin e ar and h e disr e g ards or a tt e mp t s

, ,

t o d e n y t h e un q u e s t ionabl e fac t of it s r e s t in g on a harmonic basis Wi th .

him we are for th e tim e b e ing at th e en d of th e mov e m e n t in con tra

pun tal th e or y which proc ee ds from Bach A nd ye t I should n o t lik e .

to omi t m e n t ion of Ilmari K ro h n s t e x tbook on coun t e rpoin t

’

which at pre s e n t is unfor tuna te l y availabl e onl y in F innish K ro h n s .

’

work b as e d on Bach r e v e als an al e r t und e rs tandin g of th e rh y thmical

, ,

probl e m and mak e s a no te wor th y a tte mp t to provid e musical mo tiva tion

of th e e xe rcis e s H Grab n e r s De r line are S at z also adop ts an in te re s t
. .
’

in g vie wpoin t This book which app e are d at th e sam e tim e as th e

.
,

orig inal Danish e di tion of th e pre s en t work is lik e wis e charac

t e riz e d by an e n e r g e tic e mphasis on lin e ar aims In m y opinion how
.
,

e v e r t h e to o ind e fini te s ty lis tic b ack g round of t h e e xposi t ion do e s n o t

,

e rmi t t h e plas tici t y and p e n e t ra tion n e c e ssar y in a t e x tbook

p .
 H
52 O U TLI NE HISTORY O F CO NTRAP U N TAL THEORY

T E PALES TR I NA M OVEM ENT A F TER F U x

Martini ,
Ch e r ubi ni Be l l e r m an n
,

T he Pal e s trina mov e m en t and its d e v elopm en t re cord no impor tan t

pro gre ss S inc e F ux Padre Mar tini th e g re a t coun te rpoin t te ach e r of th e
.
,

e igh t e e n th c e n t ury has l e f t no r e ally didac t ic work

, H is S agg io fo nda .

m e ntal e pratico di co nt rappunt o ( 17 7 4 al thou gh in te llig e n tl y and

in te re s t in gly anno ta te d is ra th e r a coll e c tion of e xampl e s of vocal po l yph
,

ony than an ac ual tex tbook of coun te rpoin t But th e maj ori t y of th e
t
.

th e oris t s of th e e igh te e n t h and nin e t e e n th c e n turi e s follow F ux wi thou t

impor tan t al te ra tions in his te achin g A sp e cial plac e is occupi e d h ere .

by Ch erubini s w e ll known Co urs d e co ntre po int which s y s te ma ticall y

’
-
,

adh er e s e n tire l y to Fux wi th an occasional lic e ns e in accordanc e wi th a

mor e mod e rn tas te takin g th e form of som e dissonanc e s on th e acc en te d
part of th e m e asur e T h e Grad us exp e ri enc e d a r e vival in 1862 throu gh

H
.

H e inrich Be lle rm ann s Si gnifican t r e vision T h e au thor e nrich e d th e

’
.

work wi th vari e d ma te rial chi e fly of a his torical na tur e conc e rning no , ,

ra t ion scal e s and so on

, ,
Be l l e rm an n how e v e r do e s n o t com e much
.
, ,

clos e r to th e r e al Pal e s trina s ty l e than Fux e follows t h e F ux rul e s .

an d lik e his succ e ssors H all e r H ohn and th e r e s t n e gl e c t s t o d e te rmin e

, , , ,

b y inv e s ti g at ion wh e th e r th e rul e s in E ux are r e all y thos e of Pal e s trina .

This t ask is now b efore us ; we canno t prog r e ss fur th e r in this fi e ld of

15
con trapun t al th e or y un til we know som e thin g abou t t his q u e s tion .

If a b ri ef r evi e w of th e tr e nd of con trapun tal d e v e lopm e n t is mad e we ,

mus t conclud e that ev er y thin g that compos e rs and th e oris ts hav e cre ate d
and ima gin e d throu g h div e rs e tim e s ma y be trac e d to two basic id e as .

“
O n e has b e e n e xpr e ss e d mos t cl e arly by Z arl in o : L h arm o nia nasce dal
'

can tare ch e fann o i nsie m e l e art i de l l e cant il e n e ( harmon y aris e s from

, p
t h e Simul t an e ous sin g in g of m e lodi e s ) T h e ot h e r was appar e n t l y first .

“ ”
formulate d b y R am e au : L a m el o dic pro vie nt de l h arm o nie ( m e lod y ’

com e s from harmon y ) This is th e sourc e of th e two forms of pol yphon y

.

and th e th e ore tical disciplin e s associate d wi th th e m Bo th are j us tifi ed .

,

for both had te mporary validi t y in th e his tory of music .

15 1 S h l d l ik
ou e to m ent o n R i . iO . Mo rr ’
s s C o ntrapuntal T e ch ni q ue i n t h e S i xt e e nt h Ce nt ury
( O xf o r d , 1 9 22 ) as a .
wo rth y w o r k l h gh
, a t ou n o t re all y d pt d
a a e fo r te ac hi g p p
n ur o se s .
 O UTLINE HISTORY OF CON TRAP U N TAL THEORY 53

But —
from th e his torical biological s t andpoin t doub t l e ss only th e firs t
,

basic id e a is sound : m e lod y cam e firs t and onl y la te r was th e wa y t o

harmony found A nd sur e l y t his i s also th e vi e w which e v e r y on e mus t
.

t ak e who anal y z e s th e na t ur e of coun t e rpoin t

.
 Ch apt e r II

TECHNI CAL FEATURES

NOTAT ION
A DD ITION TO th e G cl e f on th e s e cond lin e ( th e discan t cl ef and
I
N
“
t h e F cl e f on t h e four th lin e ( th e b ass which are in gen e ral
use t oda y classical vocal pol y phon y mak e s consid e ra b l e use of t h e C cl e f
, ,

which indica te s th e posi tion of middl e C on th e s t a ff This cl ef could .

t h e or e t icall y b e us e d on an y o n e of t h e fi v e lin e s b ut it is use d mos t

,

fre qu e n tly on th e firs t lin e soprano cl ef on th e t

hird lin e
F
E al to cl e f and o n th e four th l in e E te nor cl e f The

C cl e f on th e s e cond lin e m e zzo soprano cl e f

K was us e d l e ss
-

“
fre qu e n tly and is found only v e ry rare ly on th e fifth lin e ( bari ton e cl e f
sinc e th e F cl e f on th e third lin e which m e ans th e sam e thin g was
, ,

ge n e rall y prefe rre d :

This compara tiv e ly lar ge s e l e c tion of cl e fs charac te ris tic of the e arli e r
,

music w as for t he purpos e of avo i din g as much as possibl e t he use of

,

l e ge r lin e s which could e asil y mak e th e no te pic ture va g u e and indis tinc t
,
- .

I t was pr e f e ra b l e t o chan ge cl e fs and t hus avoid havin g th e no te s t o o

ofte n e xc e e d th e limi t s of th e fi v e lin e s I t is to be r egre tte d tha t th e s e
.

cl e fs hav e graduall y gon e o ut of use T h e te nor cl e f e sp e ciall y is sore ly

.

miss e d Sinc e n e i th e r th e tre bl e nor th e bass cl e f is sui te d to th e ran ge of

,

54
 TEC H N I CAL FEA T U RE S 55

th e tenor To no te th e te nor in th e G cl ef an oc tav e hi gh e r than it sounds

.

always will be a mis e rab l e mak e shift I t is valuabl e in ge n e ral for th e .

musician to be accus tom e d to th e C cl e fs sinc e th e y op e n to him th e ,

v e ry gre a t and sublim e l y b e au tiful a cappe ll a li te ra tur e Th e y can also .

b e of u se to him in t h e ma tt e r of t ransposi t ion .

In th e vocal polyphon y of th e Six te e n th c e n tur y th e followin g no te

valu e s we r e us e d : maxima ( large e igh t whol e no te s )

( long 2 four whol e no te s ) bre vis ( bre v e t wo whol e no te s )

L= 1 ; Se m ibre vis ( s e mi b r e v e 2 o ne whol e no te ) minima ( minim

o ne half note ) :
T s e miminima ( s e miminim 1 : o ne cro tch e t or

quar te r no te ) :
I and fusa ( o n e quav e r or e igh th no te ) : 1
(

followin g re s ts corr e spond to t h e s e no te valu e s

Maxims . Lo ng a B re vi s S e mibre vis Minima Se miminima

In addi tion to th e s e s y mbols of no t a tion c e r tain SO call e d ligat ures we re ,

-

us e d to indica te that th e no te s conc e rn e d w e re t o be slurr e d and e x e cu te d

in o n e bre a th A l thou gh such lig atur e s are n o t us e d in th e e x e rcis e s in
.

t his book t h e mos t impor t an t rul e s r e g ardin g t h e ir t r e a t m e n t are v e r y

,

bri efl y g iv en h e r e Sinc e o n e mus t know th e m to b e com e ac q uain te d at

,

firs t hand wi th th e con trapun tal music of th e fifte e n th and six tee n th
2
c e n turi e s .

T h e lig a tur e s are divid e d in to two g roups : l igat urae re ct ae in which ,

the quadra te no te s are wri tte n clos e toge th e r for e xam pl e : ,

ig h h di v p ly ph y f h i h
H
y
1 E n the l

H
t re st s are n o t u se o ca o on o t xtee n t ce n t u r

H
e s .

2
Mo re d il d i
e ta e m i
nf o r at o n o n t h q i will b
e se ue st o n s e f d i J b h l Di
o un n aco st a , e Me ns ural
n o te nsch ri tf de s 1 2 und 1 3 Iahrh un ert s
. . er n d B li Sp i g
.
, r n e r, 1 87 1 B ll m
; Di. e er an n , e Me nsural
n o te n u nd T a ht ze ich e n d e s 1 5 u nd 1 6 Iah r h u n dert s
. . . Be r li n, R i m 1 9 06 d J h
e e r, ; an o an n e s Wo l f ,

and b uch de r N o tatio ns /( un de ,

Vol . 1 . L ipzi g
e ,
Bre ik
t o
pf u nd ii rte l , 1 9 1 3 .
in such a wa y tha t th e b e ginnin g and end of this fi gure indica te s the

t wo no te s uni te d in th e li g a ture for e xampl e :

,

T he firs t no te of e v e r y li g a tur e is call e d n o ta initialis th e las t no ta , ,

fi n alis; and th e no te s which ma y happ e n to l ie in b e tw e e n are call e d

n o t ae m e diae .

If th e n o ta initial is h as no d e sc e ndin g cauda ( tail ) and if it is hi gh er

than t h e followin g no t e t h e n it has t h e valu e of a lon g a r e g ardl e ss of
, ,

wh e th e r th e li g a tur e is or bl i q
'

rect a
'

o ua .

Th e s e t wo lig a tur e s ,
t h e r efore m e an
, th e sam e :

th e n o ta in itial is h as
no cauda ye t is lowe r than th e followin g no te ,

coun t s as a br e v e wh e th e r re cta or o bli q ua ’

If on th e o th e r hand th e ini tial ton e has a lin e downward on th e l eft

“

, ,

Sid e th e n it coun t s as a br e v e wh e th e r th e ligat ur e is re cta or o bl iq ua or

,

wh e th e r th e followin g t on e is hi gh e r or lowe r

Wi th a lin e upwards on th e l eft Sid e ( ligat ura c um o ppo sita pro prie tat e ) ,

t h e ini t ial ton e an d t h e followin g ton e e ach coun t s as a s e mibr e v e wh e th e r

,

th e liga t ur e is re ct a or o bl i ua or wh e th e r th e mo t ion is asc e nding or

q
d e sc endin g :
—
l l

H e r e how e v e r ano th e r rul e also com e s i n to pla y in accordanc e wi th

, , ,

which e ve r y no te b e lon g in g to a li g a tur e which h as a tail ex te ndin g u

p
ward on th e ri gh t Sid e coun t s as a br e v e whil e a d e sc e ndin g t ail on
,
th e

sam e sid e of th e not e giv e s it th e valu e of a long for e xampl e : ,

A ll n o t ae ha t is all no te s l y in g b e tw ee n th e ini tial and final

m e diae , t

t on e s of a li g a t ur e are br e v e s unl e ss t h e y are chan g e d in t o s e mibr e v e s

, ,

as m e mb e rs of a l i at ura c um o o sit a r o rie t at e or g iv e n t h e valu e of

g pp p p
a lon g b y th e d e sc e ndin g s te m on t h e ri gh t Sid e .

T h e final t on e of ev e r y o bli qua coun t s as a br e v e

In l igat urae rectae to o th e closin g ton e is a br e v e if

, ,
it i s high e r t han
t h e pr e c e din g no t e ; if it is low e r it i s a lon g :,

The use of caudae in liga t ur e s may be bri e fly summariz e d :

1 . A d e sc e ndin g s te m on th e l eft sid e of th e no te g iv e s it th e valu e of

a b rev e .

2 . The
asc e nding s te m on th e l eft Sid e of th e no te mak e s this no te
and th e followin g no te s e mibre v e s .

3 If th e no te h as a lin e downward on th e ri gh t Sid e it coun ts as a

.

lon g b ut if it h as an asc endin g s te m on th e sam e sid e it h as t h e valu e

, ,

of a br e v e .

T h e following e xam pl e s Show t y pical liga tur e s and th e ir solu t ions

In th e
Six teen th c e n tury as in mod e rn music t h e do t m e an t t h e l en g th
,

e n in of t h e no te b y o n e —
half it s valu e ; t h e doubl e do t how e v e r was n o t
g , ,

us e d But do tte d rhy thm s could b e indica ted by filling in th e normal

.

whi te or o pen no te s .
58 TECHN ICAL FEAT URES
In such cas e s th e followin g form of no ta tion was mos t fre q u en tl y us e d
0
11 3
“ 5
“
7

B e sid e s th e arran ge m en t of the cl efs which was mos t common in t he

Six teen th
c en tury

The la tte r arrange m e n t was call e d chiave tt e or chi avi traspo rtate
( t ransposi t ion cl e f ),
and i t was us e d t o indica t e t ha t t h e par t icular com
posi tion could be p e rform e d a minor or a maj or third lowe r than ac tuall y
no te d Thus if th e firs t se t of cl efs in th e following e xampl e is m en t ally
.

r e plac e d by th e s e cond and th e prope r k e y Signa t ur e k ept in mind a ,

t rans p osi t ion is e asily e ff e c te d .

 H
TEC H N ICAL FEAT U RES 59

T E ECCLES I AST I CAL MODES

The music of the Six teen th c en tury is bas e d upon th call e d e ccl e sias s
e o -

t ical mod e s a sys te m of mod e s tha t e xis te d in th e music of w e s te rn

,

E urop e from th e ori g in of th e L a t in Church and domina te d music un t il

th e s e v e n tee n t h c e n t ur y wh e n t h e t ransi t ion t o our ma j or minor s y s t e m
,
-
,

lon g und e r wa y finall y b e g an to pre vail

, .

T h e old e s t prac t ical e vid e nc e of th e e xis te nc e of th e church mod e s we

find in th e Gre gorian chan t s in t hos e t im e honor e d m e lodie s of th e
,

Ca tholic Church which appar e n t ly cons t i t u te th e e arli e s t art music pro

duced by our W e s tern cul t ur e .

T h e e volu t ion of t h e s e mod e s was n o t b rou g h t ab ou t by sol e mn a g r e e

m en t upon c e rtain forms to which compos e rs of Gr eg orian m e lodi e s
th e n had to adap t t h e ms e lv e s an y mor e t han spok e n lan g ua g e s o we
,

th e ir ori g in t o t h e e s t ab lishm e n t of an alphab e t In music as in all .

o th e r fi e lds prac tic e has pre c e d e d th eor y T h e music of th e church in

,
.
:

th e old e s t form in which it has com e down t o us ( and at l e as t so far as ,

no ta tion is conc e rn e d this can scarc e l y go b ack fur th e r than th e nin th

,

or te n th c e n tur y ) a ff ords cl e ar evid enc e tha t th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s

,

we re no t so to sp e ak a prio ri to it and tha t we mus t rath e r r egard th em

, , ,

as c e rt ain principl e s of or g anizat ion comin g from wi thou t wi th whos e ,

aid the a tte mp t was mad e t o b rin g in the b e s t wa y possib l e some

, ,

s e mb lanc e of ord e r to a ma te rial ori g inall y som e what disor g aniz e d and
in trac tab l e .

T h e fundam e n t al principl e of organizat ion which was call e d o kt o ech o s , ,

was found e d upon a s y s te m of e i ght mod e s .

O ri ginall y onl y four mod e s w e re ac tuall y us e d T h e s e w e re d e si gna te d .

wi th th e Gree k numb e rs pro t us ( th e firs t ) de ute rus ( th e s econd ) trit us , ,

( t h e t hird ) and
,
t e t rard us ( t h e four t h ) E ach of t h e
. s e four mod e s was
la te r divid e d in to two forms a lowe r call e d pl agal ( d e riv e d ) and a hi gh e r
,

call e d the aut he ntic form In spite of havin g diff e ren t ran ge s ( th e be
.

ginnin g t on e of the pla gal scal e was always a four th b e low tha t of th e
corre spondin g au th e n tic ) b ot h mod e s had th e sam e final
, .

T h e sys te m of th e e igh t mod e s s ee ms to hav e a ppe ar e d as e arly as th e

t im e of Po pe Gr e gory th e G r e a t who rul e d from 590 to 604
,
T h e G re .

gorian chan t was a ppar e n tly nam ed afte r him A lre ady at tha t tim e t he .

sys tem had th e form Shown on th e n ex t page, which it h as Sinc e r e tain e d :

 TEC H N ICAL FEA T U RE S
F irs t Mod e
( au th e n tic p ro t us, la te r Dorian )

S e cond Mod e
(p lagal pro t us, la te r H ypodorian )

Third Mod e
( au th e n t ic d e ut e r us la t e,r Phrygian )

F our th Mod e
( plagal d e ut e r us , la te r H ypophrygian )

F if th Mo de
( au t h e n t ic t rit us , late r L ydian )

S ix th Mod e
(p lagal t rit us, lat e r H ypolydian )

S ev e n th Mod e
( au t h e n t ic te t rard us, la te r Mixolydian )
 TE CH N I CAL FEA T U RES 61

E igh th Mod e
(p lagal t e t rard us, la te r H ypomixolydian )

Th e s e e i gh t scal e s which w er e ori g inall y onl y d e si gna te d wi t h t h e ir

,

numb e rs wi thin th e s y s te m appar en t l y in th e nin t h or te n t h c e n t ur y

,

re c e iv e d nam e s borrowe d from th e anci e n t Gr ee k scal e s b ut now appli ed

,

in a di ff e r en t wa y That is whil e in th e middl e a ge s th e succ e ssion

.
, ,

D orian - Phr yg ian —L y dian—Mixol y dian throu gh th e r e sp e c tiv e b e g innin g

,

t on e s r e pr e s e n t e d four t onal s e ri e s b e g innin g wi th D and g oin g upward

, ,

th e sam e succ e ssion in anci e n t Gr ee k t im e s r ef e rr e d t o a s e ri e s b e g innin g

wi th E and th en d e sc e ndin g :
A n cie n t Me d i e val

Mixo l y d ian

L y d ian

P h ry g ian Do rian

D o rian P h ry g ian

Ly d ian

Mixo l y d ian

c e r tain p rinci pl e o pe ra te s h e re e v en if it is e rron e ous ; wh e n and how

this e rror cr e p t in m us t for th e tim e b e ing r e main unansw e r e d S om e .

e vid e nc e e rhaps j us tifi e s t h e assump tion t ha t t h e confusio n aros e in t h e

p
62 TECH NICA L FEA TU RES
nin th or ten th c en tury and tha t it can be e xplain e d as a mis tak e n t rans
“ ”
fe r enc e of th e nam e s of th e Gr ee k transposi tion scal e s to the Gr egorian
1
mod e s Y e t it r e mains op en to q u e s tion wh e th e r the chan ge ma y n o t
.

hav e occurre d s till e arli e r in A sia Minor or Byzan tium .

2

Me r e l y to ci te th e ran g e of th e e ccl e si as tical mod e s h e lps li ttl e I t mus t .

be cl e arly und e rs tood tha t scal e and mod e are t wo v e ry di ff e r e n t things

mod e is living music ; b ut th e scal e is only a d e ad abs trac tion th e ma te rial ,

of th e mod e arran g e d accordin g to pi tch Jus t as o n e could scarc e l y .

e xpla in t h e pla y in g of ch e ss b y m e r e l y arran g in g t h e pi e c e s in ord e r

,

so o n e could scarc e l y d e fin e th e no t ion of mod e b y m e ans of such a life l e ss

abs trac tion as th e scal e S cal e s are m e re ly coll e c tions of ma te rial from .

which a g iv en mod e t ak e s th e ton e s it n ee ds for its par ticular purpos e s .

S o for e xampl e from th e t w e lv e ton e chroma tic scal e i n t o which we

, ,
-

ord inaril y divid e th e oc tav e we s e l e c t th e ton e s wi th which our maj or ,

and minor mod e s d e al Wh e r e as th e scal e is as we know an ab s trac tion .

, , ,

t h e mod e is som e thin g livin g and th e r e for e it s m e anin g is hard t o g rasp ,

— it
can n e v e r be d e fin e d O n e could d e fin e it as a sum of m elodic or .

harmonic mo tiv e impuls e s a tt ach e d to c e r tain t on e s and to a c e r tain

-

e x te n t t e ndin g t oward t h e principal t on e or final T h e wa y c e r t ain t on e s .

1
Be s id es t he ac tu al ( or ig i n al ) mo d e s, th e Gre e k s h ad a s y s te m o f so - c all e d p ii
tran s o s t o n scal e s
so co n str uc te d h t at th e or ig i n al scal e s w e re al l p d w i hi
tran s o se v t n t he o ct a e E —E an d th e re su l t

i ng eig h t -to n e se r e s i w e re SO pp l m d h
su e e n te t at t ehy w p dd i
e re ex an e n to f o rm s id ie n t ca l wi t h
o ur p u re m i no r S cal e s e xte n di g h g h w
n t ro u t o v
o ct a e s :

Do r i an

Do r i an

P h ry g ian

P h ygi
r
‘

an

L d y ia n

L d y ia n

Mi xo l y d i an

Mi xo l y di an
e tc .

A s m ay b e se e n , Do r i an -P h yg i L y di Mi l y di
r an - an - xo an h e re re f e r, as in the i i
e ccl e s ast cal mo d e s,

to a se t o f f o ur to n al se rie s asce n di g by d g v n e re e s e en th o ug h b gi i e n n ng on ano t h i

er n i t i al to ne .

2
Co m p are P e te r Wag ne r , E l e nt e n t e d e s G i
re g o r ani sc he n G e sang e s . Rg e e ns bu g r , K b se l—P uste t ,
1 9 17 . Pg a e 111 .
 TE CH N I CAL FEA T U RE S 63

are e mphasiz e d whil e o th e rs are subordina te d chi e fl y d e te rmin e s th e

mod e .

Ce r t ain r e la t ions in G r e g orian music are pr e e min e n t ly sui t e d t o illus

t ra t e th e di ff e r e nc e b e t w e e n scal e and mod e H e re for e xampl e t h e
.
,

firs t ( Dorian ) an d th e e i gh th ( H ypomixol y dian ) scal e s hav e th e sam e

ran ge in tha t bo th go from D to D and th e y th e r efore use e xac tl y t h e
,

sam e tonal ma te rials T h e fac t that o n e can n ev e r the l e ss e asil y d e cid e

.

wh e th e r a m e lody is in o n e or th e o th e r of th e two mod e s d ep e nds among ,

o th e r thin g s upon th e circums t anc e tha t in th e Dorian mod e D and A

,

are th e t on e s mos t plainl y e mphasiz e d wh e r e as in t h e H y pomixol y dian

,

mod e G and C are preferr e d A n e q uall y in te re s t in g e xampl e of such

.

a conflic t b e tw ee n scal e and mod e may be obs e rv e d in th e s e cond ( H ypo

dorian ) mod e T h e scal e of t his mod e e x te nds from A to A but whil e
.
,

th e scal e t hus has B as it s s e cond t on e t h e m o d e almos t alwa y s avoids

,

this t on e .T h e Si t ua tion is similar in th e H y pophr yg ian mod e wi t h a ,

ran ge from B to B wh e re al thou gh B is th e low e s t t on e m e lodi e s in this

, , ,

mod e almos t n e v e r mak e use of it Mod e and scal e are th e r efore b y no

.
, ,

m e ans id e n t ical and if o n e wish e s to l e arn mor e of th e nat ure of th e

”

Gr e gorian mod e s h e mus t n o t s top wi t h t h e t on e s but mus t com e t o ,

und e rs t and th e m e lodic laws which gov e rn th e ir use Mos t import an t .

h e re is th e q u e s tion of th e b asic pillars of m e lodi e s and t h e r efor e of , ,

“
mod e s : tonic ( principal t on e which Could p e rhaps also be call e d ton e
,
"

of and dominan t ( which mi gh t be d e si gna te d as th e sus

” “
p e ns e ton e or ton e of
I t is g e n e rally known tha t th e s e t wo conc e p t s are in e x tricabl y conn e c te d
”
n o t m e r e l y wi th t h e G r e g orian chan t b ut wi t h th e id e a of mod e s in
gen e ral If we h e ar a m e lod y we are inclin e d to look for th e k e yno te
.

t h e t on e upo n which t h e m lody s

e e e —
ms to r e s t amon g th e low e r ton e s ;
we involun t aril y pa y l e ss a tte n t ion t o t h e hi g h e r ton e s T h e r e ason for .

this is sur e l y t ha t we assoc ia te wi t h th e t e rm k e y no te t h e f ee lin g of r e s t ,

of re solu tion I t s ee ms almos t un thinkabl e to us tha t a m e lod y Should

.

e n d o th e rwis e than on th e tonic or on th e t onic t riad ; o th e rwis e w e should

miss t he fee lin g of compl e t ion This fac t d e p e nds in par t upon th e tra
.

di tion g raduall y e s tablish e d tha t th e tonic clos e has th e e ff e c t of a con

ve n t io n al Si g nal t o an nounc e wi th unmi s t akabl e cl e arn e ss tha t t h e music

h as com e to an e n d T h e conc e p tion of music as a sor t of unfoldin g of

.

e n e r gy dou b t l e ss li e s at t h e roo t of t h e ori g in of such a t radi tion an u n ,

64 TECH NICAL FEAT URES
foldin g which s tar ts o ut from r e st and r e turns to it a g ain brin gin g t he ,

composi tion t o a clos e in a na t ural wa y N ow it so happ ens tha t we

.
,

associa te t h e f ee lin g of incr e asin g en e r gy wi t h an asc e ndin g s e ri e s o f

ton e s j us t as in g e n e ral we e t mor e of an im r e ssio n of t e nsion from

, , , g p
h i gh e r ton e s than from low e r ton e s a fac t t ha t probabl y de p e nds upon
,

n atural ph y siolo g ical caus e s T h e normal r e laxa t ion of t h e vocal Chords

.

at t h e clo s e of a spok e n s e n te nc e q ui te m e chanicall y produc e s a fallin g

o f t h e voic e . I t is na tural and e as y to e xplain t h e r efor e tha t t h e dominan t

, ,

t h e ton e abou t which th e t ension of t h e m e lod y is c e n te r e d — Should l ie

abov e th e tonic th e ton e of r e solu tion bo th in th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s

, ,

and in maj or and minor But th e r e is this di ff e r enc e b e tween th e mod e rn

.

and th e m e di e val mod e s : tha t th e mod ern are charac te riz e d b y a cons tan t
r e la tion in which th e dominan t is alwa y s a fif th abov e th e principl e ton e ,

whil e th e m e di e val are much fr ee r and more vari e d in this r e sp e c t .

E vid e nc e of this fac t i s found in th e p salm m e lodi e s ( c e r t ain Shor t ,

r e ci t a t iv e lik e Gr e g orian m e lodic formulas ) which are us e d in th e pe r

-
,

f o rm an ce of th e v e rs e s of t h e psalms wi th t h e doxolo gy in th e in t roi t

( t h e firs t par t of t h e music in t h e C a t holic mass ) S inc e t h e in t roi
. t m e lo
di e s occur in all e i gh t Gr e g orian m od e s and th e v e rs e of th e psalm asso
ciat e d wi t h th e m na t urally mus t u se t h e mod e of th e ir in t roi t t h e r e is an ,

in tona tion of this kind for e v e r y mod e In th e firs t mod e it is as follows.

( h e r e ci t e d onl y wi t h t h e t e x t of t h e doxolo g y)

sae -
eu - la s ae -
cu lo -
rum . A me n .

Th e final ( which in Gr e gorian m e lodi e s is as a rul e id en tical wi th th e

t onic ) is h e r e as can b e s ee n D
,
T h e t on e around which th e m e lody
,
.

“ ”
d e v e lop s its s t a te of tension is A th e dominan t of th e firs t mod e In
,
.

t h e e x ampl e g i v e n t h e in t e rval b e t w ee n t h e t onic and t h e domina n t is

, ,

th e r e for e t h e sam e as in t h e mod e rn mod e s : n am e ly a fif th

, ,
.
 TECH N ICA L FEA T U RE S 65

Passin g on to th e s e cond mod e howe v e r this r e la tion chan g e s

, ,

Gl o - ri a _ _ P a-tri , et Pi - li -
o, et S pi -
ri tu i san - et o .

et _ sae - cu la sae -
eu lo ru m A . me n .

A s in th e firs t mod e , th e
is the princip al ton e N o te tha t th e plagal
D .

mod e as I hav e said always has th e sam e tonic as th e corr e spondin g

, ,

au th en tic mod e T h e dominan t howe v e r is no lon g e r A b ut F and

.
, , , ,

t h e in te rval b e t w ee n t h e t onic and dominan t is t hus a t hird .

In th e third mod e

Gl o -ri a P a -tri, et P i - 1i -
0 , et S pi - ri - tu - i S an et o .

e rat in prin - ci i -
p o, e t nune , e t se m pe r ,

et sae eu la s ae -
eu rum A me n
. .

E is th e t onic ( th e pi e c e ends irr e g ularl y as occasionall y happ e ns in ,

m lodi s of a more r e ci ta tiv e charac te r ) T h e dominan t is n o t B as we

e e .

mi gh t exp e c t but C , .

O ri g inall y B was ac t uall y a dominan t ; la te r— pr e sumabl y a b ou t th e

e I —
y ar OOO th e dominan t func tion was transfe rr e d to C, appar en tly be
cau se b y tha t tim e musicians had b e com e mor e s ensi tiv e to th e dominan t
r e la tion B F ( diminish e d fifth augm en te d four th ) and cons e qu e n tly did
-

n o t wish to acc e p t for such an impor t an t plac e

, as t h e domi nan t a t on e
,

t ha t migh t so e asily roduc a dissonanc

p e e .

In t he four th mod e E is t h e tonic and A t he dominan t O riginally

, .
66 TEC H N ICA L FEAT URES
G was th e dominan t of this mod e ; b ut it was change d at th e sam e tim e
as t ha t of t h e pr e c e ding mod e
:

a Pa - t r i, e t P i l i - - o, et S pi - ri tu 1 S an cto .

e rat in prin -
Ci p i 0 , et _ _ nunc, et se m e
p ,r

sae cu la sae cu lo ru m . A me n .

F i s th e
onic of th e fifth mod e ( th e in tona tion close s h e r e irre g ularl y
t

on A ) ; th e dominan t is C :

Gl o - ri - a Pa - tri, et Fi - li o, et S pi - ri - tu - i S an- cto .

Si cut 0 rat in prin ci pi 0 et nunc, et se m - e

p ,r
m
,

et in cu la on Io rum . A me n .

In th e six th mod e th e principal ton e is F ,

th e dominan t A

P a- tri , et Fi li o, et S pi - ri tu i S an-e to .

Si cut e rat in pr in ci pi 0 , et nunc, e t se m -per ,

et in _ _ cu la sae cu lo rum . A me n .

In th e s ev e n th mod e th e t onic is G, th e dominan t D

 TECHN ICAL FEATU RES 67

a P a-tr i, e t P i - li - o , et S pi-ri tu - i S an - ct o .

e ut _ e - rat in prin- Ci -
p i 0 , e t nunc, et se m pe r ,

et _ in sae cu -
la sae cu lo - ru m A
. me n .

In th e e i gh th mod e th e t onic is G th e dominan t C A s in th e third ,

.

mod e th e dominan t h e re was originally B b ut it was change d to C at th e

, ,

Sam e t im e as th e dominan t of th e Phr ygian mod e and for th e sam e re asons :

s ae cu la sae eu lo ru m . A me n
-
.

T he r e la tion b e twe e n tonic and dominan t is t h e refore as follows :

2nd mo d e 3rd mo d e 4th mo de

l s t m o de

T D T D T .
D T D

7 th mo d e 8 th mo d e
5 th mo d e 6 th mo d e

T D D T .

A S an aid t o m e mor y t h e followin g rul e ma y b e formula te d ( it mus t

,

alwa y s be thou gh t of as m e re ly a rul e as it has no thin g to do wi th t he ,

origin of th e prac tic e ) : ( 1 ) In th e au th e n tic mod e s th e dominan t is a fifth

abov e the tonic ; th e B howe v e r is n o t us ed as a dominan t b ut is r eplac ed
, ,
68 TEC H N ICA L FEA T U RES
by t h e C ( 2) In th e plagal mod e s th e dominan t is a third b e low th e
.

dominan t of t he corr e spondin g au th en tic mod e ; and h ere to o B as a , ,

dominan t is r e plac e d b y C .

I n addi tion to t h e r e la tion b e t w e e n t onic and dominan t a c e r tain e e

l ,

m e n t of p e n ta tonic musical fe e lin g is also charac te ris tic of t h e

G re
gorian mod s B y p e n ta tonic music is m e an t of cours e the musical
e .

, ,

S t y l e associa te d wi th t h e p e n ta tonic ( fi ve ton e ) scal e T his succ e ssion of -

.

t on e s which is charac t e ri s t ic of rimi t iv music s ms consciously

,
p e ee to ,

avoid t h e —
half ton e s tep I t occurs in two forms and e ach s e ri e s can
.

mak e use of an y o n e of its fi ve ton e s for a b e g innin g ton e as d e sire d

In this scal e we can r e co gniz e th e tonal lan gua ge of e xo tic p e opl e s e sp e ,

c ial l t h e music of t h e F ar E as t b ut E urop e an folk music for e xampl e

y ; ,

t ha t of S co t land and t h e con te mporar y folk m e lodi e s of th e H un g arian s

and th e R ussian Tar tars is s trikin g l y influ e nc e d b y this par ticular musical
-
,

id e a A S an exampl e of such a pure p e n ta tonic m e lod y th e followin g

.

H un g arian son g ma y b e tak e n :

3

A bo l ha ker - te k a l att , Ka - ta,

De so k u tak van -nak ar ra, Ka ta .

Min de n le g é ny
'

cs i
'
' '

e gy g ye t

Ki j on az ba hé
.
jé h ol j ér ,
Ka ta
.

This m e lod y k e eps unusuall y clos e to th e p e n t a tonic scal e ; it s e n tire tonal

ma te rial consis t s of
3
S ee K d aly
o , Zo l t an : A Mag y ar N é pz e ne . Bu dp a e st, E g ye te m i n yo m d a, 1 937 , p . 32 .
 TECH N ICAL FEATU RES 69

Wi thou t b e in g r eally pe n t a tonic th e Gr e gorian chan t is mark e d by ,

a high d e gree of p e n t a tonic fe e ling ; th e pe n t a tonic id e a the original ,

“ ”
sourc e of th e mono phonic e ccl e sias t ical mod e s is n o t to be d eni e d ,
.

L ik e wis e in m e di e val folk songs w e find trac e s of t h e s t rong and pur e

lin e ar tre a tm e n t which is charac te ris tic of this typ e O f music i
,
’

A l thou gh th e t onic dominan t r e la tion comb in e d wi t h a c e r t ain Sh y n e ss

-

— —
abou t usin g th e half s tep pro g r e ssion ( th e E F and B C pro g r e ssions are -

avoid e d as much as possib l e ) is charac te ris tic of th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s ,

c e r tain oth e r particular m e lodic mo t iv e s S O charac teris ti c tha t th e y almos t

hav e th e powe r of d ete rminin g th e mod e can be found In th e firs t mod e .

w e find for e xampl e t h e dis t inc t iv e idiom :

, ,

The following progr e ssion is t ypical of th e t hird mod e

and th e fifth mod e mak e s consid e rabl e u se of th e follo wing figur e

hi
a o
f
e f e ct
4

s to r

v id d
In mo

e
y o

was f o un d
u nt
d
f m us
e rn

il g d
i
m us
c co u

ra
or
i

uall
c

ld
ig i
to o

n all

y
,

j u st

m us
y
a ce rt a n

ii
i fi bl y
a

in
c an s
i
be
ce rt a n
te n

i
l e arn e
d y
w i
enc

r t te n

G re
d
g i
to
o r an
as
t o w ar

a
th e

pp i i
mo
d
H
re c at e
t he

d
p e n tato n c

e s ; h o w in th e b e

t and
nn n
i
b e o bse r e d

i d d
T h e e n t re
can

i st o ry o f t h e L e ad i ng -T o ne S t e p : h o w t s
i t w as care f ull
n t ro u ce
gi i g
it i n m o
v

d
.

w hi h
es to
i
hi
c
y
it was fo re ig and ho w wi h t t he ii
t ra n s t o n to p l y ph y it t h k to o e st a bl i h d f m i o r n

H
n; ,
o o n , en an s e

t he d mi
o n an t -to n c ca i d e n ce an d fi n all y le d to t h wh l W
e o e ag n e r an i d P an o st Wa
— g i h m
ne r a n c ro at

ic is m .

In ‘
i p
co n te i m p y m us e n t ato n c g m y b y p iv d f x m pl i
cl e arl n

H
o ur o rar c u sa e s a e e rce e , as , o r e a e,

pi f m d
e ce s F o h R i o d
e rn re nc , u ss an , an u n g ia mu i
ar ti l y i d p
n d t f h th
s c en re n e en en o e ac o e r. as

w ll e i h w k
as f N di
n t mpe o r o or c co o se rs u h S ib liu
s c d p i ll y C l Ni l
as e T hi s an es ec a ar e se n . s

simil i y b w ar t ld d m et m d een o e r an o re o e rn mu i h w v d p d ly t
s c, o l i g h t xt t u p
e e r, e en s on o a s e en on

a di i
re c t i i ll y h
co n n e c t o n . s to r ca , t e ac tu la i um t i
c rc pp tl y t h t th v l t i h d
s an ce s a are n a e e o u o n a

re achd pi e w hi h w m v m
a o nt at c t o o e e n t s se p t m l y t d t w d t h d m i t v th
ara e , na e , a re n o ar e o n an se en

ch d d mvm i
o r an pp i di
a o e e nt n an o o s te rec t o ni . T h e l atte r is m o s t c h aracte r st c i i i n mo d m i e rn us c

an d— w h h h gh p et i p i
er t ro u e n ta to n c ract ce o r ato n al t i y— c o n s t t u te si an e n t rei ly co m p h i blre e ns e

i
c o u n te rac t o nh ll y g m ph
to t e u s ua s t ro n e as s i o n t he d
ca e nce cu s to m ar y in th e e igh h d te e n t an

i h
n ne te e n t i ce n t u r e s .
70 TEC H N ICA L FEA T U RES
In th e s e formulas ( and for tha t ma tte r in many o th e rs abou t which I ,

canno t g o in to d e tail h e r e ) th e tonic ge n e rall y h as such a cl e ar cut and -

d e fini tiv e eff e c t tha t th e mod e can be d e te rmin e d e asil y and th e final ,

b e caus e of this sounds convincin g Y e t it som e tim e s happ e ns in Gre

, .

gorian m e lodi e s tha t t h e final s t ands in an arbi trar y re la tion to t he s e

formulas which are t ypical of th e par ticular mod e If we h e ar for ex .
,

ampl e th e fi gur e ci te d as charac te ris tic o f the firs t mod e we are imm e
, ,

diate l y inclin e d to r e gard it in te rms of this mod e and as a rul e th e D , , ,

will be th e final But occasio n all y w e may b e d e c e iv e d A S an e xampl e

. .

“ ”
I Should lik e to ci te the K yri e m e lody F o ns bo nitatis
,
I t is in th e third .

mod e and h as E as th e principal ton e I t b e gi ns .

e -
le i -
so n .

The figur e D —A —C
obviously plays a promin en t rOl e h e r e and o n e ,

involun t aril y exp e c t s t h e m e lod y to en d on D ; but in spi te of all expec

t atio n s it ac t ually clos e s wi th an E A no th e r in te r e s ting cas e is th e O ff e r
.

t o rium I n vo cavit which is ac t uall y in t h e six t h mod e and cons e q u e n t l y

,

has F as princip al ton e b ut which n ev e r th e l e ss b egins in tru e Dorian

,

fashion :

only to e n d o th e rwis e q ui te corre c tl y accordin g to th e usual conv e n tion

, ,

of th e six th mod e .

This and Similar cas e s are oft e n found in Gr e gorian m e lodie s This .

fac t l e ads to th e conclusion tha t th e r e w as s till a good way to go b efore

t h e domina t ion of t h e t onic should compl e te ly p e n e t ra t e t h e s tyl e .

S imul tan e ously wi th th e transi t ion from th e Gr e gorian monophony

to th e poly phony of t h e middl e ag e s a d e cisiv e change gradually t ook
,

p lac e in t h e his t ory of t h e e ccl e sias t ical mod e s

. T h e G r e gorian mod e s
( which o n e migh t d e fin e as a sum of m e lodic charac te ris tics ) a ppare n tly
p ass e d ov e r in t o t h e n e w ,
a rt so far a s t h e form i s conc e rn e d B u t from
.
 TE C H N ICA L FEA TU RES 71

now on th e y we re su bj e c te d to th e g rowin g d e mands of t h e opposin g

v i e w oin t t ha t of harmony and w e r e t h e r eby forc e d in t o a subordina t e
p , ,

posi tion and finall y e nd e d in th e maj or and minor forms which are e s
se n tial l
y b as e d upon chords T h e e ccl e sias t ical mod e s of pol y phon y are
.

t h e t ransi t ion form b e t w e e n th e G r e g orian mod e s and t h e ma j or minor -

sys te m A l thou g h harmonic consid e rat ions alr e ad y b e gin to pla y a s tron g
.

rOl e n e v e r th e l e ss th e m e lodic vi e w poin t is s t ill qui t e no t ic e abl e

,
so t ha t ,
”
a d e fini tion of th e s e pol yphonic mod e s is possib l e onl y if b o th harmonic
and m e lodic fac tors are t ak e n in to consid e ra tion .

In th e transi tion to polyphony th e chi ef modification in th e e ccl e sias ,

t ical mod e s was th e in t roduc t ion of t h e l e ading t on e cad e nc e ( th e half -

5
ton e s t e p b e t w e e n t h e s e v e n th and e i g h t h d e g r ee s ) in almos t all m o d e s .

A l thou gh th e Gr e gorian mod es us e d th e fl at ( th e u se of which will be

discuss e d in d e t ail la te r ) onl y as a Si gn of al te rat ion n ev er th e l e ss some of ,

th e s e mod e s ( t h e fif t h and six th ) had a half t on e s t e p b e low t h e principal -

t on e and thus th e possi b ili t y of l e ading t on e cad e nc e s But appr e cia t ion -
.

of this eff e c t which we call th e full clos e cam e onl y with pol y phonic
, ,

music ; h e nc e forth it was fe l t tha t such cad e nc e s as th e followin g did n o t

hav e a convincin g e ffe c t :

wh e re as raisin g th e third of th e A minor triad r e sul te d in a much s tron ge r

and more convincin g cad enc e S oon th e refor e th e use of t h e maj or .
, ,

t hird in t h e dominan t t riad b e cam e t h e rul e and ind ee d in mod e s t o o in , , ,

which th e p articul ar ton e was originally n o t availab l e T o this en d diff e r .

e n t chroma tic Signs for raising a t on e w e r e in troduc e d t ha t w e r e for e ign t o

th e G r e g orian mod e s T h e C in th e Dorian mod e was chan g e d t o C

.

sharp and similarl y in th e Mixol y dian the F was chan g e d t o F—Sharp ;

,

in the A eolian mod e ( to which we Shall r efe r a g ain la te r ) th e s ev e n th

s tep was rais e d from G to G sharp In th e Phr yg ian mod e on th e o th e r -
.
,

A no th e r
imp h g m igh l o rt an t c an e t a so be m e n t i d h
o ne e re : th at the m e lo di c i
d o m nan t w c ,
hi h
di
s to o h gi g i v l l i hip
n a c an n n te r a re at o n s to the i i
to n c n the di ff e re n t G re g i d
o r an m o e s , is u n i
"
fo rml y fi d h fif h d g
xe f h on t e t e re e o t e scal e ( calcul ate d f ro m the to n c i ) in th e
“
p
o l yp o n c h i
l i i lmd
ecc e s ast ca o e s.
72 TECH NICAL FEATU RES
hand th e D was r e tain e d ; th e D sharp was in g en e ral us e d onl y in v e ry
,
-

e xc e p t ional cas e s Mor e ov e r t h e tonic triad wi th minor third was s e ldom

.

us e d as a closin g chord ( ofte n th e third of th e final chord was omi tte d ) .

This l e d t o th e raisin g of th e F to F—sharp in t he Dorian mod e ; i n th e

Phrygian th e G was change d to G Sharp and inth e A e olian C to C Sharp -
,
-
.

Finall y j us t as in t he cas e of th e Gre gorian chan t in d e sc endin g pro

, ,

g r e s sio n s or in figur e s which t urn e d back from B B flat w as ofte n us e d ,

-

in all mod e s ins te ad of B If how e v e r th e progr e ssions con tinu ed u pward

.
, ,

to th e C t h e B was n o t low e r e d
,
A nd wh e r e it was n e c e ssar y t o avoid
.

dissonan t in te rvals such as F B th e B—fl at was in troduc e d Wh e n th e

—
, .

F had a tend ency to go to th e G F was ofte n change d to F Sharp To ,

-
.

illus tra te th e s e chroma tic al te ra tions as we ll as th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s in

gen e ral l e t us in tr o duc e at this poin t s ev e ral cad e nc e s truc ture s I g iv e
, .

t h e m e xclusiv e l y in au th e n t ic mod e s sinc e in pol y phonic s t y l e t h e dif ,

—
fe r enc e b e tw ee n plag al and au th e n tic mod e s al thou gh s till main t ain e d
—
by th e oris t s caus e d no p ar ticular modifications in th e tr e a tme n t .

T h e following e xamp l e is from th e en d of th e mo te t A d o ram us te

Ch rist e N ot ic e th e fl at in th e third m e asur e from th e en d Pal e s trina
. .

in troduc e d it doub tl e ss b e caus e of th e d e sc e nding p rogr e ssion In th e .

sam e m e asur e th e e di tor has lik e wis e in troduc e d a fl at abov e th e las t no te

6

of th e bass A usually valid rul e s t ate s th a t wh e n th e up pe r auxiliary is

.

Do rian P al e s trina

H 6 T h e m o te t
art e l ) ,
Vol . 5,
app
pp
e ars

.
in
17 6 f .
p l di i
t h e co m e te

T hi p i l v
s
e

art cu ar
t on of th e

o l um e is
wo r
e
k Pl i
s

di d by F z
te
o f a e str na

ra n Es
L ipzig
(
pg a
e

ne .
, Bre i k pf
t o u nd
 TECH NICA L FEA T URES

us e d th e minor s e cond should b e e mploy e d if p ossibl e This rul e was

,
.

so w e ll known tha t th e com p os e rs of t e n did n o t wri t e in th e fl at at all b ut

assum e d tha t th e Singe r would in troduc e it hims e lf In th e te nor w e .

,

hav e in th e third from th e las t and in th e n e x t to th e las t bar t h e raisin g

of th e s ev e n th d e gr ee C to C Sharp and in th e final bar t h e F in th e al to
-
,

is rais e d for t h e sak e of th e ma j or t hird in t h e final chord .

From the mo te t Do m in e ,
n o n s um dign us

P h ry g i an
Lud o vico V icto ria

In this mod e th e use of th e flat is l e ss common than in th e mono

”
honic Phrygian wh e r e it is fr e qu e n t T h e third in t h e final chord is
p ,
.

rai sed and this change mak e s t h e raising of th e F n e c e ssary b ecaus e o th e r

,
74 TECHNICAL FEATURES
wis e th e r e would be an au g m en te d s e cond In th e Phr yg ian mod e
.
we
fre q u e n tl y find th e followin g cad enc e to o ,

or pe rhaps
mo re f re que ntl y

T h e L ydian mod e r e ally e xis ts only in th e monophonic e ccl e sias tical

mod e s A S soon as we g o in to pol yphon y th e lack of a consonan t triad
.

on th e four th d e g re e b e com e s to o no tic e abl e and th e B is chan g e d to

,

B fl at i n ord e r t o p rovid e for a maj or triad on th e subdominan t

-
By
.

t his th e mod e is chang e d in to F Ionian wi th t h e B fl at cons t an tly us e d

-
;
it is lik e a t ranspos e d C major scal e I t is significan t t ha t in t h e poly
.

p honic t r e a t m e n t of t h e M a
g fi
n i cat ( th e Ca nt ic um B M ariae V ir in is
.
g ,

—
L uk e I 46 55 wri tte n in th e e igh t e ccl e sias t ical mod e s afte r th e e igh t
mod e s of th e Psalms ) Pal e s trina allows th e fifth m
, ,

od e to cad enc e on A
— in th e G e h —
r gorian xamp l
e e t e A is th e fi n al and in th e six th mod e
h e us e s th e B fl at which also avoids th e L ydian form
-
, .

From th e mo te t L apida
bant S t eph an um

M ixo l y d ian P al estrina

 TE CH N I CA L FEA T U RE S 75

Pal e s trina h e re firs t mak e s a full clos e ( m e asur e s —

2 3— al though th e
fee ling of compl e te finali t y is avoid e d through th e use of what we now
call th e d e c ept iv e which is late r follow e d b y a cad e nc e :
IV I ( a p lagal cad e nc e
—
,
”
as it was call e d in th e nin e tee nth c e n tury ) .

This type of cad e nc e s truc ture is commonly us e d in all mod e s .

T h e fr e q u e n t use of th e fl at is s t rikin g in th e Mixol y dian for by this

,

m e ans th e mod e at tim e s ge ts in to a re markab l e si tua t ion hov e rin g be

t we e n ma j or and minor as in t h e cl o sm g m
,
e asur e s of t h e Be n e dict us

from P alestrin a s mass Dies sanctificat us

-
’
.
76 TEC H NICAL FEATU RES

T he r e duc tion in th e numb e r of th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s produc e d b y

th e fusion of th e au th e n t ic an d pla g al scal e s was o ff s e t in pol y phon y by

th e addi t ion of t wo n e w m o d e s t h e A e olian and th e Ionian which are

, ,

n o t includ e d in th e offi ci al G r e g orian t h e or y A l thou g h prac tical musi

.

cian s had lon g us e d b o t h of t h e s e m od e s t h e y w e r e n e v e r th e l e ss n o t

,

r e cog niz e d in t h e or y un til th e six teen th c e n tur y T h e first o n e to ad y o

.

cate th e ir adop t ion in th e l e g i timat e f amil y o f mod e s was th e S wiss

t h e oris t Gl are an u s who in hi s famous work Do decach o rd o n pu b lish e d
, , ,

in 1547 s e eks t o prov e that th e th e ori s ts ou gh t to consid e r t we lv e m od e s

,

ins te ad of e igh t as th e y form e rly did To th e e ight Gre gorian mod e s

,
.

h e add e d nam e l y th e follo win g

9 th mode , A e o l ian

l 0th mo de , H y poae o l ian

1 1 th mod e , I o nian

1 2th mo d e , Hy po io nian
 TE CH N ICA L FEA T URE S 77

Th e s e mod e s whos e au t h en tic and pla g al forms also fus e in ac t ual

,

prac tic e pla y an impor tan t rOl e e sp e ciall y in t h e polyphonic music of

, ,

th e six t ee n th c e n t ury . Ind e e d by th e ir t ransi tion in t o th e maj or and

,

minor ( which th e y r e s e mbl e d gr e a t l y from th e b e g innin g ) th e y grad

H
u al l sup e rs e d e d t h e e arli e r mod e s T h e followin g is an e xampl e of an
y .

A e olian ca de nc e

From th e mo te t ie e st ve re m artyr

A e o lian P ale strina

T h e fl at can be us e d in t h e A e olia n ,
b u t it is hardl y as common her
as it is, for exam pl e in th e Do rian
,
.
78 TECH N ICAL FEA TU RE S
From th e mass A ve R e gina co e l o ru m

I o nian P ale strina

The Ionian mod e us e s th e fl at fre q u e n tl y and in a charac te r i s ti c man

n e r as in th e e xampl e b e low and on th e facin pag from ano h e r plac e
,
g e
( t
in th e sam e mass ) .

In summary we hav e l e arn e d tha t th e polyphony of th e six te e n th cen

,

t ury mad e use of only fi ve mod e s h e L ydian ass s ov r in o Ionian

( t p e e t a
,
s

I hav e said ) : Dorian Phrygi an Mixolydian A e olian Ionian

, , , , .

Th e s e original mod e s could be transpose d howe v e r a four th high e r

, ,
 TE C H N I C A L F E A T U R E S 79

by th e use of a fl at ( th e only fix e d Signa t ure tha t was normally us e d ) .

By this m e ans th e following scal e s are ob t ain e d :

Do rian trans po se d :

P h ry g ian trans po se d :

Mixo ly d ian transpo se d :

A e o l ian trans po se d

7
Io ni an trans po se d

Th e s e t ransposi tions we re use d wi th unusual fre qu e ncy d uring th e

six tee n th c en tury in ord e r to bring com posi tions in to a mor e pl e asing
and Singabl e re gis te r .

N h Efl i h
7 o te t at -
at n t e t ran s p d
o se mo d es co rre s po n d s to B- flat in t he p d
n o n - t ran s o se s cal e s ,

but h i w di i l y
t at t as o r n ar u se d o n l y to supp l e m e nt t he flat in the s ig nat ure , an d h e nce no t in
igi l l
o r na sca e s .
80 TECH NICAL FEA T URES
To und e rs tand th e e ss e n tial di ff e r e nc e b e tw ee n th e poly phonic cc
cl e siast ical mod e s and major or minor o n e should S t udy th e pro b l e m of
,

th e l e ading t on e A mod e rn e ar accus tom e d to h e aring ahalf s tep

.
,

b e tw een th e s ev en th and e igh th d egr e e s of th e scal e fe e ls a p e culiar ,

charm in th e fac t tha t th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s do n o t use o ne S ingl e

d e fini te in te rval at this plac e b ut use som e tim e s a whol e and s om e tim e s ,

a half S tep L ik e wise th e fre e use of th e B fl at for m e lodic r e asons and

.
-

th e raising of th e third of c e r t ain de fini te t riads which occurs wi th e qual ,

fre edom produc e harmonic varia tions which sound r efre shing and
,

s trange E v e ry e ccl e sias tical mod e ac tually h as at its disposal many more
.

chordal possi b ili ti e s than th e maj or and minor scal e s If we compare .

,

for e xampl e th e Dorian wi th D minor ( th e t wo having almos t th e sam e

,

scal e ) we se e tha t th e Dorian has two triads ( D major and D minor )

on th e firs t d e gree wh e re as th e D minor scal e has only o n e O n th e
, .

s e cond d e gr e e th e r e are two p ossibili ti e s availab l e for th e e ccl e sias tical

mod e but only o n e for th e D minor scal e
, .

T h e following illus t ra tion shows th e r e source s ordinarily a vailabl e

H "
‘
'

D o r ian I I 11
°
11 III I n IV IV v V VI V I VI I O
VII

0 ”
D mino r I 11 T IV V VI VII 0

AS may b s n we hav e in th e Dorian no l e ss than six pur e triads

e ee ,
— th e

t e t —
mos valuabl onal combina ions which d e via te from D minor : D
t

maj or E minor F maj or G maj or A minor and C major

, , , , , ;

In addi tion to th e gre a t e r richn e ss which th e p articular e ccl e sias tical

mod e s thus poss e ss wi thin th e ir r e s pe c tiv e fi e l ds th e y hav e th e gre ate r ,

numb e r of mod e s Whil e mod e rn music has only two mod e s major
.
,

and minor ( mod e s which may ind ee d b e transpos e d to e v e ry d e gre e , ,

of th e chroma tic scal e but which main tain th e Sam e arrange m e n t of ,

in te rvals ) th e form e r p olyphony may e mploy as has b e e n said no l e ss

, , ,

than fi ve mod e s e ach of which has it s own p ronounc e d individuali t y

,
.

If mod e rn music is infe rior to th e old e r s tyl e in this r e sp e c t it is n e v e r ,

th e l e ss gr e a t ly su p e rior in th e ma t t e r of modula tory r e sourc e s P e rhaps .

3 T he di m i i h d d gm d i d
n s e an au e n te t r a s ca n be u se d o nl y as c h d
or s o f the s xti h in t he P ale s
i
t r n a st yl T hi W l l b di
e . dl s i e scu sse at e r .
 TE C H N I CA L FEAT U RE S 81

it is a qu e s tion wh e th e r in conn e c t ion wi th th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s o n e

, ,

can sp e ak of modula tion at all in th e r e al s e ns e of th e te rm A t any .

ra te change of Signa tur e is qui te unknown h ere ( b e caus e o ne n e v e r

,

ass s ov e r from a t rans os e d t an un t rans os e d mod e or vic e v e rsa )

p e p o p ,
.

Thus in ten tional con tras t b e t w ee n th e transposit ions of th e mod e s upon ,

which mod e rn music d ep e nds for o n e of its most import an t eff e c t s is ,

e n t ir e ly for e ign t o th e e ccl e sias t ical sys t e m A nd ye t a c e r t ain s triving

.

for varia tion can b e ob s e rv e d h e re as w e ll S in Ce it would na turally .

be t ire som e and inar tis t ic t o hav e th e sam e cad e nc e cons t an t ly r e t urning
in a comp osi tion provision is mad e for as many diff e r e n t cad e nc e s as
,

ossibl e t o b e us e d This rovision how e v e r r e ally only corr e s onds t o

p
p .
p , ,
“ ”
th e t ransi t ions as in mod e rn music o n e calls a tte mp ts to en li v e n th e
,

fe e ling of t onali t y b y sligh t incursions in t o th e t erri tory of oth er k e ys

p roc e dur e s which hav e no las t ing influ e nc e and which do n o t in t roduc e

ge nuin e modulation ( that is th e t ransfe r e nc e of th e tonic fe e ling to

,

n e w chords ) .

E ach of t h e poly phonic e ccl e sias t ical mod e s ( and t his is also tru e
“
of th e monophonic mod e s ) r e v e als its te nd e ncy toward this sor t of
t ransi e n t modula t ion in it s individual w ay Th e ore t ically o n e can in
.
,

d e e d cad e nc e o n any d e sire d s te p of th e scal e s ( and to this e n d th e

t radi t ional accid e n t als may b e us e d ) . But th e individual charac te r of

e ach par ticular mod e d ep e nds larg e ly upon wha t cad e nc e s it favors or

avoids Thus for e xampl e th e Dorian ap art from th e tonic cad e nc e s

.
, , , ,

clos e s mos t fre qu e n tly on th e dominan t A ( A : V i or V I ) In this mod e

— —
, .
,

on th e o th e r hand th e su b dominan t plays a r e lat iv e ly mod e s t rOle ;

,

cad enc e s on th e third d egree F ( m e dian t mod e ) are p refe rre d T h e

,
-
, .

cad enc e on C ( Ionian ) is l e ss common whil e E ( Phrygian ) is rare ly us ed

, .

In th e Phrygian n ex t to th e E th e A ( A e olian ) is pre fe rre d as a

,

cad enc e ton e ; but cad e nc e s on G ( Mixolydian ) are v e ry much favore d .

In addi t ion cad enc e s on D ( Dorian wi th or wi thou t F—sharp ) and C

,

Ionian are us e d qui te oft e n wh e r e as th e F is rar e ly s e l e c te d for a

( ) ,

closing t on e In th e Mixolydian mod e afte r th e G th e D ( Dorian wi th

.
, ,

or wi thou t F Sharp ) and C ( Ionian ) are th e mos t favore d cad enc e ton e s ;
-
,

A is lik e wis e qui te common but F and E are us ed much l e ss often

, .

In th e A eolian th e su b dominan t D ( Dorian ) is obviously p refe rre d

‘

to th e dominan t E as a closing t on e ( cad enc e s on E in g e n e ral play a

s trikingly unimpor tan t r61e ) In addi tion C G and F are us e d T h e

.
, , , .
32 TECH NICAL FEATURES
Ionian mod e us e s its dominan t G mos t of all n ex t to th e C ; A and D
lik e wis e app e ar qui te ofte n whil e E and F are more unusual : ,

Co m m o n
Cade nces

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

F rom th e t
a b l e we see tha t in th e ir r e la tionship to e ach o th e r th e ,

p olyphonic e ccl e sias t ical mod e s follow n e i th e r th e G r e gorian music

nor th e maj or and minor sys te m but e xclusiv e ly th e i r own sp e cial pro ,

ce dure s We would e xp e c t th e C th e dominan t of th e G re gorian Ph ryg

.
,

ian mod e to play o n e of th e chie f rOl e s as a cad e nc e ton e in th e poly

,

phonic Phrygian ; n ev e r th e l e ss th e A is pre fe rre d If on th e o th er hand .

we look at th e mod e s from th e maj or min or vi e wp oin t and cons e qu e n tly -

t hink tha t th e t onic dominan t su b dominan t and r e la t iv e t onali t i e s mus t , , ,

cons ti tu te th e ir chie f harmonic supports we will also b e disappoin te d , .

In th e Dorian and Ionian mod e s for exampl e th e su b dominan t b y no , ,

m e ans a tt ains th e exp e c te d significanc e ; in th e Phrygian and A e olian th e

dominan t falls surprisingly in to th e b ackground and in th e Mixolydian -
,

th e m e dian t mod e is n o t so impor t an t as migh t b e e xp e c te d .

A s a gen e ral rul e for all th e e ccl e siastical mod e s we can say tha t n e x t , ,

to th e t onic th e dominan t ( fifth ab ov e th e t onic ) is th e mos t impor t an t

,

cad e nc e t on e O nly wh e re th e dominan t chord mus t fall on B ( which

.

drops o ut of consid e ration e n tire ly b e caus e of th e lack of a usab l e con —

,

sonan t fifth ) do e s th e sub dominan t com e in to promin enc e as a sub s titu te .

O th e rwis e th e su b dominan t plays for th e mos t p ar t a much l e ss import ant

rOl e t han in th e mor e mod e rn scal e s ; how e v e r th e posi t ion of th e r e la t iv e ,

mod e is as a rul e quite S ignificant

, ,
.

O n e charac te ris t ic of th e e ccl e sias t ical mod e s is b ri e fly t ha t th e y hav e , ,

gre a te r vari et y but l e ss logic than th e mod e rn mod e s T h e illogi cali ty .

found in this aspe c t of m e di e val music as in m an y o th e r asp e c ts is fe l t ,

~

t o day as a p e culiar charm as th e Cxpr e ssion of a pl e asan t u n a ff e c te d , ,

nat uraln e ss of a re fre shing unre strain e d musical fee ling and as a happ y
, , ,

con tras t t o that which in lat e r t im e s is ofte n an una ttrac tiv e and , ,

p e dan t ically e xac t sch e ma t iza t ion .

 MELOD Y
The polyphony of the Pal e s trina s tyl e r e s t s e ss en tially upon simul
t an eo usl y sound ing m e lodic lin e s ; i ts b asis is m e lodi e s .

Th e s e m e lodi e s di ff e r in many r e sp e c t s from th e conc ep t s associa te d in

mor e mod ern tim e s ( e igh tee n th and nin etee n th c e n t uri e s ) wi th th e
word m el o dy In th e firs t plac e th e tr e at m e n t of in te rvals is much S im
.

l e r and s t ric te r A ll chroma t icisms and all dissonan t skips are avoid e d
p .
,

and th e a tti tud e t oward th e rhythmic m etrical probl e m is propor t ion

-

ate ly l e ss o n e Sid e d T h e Pal e s trina music mov e s in fre e pros e lik e

- .
,
-

rhy thms in con tras t to th e po e tic s trict rhy thmic patte rn of th e e igh tee n th
,

and nin ete en th c en t urie s ( e sp e cially tha t of th e V i enna classicism ) wi th

it s accura te ly m e asur e d symm e try ( th e cons truc t iv e ma te rial consis t s
chi efly of groups of from two to four m e asur e s ) which if carri e d to ex ,

t r e m e s can b e unb e arably conv e n t ional and limi te d

,
.

T h e lin e ar tr e a t m e n t of th e Pal e s trina music r e v e als a mark e d inn e r

coh er e nc e and an und e rs t anding of wha t is in th e tru e s t s e ns e organic
, , ,

which is ind ee d Sough t afte r in e v e ry s t yl e sp e ci e s I t abhors th e rough

.

and in e l e gan t and rej oic e s in th e fr e e and na t ural I t avoids s trong un

.
,

duly S harp acc e n ts and e x tre m e con tras ts of e v e ry kind and e xpre ss e s
its e lf always in a charac te ris t ically Smoo th and pl e asing mann e r tha t
may s ee m at firs t som e wha t uniform and unimposing but that soon
r e v e als th e richly S had e d e xpre ssion of a sup e rior cul ture .

A ccording to a famous I t alian R enaissanc e archi te c t L e on e Ba tt is t a ,

“
A l b e rti B e au t y is a sor t of chordal combina t ion a harmony b e tw ee n
, ,

th e di ff e r e n t uni t s which do e s n o t allow any thing t o b e add e d or t ak e n

”
away wi thou t having an inj urious e ff e c t upon th e whol e This de fi n i
.

t ion app li e s also t o th e Pal e s trina music in which t h e cons t ruc t iv e s e ns e

,

is s trongly influ e nc e d b y th e vi e wpoin ts of th e la te R enaissanc e In .

con tras t to th e ofte n Som e wha t fan t as tically di ff us e s tyl e of th e middl e

age s th e Pal e s trina s t yl e r e s te d on th e principl e : n o t a S ingl e no te to o
,

many or to o f e w A ll d e tails mus t uni te in en tire ly undis turb e d harmony

.
,

mus t fus e in to a high er uni t y in s pi te of individual ind ep end enc e A n .

absolu te compl e te ly free balanc e b e tween th e el e m en ts was r equire d ; no

,

o n e e l e m e n t could b e e mphasiz e d at th e Cx pe ns e of ano th e r ; e v e ry thing

mus t work toge th e r smoo thly and harmoniously L e t us examin e o ne

.
84 TECH NICAL F EATURES
of th e
m e lodi e s of Pal e s trina : the b eginning of th e upp e r par t from his
fi ve par t o ff e r torium A ve Maria:
-

A -
ve - Ma ri -
a, a - ve Ma

ve Ma a
“
Th e x consis ts of A ve Maria r ep e a te d thre e time s T h e m elod y
te t .
,

which is fifte e n m e asure s in l e ng th is clos e ly kni t in to a con tinuous whol e ,

from b eginning to en d F igura tiv e ly sp e aking i t i s i mpossibl e to ins e rt

.
,

e v e n S O much as th e oin t of a knif e b e t w ee n any two no t e s ; o n e no te

p
follows th e o th e r in an unbrok en organic uni t y Th e re is no trac e of ,
.

e xac t symm e t rical phras e s t ruc t ur e 2% m e asur e s are us e d for th e firs t -

third of th e t e x t 5 % for th e s e cond and

,
for th e las t ,
.

G e nuin e s e qu e nc e s do n o t occur In ge n e ral Pal e s trina us e s th e m only .

,

rare ly ( most ly in e arli e r works ) Sinc e th e balanc e of th e lin e ar tre atm e n t ,

can e asily be displac e d b y th e ov e re mphasis which th e y plac e upon a

p ar t icular mo t iv e .
1

T h e lin e of th e A ve Maria m e lody forms a curv e which b e g in s re l a

’

tiv e l y high on E mov e s downward t o th e A and th e n ris e s again to th e E

, , ,

afte r which it touch e s upon th e F and d e sc e nds gradually In bar 7 .

it t ak e s ano th e r t urn upward r e ach e s it s low e s t poin t ( F ) in b ar 8 th e n , ,

asc e nds som e wha t ab rup tly to th e culmina tion poin t G ( b ar 11 ) and
finally glid e s downward afte r a Small opp osing curv e ( bars 12—13 ) to
1
T he fo llo w i g q
n se u e n ce s , h o we v e r, are e xce pi t o ns w hi hc are f re qu e n tl y f o und in wo r k s of

th e b e st co m p o se rs o f i
t h e s xte e n t h ce n t ur yg e n e ra ll y

The p arall e l co n s tr uct o n i of m e asu re s 4 to 5 o f t s m e lo hi dy is d h

re l ate to t e last e xam pl e . It
m us t no t be co n s id d g
e re a e n u n e se i q u e nc e , h v
o we e r , b ut as a sca e l wi pi i g
se s nn n o ut
-
of the fig u re .
 TE C H N ICAL FEA T U RE S 85

th e closing ton e A O b viously th e m e lody is tr e a te d throughou t in a

.

mas te rful and e v e n fashion ; asc ending and d e sc e nding mov e m e n t s are
balanc e d according to Pal e s trina s usual prac tic e Bach on th e o th e r ’
.
,

hand pr efe rs to b egin low and slowly work up waf d wi th a s te adily

,

incr e asing te nsion to a poin t of culmina tion and wh e n this is r e ach e d , ,

to d e sc e nd t o th e cad e nc e sudd e nly almos t e x p losiv e ly H e r e th e asc e n t ,

.

is by far th e mos t in te r e s ting and mos t broadly d e v e lope d p art T h e .

con tras t to this t yp e of curv e which is so charac te ris tic of Bach is f re , ,

qu en t ly found in th e Gr egorian chan t wh e r e th e m e lody ris e s quickly and

ligh t ly and th en glid e s down again in b road circl e s lik e a b ird floa ting ,

Slowly wi th almos t imp e rc ep tibl e mov e m e n t T h e m e lodic form of th e .

Pal e strina tim e is an in te rm e dia te t yp e b e tw e e n th e s e two e x tre m e s en ,

t ir e ly in accordanc e wi th th e cons t an t s t riving t oward balanc e and har

monic re s t charac teris tic of this s tyl e .

No te in th e m e lody abov e tha t s tep wis e p rogr e ssion p r e domina te s O f .

th e larg e r in t e rvals w e find only th e fif t h ( bo t h asc e nding and d e sc e nd

ing ) at th e b eginning and th e asc e nding skip of th e four th in bar 9 ;

oth e rwis e th e re are only asc e nding and d e sc e nding skips of th e t hird .

This p refe r enc e for conj unc t mo ti on i s mos t charac te ris tic of th e Pal e s
t rina m e lody ( as it is of th e Gr e gorian ch n t ) B ut a m e lody which
a .

proc e e d e d e xclusiv e ly in small s e c onds and thirds would e v e n tually

produc e a dull so po rifi c e ff e c t ; it would b e an absurdi t y Whil e th e
, .

Gr e gorian chan t ordinarily us e s large and small s e conds and thirds p ur e ,

four ths and fifths th e Pal e s trina s t yl e normally us e s th e following in

,

t e rval s as w e hav e alr e ady s e e n

,

A sce ndi n g an d De s ce n di n g

Maj o r and Maj o r an d P e rfe ct P e rf e ct

m i no r se co nd . m i no r t hi dr . f o urt h . fi f th .

We see th e re fore tha t augm en te d and diminish e d in te rvals are e x

, ,

clud e d ; as a rul e th e major Six th is lik e wis e avoid e d and s ev en ths and ,

all in te rvals gre a te r than th e oc t av e are n o t consid e re d at all L ik e wis e .

fore ign to th e s t yl e is th e chroma tic half ton e s te p ( th e minor s e cond s tep -

which aris e s from th e progre ssion from a ton e to its chroma tic al te ra tion ,

as C t o C Shar or B fl F ur h rmor ha larg r

p
-
t o B at ) t e e w e s
-
e e t t t h
. e e ,

in te rvals are subj e c t to v e ry particular tr ea tm e n t in tha t th e y are com

e n sate d by s te wis e rogr s ion T h Ski of h fif h h b ginnin
p p p e s e
p t e t at t e . e g
of th e m e lody for e xam pl e is fill e d o ut ia th e following m e asure s as
'

, , ,
86 TECH NICA L FEATU RES
is th e kip of th e four th in m e a sur e 9 ( al though som e wha t la te r ) and
S
,

so on . I t is thus normal in th e Pal e s trina s t yl e tha t skips are comp e nsa te d

t e e e —
b y s p wis progr ssions o r as is also som e wha t common b y Skips in —

th e op posi te dir e c t ion But it ofte n happ ens t o o tha t s te pwis e mov e m e n t
.
, ,

and skips in th e sam e dire c tion al te rna te ( wh e th e r th e skip come s b e fore

or af te r th e s tepwis e progre ssion ) or tha t a skip is followe d b y ano th e r
,

skip in th e sam e dire c tion T h e limi ts are mad e to o narrow if as in som e

.
,

coun te rpoin t b ooks th e succ e ssion of two Skips in th e sam e dire c tion is
,

e xc e p t wh e r e th e Ski s occur in quar te rs — tha t is in

e n tir e ly for b idd e n
( p ,

no te valu e s tha t are o n e half th e uni t of m e asure ) T h e prac tic e of th e

-
.

Pal e s trina s t yl e is more accura te ly d e fin e d by th e following rul e s

1 . In asc e nding mov e m e n t it is b e tte r to hav e th e large r in te rvals at
th e b e ginning of th e curv e ; th e larg e skip Should th e r e for e pr e c e d e t h e

small r a in h —
op ning th m e of Pal s trina s four p ar t mo te t A d te ’
e s t e e e e
2
l e vavi ’

Ad te Ie cu 10 3

or in his mo te t S urg e pr o pe ra :

S ur e
g , pro pe ra mi ca me

2 . In d e sc ending mo tion on th e o th e r hand th e small e r in te rvals

, ,

ge n e rally p r e c e d e th e large r as in th e following m e asur e s from Pal e strina s

,
’

off e rtorium Dexte ra Do m ini :

-
ta vit me mo ar

If th e progre ssions occur in gre ate r no te valu e s ( in whol e no te s and

in halv e s wh e n th e half is th e unit of m e asur e ) th e s e rul e s mus t b e
,

H
consid e r e d te nd e nci e s which mus t n o t b e disr e gard e d b ut which und e r
c e r t ain circums t anc e s mus t giv e way to more import an t consid e ra tions .

2 e re we hv
a e a s ug g ti
es on of to n e p i i
a n t ng . T h e w o rds m e an : To Th ee I i
ra se m i ne e yes .
 TECH N ICAL FEA T U RE S 87

But if a mov e m n
e t con t inu e s in quar t e rs ( halv e s of t h e uni t s of m e asur e
) ,

h
t e n th e rul s
e are car e fully o b s e rv e d Ind e e d t his is t ru.
e n o t only wi t h
r e gard to th e succ e ssion of in te rvals ; all m e lodic laws of th e Pal e s trina
s tyl e are mos t s tric t ly obs e rv e d i n th e use of quarte rs ( b e caus e h e re th e
m e lodic conn e c tion is k e e nly f e l t wh e r e as incre asing no te valu e s te nd
,

to w e ak e n this f ee ling ) .

A no th e r of th e chi ef m e lodic laws of th e Pal e s trina s t yl e warns agains t

asc e nding skips from acc e n te d no te s In th e s tric te r s e ns e this law .
,

appli e s only to quart e rs ; it do e s n o t apply at all to whol e no te s and e v e n ,

in progr e ssions in half no te s th e law i s fr e qu e n tly b rok e n al though th e re ,

is und e niably a t end e ncy to ob s e rv e th e law In quar te rs th e law is .

fully va l id Thus whil e th e following idiom is mos t common in Pal e s

.
3

t rina m e lodi e s it s inv e rsion

is so rare tha t o n e mus t consid e r it fore ign to th e s t yl e If we wish th e r e .

,

fore to re main wi thin th e norms of th e S tyl e we mus t avo id th e asc ending

'

, ,

skip from th e acc e n te d quar te r though d e sc ending Skips from acc e n te d

,

quarte rs are e n tire ly corre c t T h e follo wing ornam e n ts all of which are
.
,

common in Pal e st rina s works will confirm wha t I hav e said

’

3
S ee T h e S t yl e o f P al e st ri na an d t h e Diss o n a n ce pp 5 4 If d m y i l
H Das S p ru n g g e s e t z
’

, . . an art c e :

de s S b
P al e stri n a- t i l s b e i e to n te n Vi
e rte l n o te n ( al h b Tkzi ) B ih
en a t e te n , er c t u b e r d e n m i n i/( wi s

/
‘

se n sch a t l zch e n K on
g re ss i n Base l 1 9 24 , pp . 2 1 1 ff L i pzig B i k pf d
. e : re t o un éi rte l , 1 9 2 5 .
88 TECH NICAL FEATURES
qui te p e rmissibl e to Skip u p wards from unacc e n te d quar te rs
But it is ,

as may b e s ee n from many of th e e xampl e s abov e ; and t h e d e sc e nding

skip is also possib l e

F rom th e for egoing it will be s ee n tha t d e cid e d di ff e r enc e s e xis t b e tw e e n

r a m e n t of th e in te rvals in
th e t e t th e Pal e s trina s tyl e and in th e G r e gorian
song F or e xampl e whil e th e
.
,
G r e gorian chan t abounds in p e n ta tonic
figur e s such as th e following :

th e Pal e s trina s t yl e avoids such figure s b e caus e th e succ e ssion of in te rvals

13 con trary to its basic p rincip l e s We can e asily und e rs t and why an .

idiom of this kind ( th e cam biat a, an e x tr e m e ly we ll

lik e d d e vic e ) w as pr e f e rr e d to t his an d wh y th e in

v e rsion of t he cam biat a, al though rmissibl e in longe r no te v alu e s is no t

’

e
p ,

writte n in quar te rs E qually e nligh tening i s th e fac t

t ha t figure s such as th e fo llowing are avoid e d

4 T hi s
idi m i oi h P l i yl
s r are n t e a e s tr n a s t e .

5 Lik w i v ye se er rare .

6 T hi f ll ws o f o f m
s, h
o l m i
co urse , d b v
ro T h t h ye f
ru eh e n t o ne a o e . e t eo r o t e se v e n te e n t h
ce n t u r
y ( w hi h l l y p iv d hi l i
c c e ar wh e rce h e igh h d i
t s re at o n . e re as t e e t ee n t an n n e te e n t h i
ce ntu r e s

l o st i g h f i ) m iv d i
s t o t i i wi h h
o t at e m h i i l w y b if
t s r e s t r ct o n t t e s t ate e nt t at t s a a s e st st epw i se p ro

i
g re ss o n s
i
are d co n t n u e d h l f on to C m p
an f m p
acce n t e l h a n o te . o are . o r e xa e, t e i i
c t at o n f ro m
An d L
rea s t El P q d
o re n e s : l m i
i

( A l l
or 1 6
ue 7 2 ) i eT h aS y l f P
us ca l i ca a, n e t e o a e str n a, p 67 . .
 TECHNICAL FEATURES 89

The figure is on
,
the con trary usabl e only
,

if th e low e s t t on e is follow e d by th e s e cond ab ov e ( If th e s e cond b e low

.

is wri tten th e large r in te rval pr e c e d e s th e small e r in d e sc e nding mo

,

t ion )
. L arge r skips than th e t hird are n e v e r th e l e ss n o t pe rmissibl e
und e r similar circums t anc e s e v e n if th e in te rvals are corr e c tly arrange d
,
.

E xamp l e s such as th e following

are accordingly con trary to th e s tyl e Nor can two or more Skips in th e
.

sam e dir e c tion com e in succ e ssion wh e n th e mov e m en t is in quar te rs as ,

for exampl e :

O n th e o th e r hand two skip s may w e ll com e in succ e ssion if th e y in are

opp osi te dire c tions e v e n in quar te r n o te mov e m en t T h e following

-
.

cad e nc e figur e is o n e of th e favori te d evic e s ( and righ t ly so b e caus e it i s,

unusually we ll balanc e d )

A sc ending skips which follow quar te r n o te mov e m en t d e sc e nding by

-

s tep are ge n e rally usabl e b ut produc e th e b e s t e ffe c t if th e skip is mad e

t o an unacc e n te d half or t o a r e la t iv e ly acc e n te d quar te r no t e af t e r n o t

more than thr ee succ e ssiv e quar te rs C o n se

qu en tly th e following is n o t so good

In such cas e s as t he fore going , it is bes t to ski p to a half no te which is i d

t e
ov e r :
90 TEC H N ICA L FEA T U RES

S uchfigure s which are mos t usab l e wh en th e asc ending skip occurs

,

af te r a quarte r in troduc e d by s te p from abov e are mos t rare in th e ,

inv e rsion tha t is if th e quar te r no te is in troduc e d s tepwise from b elow

, ,

and th e succ e e ding Skip is downward . De vic e s such as

E
are n ev e rth e l e ss fairly common ( al though no t n e arly so common as th e

inv e rsion ) wi ne
fi g is p rac

tically e xclud e d .

In th e music of Pal e s trina in ge n e ral a s triking diff e r e nc e is found in

,

th e t r e a t m e n t of th e asc e nding and d e sc e nding in t e rvals I t is e vid e n t .

h e r e tha t asc e nding skips are much mo re carefully comp e nsa te d for or
fill e d o ut than d e sc e nding Skip s . Whil e figur e s such as :

occur ra th e r oft e n in half no te s much l e ss ofte n do

, we find inv e rsions of
t h e m such as :
,

S imilarly a larg e r ski p downward l S of t e n follow e d by ano t h e r skip ( in

th e o osi t e dir c
e t ion of cours e ) O n t h e o t h e r hand a larg e ski p u p
pp ,
.
,

ward is almos t always follow e d b y a d e sc e nding s tepwis e pr ogre ssion .

This mus t b e so b e caus e th e ton e to which o n e sk ips in th e firs t cas e i s x

“ ” “
th e low o
t ne and th e o t h e r is t h e high t on e , and b e caus e asc e nding
skip s a tt rac t th e liste n e r S a tte n ion mor han d sc nding on s Th r
’
t e t e e e . e e

fore care is always t ak e n t hat th e form e r are softe n e d by eff e ct s l e ss e n e r

g e t ic in charac te r ( Sinc e th e whol e migh t o t h e rwis e e asily sound t o o

re s tl e ss and ac tiv e ) De sc e nding skips hav e on th e o th e r hand a l e ss

. , ,

pronounc e d eff e c t and th e re for e do n o t re quire compe nsa tion by b e ing

follow e d by p ar ticularly smoo th progre ssions .

In quarte rs th e s te pwis e or more accura te ly th e s te pwis e passing kind

, , ,
-
 TECH N ICAL FEA TU RE S 91

of mov em e n t is b y far th e mos t common But in s tepwis e mov e m e n t

,
.

“ ”
o n e som e t im e s t urns and com e s back t o th e sam e t on e for e xamp l e : ,

Th e s e two figure s are e qually usabl e if as in th e pr e s e n t e xamp l e th e y , ,

re turn to a half no te But if th e no te to which o n e r e turns from the

.

u ppe r or low e r s e cond is a quarte r th e n th e r e is a di ff e re nc e : for whil e ,

th e t urning on th e lowe r s e cond is v e ry commo n ,

th e inv e rsion is mos t rare in th e Pal e s trina s tyl e .

Appar e n tly th e id e n ti t y of th e firs t and third quar te rs in th e figure with

t h e u pp e r auxiliary was f e l t t o b e to o in e x p r e ssiv e B e rardi e xpr e ss e s this .

in th e vi e wp oin t of th e s e v e n te e n th c e n tury which is more chord ,

conscious as follows : Mor e ov e r th e figur e call e d g im na o l etm or gio e o is

“
,
’

forbidd en p art icularly wh e re th e can tus fi rm us re mains ov e r th e same

,
” 7
chord :

7 Misce l l ane a m usical e ( Bo l o g na ,

p . 13 6 . Co m p are f u rt h er di II p l e m i l
Be rar : e re z us ca :

( Bo lo g na , p . 32 :
“
T he re aso n the g irand o l e tta or g ro w is p hi b i d p i ll y w h
ro te , es ec a en

t h e can t us fi rm us d o es no t mo v e, is t h at o ne h e ars t wo o cta v es or t w fif h

o p d v h
t s re e at e o er t e

sa me c h d
or ; m o re o v er in qu arte r-no te p g
assa e s o n e s h o ul d u se t h e fig u re cal e l d t h e e o n d u ei m e nt o ,

w hi h c is a st e p wi se mo v e m e n t f ro m l o w to hig h an d f ro m hi g h to lo w .
92 TECH N ICA L FEATURES

B e rardi is th e re fore of th e opinion tha t such auxiliary figur e s Should

, ,

b e s tric t ly forb idd e n e sp e cially wh e r e th e posi t ion of th e o th e r par t

H
,

roduc e s t h e r e t urn n o t only t o th e sam e t on e b ut a b ov e all t o th e sam e

p
chord But if we compar e th e prac tic e of th e six tee n th c e n tury wi th
.

th e rul es of B e rardi we soon find t ha t h e mak e s t o o b road a g e n e raliza

,

t ion . e do e s n o t dis t inguish at all b e t w ee n figur e s e mploying th e

uppe r s e cond and thos e using th e lowe r s e cond as th e auxiliary no te .

A s I hav e said this dis tinc tion e xis te d n e v e r th e l e ss doub tl e ss b e cause

, ,

ar t icular car e and a tte n t ion w e r e involun t arily giv e n to th e con tinua tion
p
from th e upp e r auxiliary which is v e ry s trongly e m phasiz e d b y its posi
,

t ion . C ons e qu e n t ly th e upp e r auxiliary is n o t us e d v e ry much e sp e cially ,

wh e n rhyt hmic id en tit y is add e d to m e lodic id en ti t y b e caus e th e t riviali t y

,

of th e e ff e c t th e reb y b e com e s so much more s triking Thus as h a s b ee n .

,

said o n e should b e ab l e to use th e u ppe r auxiliary b efor e e i th e r a half

,

no te or a s till longe r note valu e but n o t b e fore anoth e r quarte r no te

,
.

This rul e is valid r e gardl e ss of wh e th e r th e u pp e r auxiliary is on t h e

(
s e cond or th e fourth quarte r ) S uch figur e s as th e following occur
.

r e la tiv e ly ofte n

T he following d e vic e on,

th e oth e r hand ,
is so rar e wi th Pal e s trina tha t
it can b e call e d unusabl e :
 TECH N ICA L FEA T U RE S 93

Ne v e r th e l e ss ,
it s inv e rsion is common

L ik e wis e figur e s lik e th e following can be found in Pal e s trina though ,

t h e y are rare whil e th e inv e rsion was mos t rar e

v e n in comp os e r s of th e e arli e r ar t of th e six te en th c e n tury and was

e p

no t us e d any more in Pal e s trina s tim e

E igh th no te s w e r e normally us e d only in group s of two in th e Six 8

t ee n th c e n tury Th e y w e re in troduc e d and qui tte d in s tep wis e mov e

.

men t :

An in te rval of th e four th th e re fore may b e fill e d o ut by two e igh ths

, ,

bo th in asc e nding and d e sc e nding m otion T h e p r e c e ding no te do e s .

n o t absolu te ly n e e d t o b e a do tte d half b u t may b e a quar te r :

A uxiliaryno te s are lik e wis e possibl e but only wi th th e lowe r s e cond ,

.

Tha t the s e cond of t wo e igh ths Should be a s e cond abov e th e firs t is

conc e ivabl e in th e Pal e s trina s tyl e only if th e s te pwis e mov e me n t con

t in ue s upward thus ,
but no t

F ur th e rmor e mus t b e und e rs tood tha t e igh ths may occur only on
it
unacc e n te d quar te rs of th e m e asur e Th e r e fore th e y canno t com e aft e r
.

a no te valu e gre a te r than a do tte d half Thus proc e dur e s such as th e .

following are for e ign to th e Pal e s trina s tyl e :

3
1 hv i d
a e c te a fe w rare e xce pi
t o ns i n T h e S t yl e 0 / P al e st ri n a , pp . 13 8 f .
94 TE C H N I CA L FEA T U RE S

L et us turn back to th e m e lody which s e rv e d as our ini tial e xampl e

(p . W e no t e t ha t t h e r e
p e t i t ion of t on e s occurs scarc e ly a t all .

This is how ev e r ra th e r accid e n tal for tonal r epe ti tion is a v e ry common

, , ,

occurr e nc e in Pal e s trin a m e lodi e s e s p e cially wi th longe r no te valu e s such

,

as br e v e s whol e no te s and half no te s

, ,
T h e ma tte r of t onal r ep e ti tion
.

d ep ends u pon th e s e tting of th e tex t in tha t wh e n s ev e ral diff e r en t

,

syllabl e s are sung on th e sam e p i tch th e no te is divid e d for exampl e

, ,

do - na vit no b is , do na vit ,
no

Wi th r e s pe c t to quar te r no te s which canno t carry a syllabl e if th e y

,

are in succ e ssion t h e r e is only o n e form of r e p e t i t ion in t h e music of

,

Pal e s trina : th e an ticipation approach e d b y s te p from a b ov e This is .

v e ry common and fur th e rmore may b e obs e rv e d in th e s e v e n th and

, ,

thir t e e n th m e asur e s of th e giv e n m e lody ( p I t ge n e rally occurs .

b e for e a syncop a te d no te ( as in bar b ut it do e s app e ar qui te ofte n

wi thou t b e ing followe d b y a susp e nsion T h e an ti c i pati on usually fol .

lows a do tte d half b ut it may also be found afte r quarte rs for e xampl e
, ,

A n t icip at ions
may und e r all circums t anc e s com e only on unacc e n te d
, ,

quar te rs of th e m e asur e and ( in Pal e s trina m e lodie s ) th e y are us e d only

wh e n approach e d b y s tep from abov e T h e an ticipat ion approach e d .

from b e low is ofte n t o b e found in e arly I t alian compos e rs from th e be

ginning of th e six te e n th c e n tury and also in th e con te mporary Neth e r
land e rs as :
,

H ere t o o th
,
an t
e ici p a t ion a pp roach e d b y a d e sc e nding ski p of a t hird
unusually common s cially wi h i d Pr ez o whom we
is e
p e ,
t I q
o s u n e s t ,

can almos t a tt ribu te th e mos t fre qu e n t use of this figure as : ,

 TEC H N ICA L FEA T U RE S 9S

S ta b at ma ter do 10

Th e s e e arly compos e rs also mak e fairly fre qu e n t use of th e an t icipat ion

approach e d by a d e sc ending skip of a fifth .

In th e Pal e s trina s tyl e th e a tte mpt t o giv e th e m e lodi e s harmonic pois e ,

how ev e r n e v e r l e ads t o te dious s t iff n e ss or to dulln e ss ; on th e con trary

, ,

a c e r t ain sp righ t ly en e rgy in th e lin e ar tr e atm e n t is prefe rr e d ( al though

comp l e te ly con troll e d ) and e v e ry h e avin e ss and insipid r epetit ion is
avoid e d Par ticular car e is e x e rcis e d that th e eff e c t of th e high ton e in
.

th e m e lodic culmina t ion may n o t b e diminish e d b y having tha t t on e

occur shortly b efor e b e caus e th e culminat ion i t s e lf would th e reb y be

,

rob b e d of it s forc e In th e m e lody discuss e d we obs erv e accordingly

.

tha t th e culmina t ion no t e G ( b ar 1 1 ) occurs only this o n e t im e and t ha t

th e o th e r high p oin t s do n o t go b e yond th e F F ur th e rmor e th e cul 9

.

mina tion poin t e v e n wh e n it com e s in e n tir e ly fre sh and achi e v e s it s

,

full e ff e c t is n o t in th e l e as t o veraccen te d and do e s n o t s t and o ut harshly

,
.

We have h e r e o n e of th e b e s t charac t e ris tics of th e ge nuin e s t ylis tically ,

ur e Pal e s t rina m e lodi e s in con tras t t o l a t e r som e wha t misguid e d imi t a

p
t ions E v e ryon e who has e v e n a sligh t f e e ling for wha t is e ss e n t ial and
.

dis tinc tiv e in this s tyl e will b e on h is guard agains t a th e m e such as th e

“
following ( which is from a mo te t of I I F ux th e so call e d Pal e s trina . .
,
~

of th e eigh te e n th c e n tury who has b ee n m e n tion e d e arli e r ) ,

Ad te Do mi - ne Ie va

A l though v e ry th ing s e e ms to be in full accord wi th th e laws of th e

e

Pal e s trina S t yl e and al though this is an exc e ll e n t and b e au tiful m e lody

in i ts elf we can b ut fee l tha t th e to tal impre ssion has a som e wha t mod e rn
,

9 Wi th
p h re sm f lm i
e ct ito t e t re at en t o cu n at o n h my
to n e s , t e se a o ccur at th e be gi i g
nn n o f
m l di
e o l h gh h y
e s, a tly d dou h t e r are o , an at t e e nd , p vid d h
ro g e t e ran e of the p i
art cul ar m e lo dy
i
s p i ll y l g d h m v m p g
no t es ec a ar e an t e o e ent ro re sse s i n h l gs uc on er no te v al ue s as w h l
o e an d

h lf
a I m l di
n o te s wi h q i k
. nh y hm e o es t u c er r t s ( in h lva d qes an u arte rs ) th e cul m in at o n i to ne

m y b
a p d b e l y if i
re m
e at e w, ut o n t co es o n t o to n e s w hi h c p d are se arate by a s n i gl e to ne , as

II l
II
!
96 TEC H N ICA L FEA T U RES
s en tim e n tal touch which is for eign to a gre a t s tyl e This impre ssion .

do e s n o t d e pend u pon th e in te rvals th e ms e lv e s ; the s am e mov e m en ts tha t

b egi n th e m e lody are found ( in th e sam e ord e r ) in th e th e m e from Pal e s
t rina s mo t e t S urg e pro pe ra ( see is h e rhy thm how v r
’

p I t t e e .
, ,

which is th e d e ciding fac tor h e re We shall be much n e are r t h e Pal e s .

t ri n a s t yl e if we al t e r th e F ux th e m e som e wha t as follows :

The x plana tion for th e l e ss e l egan t e ff e c t tha t F ux a tt ains may be tha t

e

in h is th e m e th e high t on e B—fla t in th e firs t curv e r e c e iv e s a v e ry s trong

acc e n t . It ge ts this acc e n t b e caus e th e rhy thm b e sid e s um

de rl in in g th e
firs t ton e e n e rge tically ( pr e sumably b e caus e this is long
in comp arison wi th th e following no te s ) is so arrange d tha t th e note ,

is lik e wis e mad e p romin e n t m e lodically tha t I s as th e culmin a t ion no te

, ,

B fl at
-
.A t th e b e ginning of th e third m e a sur e th e si t ua t ion b ecom e s
s till mor e acu te in tha t in addi tion to th e rhy thmic and m e lodic acc e n t
, ,
“ ”
t h e r e is sup e rim p os e d a third nam e ly a r e minisc e n t acc e n t on th e
, ,

high ton e D ( Tha t th e mo tiv e of th e s e cond m e asure is r e p e a te d e m

”

p h a s iz e s i t s t rongly and p roduc e s a mor e

p ronounc e d e ff e c t b e caus e of
th e high e r rang e ) This las t culmina t ion is th e reby so to s pe ak rais e d
.
, ,

t o th e third p ow e r an d und e r this thr ee fold acc en t ua t ion it has an e ff e c t

,

lik e ringing s l an e ff e c t which in its sharpn e ss and e xub e ranc e is en

t ee —

t ire l y for e ign t o th e sof t and na t ural lin e ar charac t e ris t ics of th e Pal e s trina

music I t b e com e s obvious from th e fore going comp arison wha t a de

.

ci siv e r61e rhy thm lays in h e Pal e s t rina m e lody y

1 °

p t and how cau t iousl

and carefully e v e ry unusual acc e n tua tion of th e culmina tion poin t is
avoid e d ind e e d how e v e ry thing is shunn e d wh ich migh t in any way
,

p roduc e a rough or ob t rusiv e e ffe c t This sugg e s t s a com arison wi th

p .

human sp e e ch In this conn e c tion I should lik e to in troduc e a ci ta tion

.

from th e te x tbook on phon e t ics by th e Danish philologis t O tto Iespe r

1 1
se n :

10 T hi s p b l m w i ll b
ro e e tre ate d d i
m o re in e ta l in t h e i
se c t o n on th e fi f th p i s ec e s ( p .

1 1
O tt o I p es Lhb
e rse n : e r uc h de f P b o ne ti lz 2 n d E d (
, . L i pzi g
e , p . 229 .
 TE C H N I CA L FE A T U RE S 97

T h e spe ech o f th e un ci vil i ze d i s ch aracte ri z e d b y g re at, un co nt ro l l e d t o n al

m o d ul at io n s, w h ile civil iz at io n pu t s a d am pe r o n t h e passio n s an d t h e ir e xp re s sio n s
i n ge st u re an d spee ch P o lite n e ss d em an d s t h at o n e S h o ul d n o t u se an y co arse m e an s
.

in o rd e r t o call atte n t io n t o h im se l f ; a se n sit ive l y e ducate d t aste i s re v e al e d l ik e w ise

in a f
re e re n ce f o r sm all , fi n e , e xpre ssiv e n u an ce s i n w h ic h d
t h e o u t si e r is u n ab l e t o
p
se e an y t h in g b ut d ull m o n o to n y .

N a t urally I do m e an tha t a m e lody mus t be as v e lv e t y and sub du e d

no t

as possib l e in ord e r to conform to th e ide al s of th e Pal e s trina s t yl e O n .

th e con t rary it can n e v e r b e liv e ly and e x pr e ssiv e e nough

,
In ord e r to .

achie v e this e ff e c t howe v e r o n e mus t ab ov e all mas te r a c e r t ain nuanc e

, , , ,

— I should lik e to call it th e m e lodic iano

p M e lodi e s which con tinually
.

try to b e impr e ssiv e b y th e use of e xc e ssiv e mov e m e n t and th e lik e are ,

no more ab l e to exp re ss ge nuin e e mo tion than an orch e s tra can giv e th e

impr e ssion of r e al powe r b y cons tan tly playin g for tissimo A s in o th e r .

fi e lds so h e r e to o : h e alon e will att ain re ally ge nuin e and d ee p e xpr e ssion
,

who und e rs t ands th e art of r e s train t .

H AR M ON Y

A l though th e musi c of th e six tee n th c en tury is b as e d ss en tially on e

lin e s we mus t b y no m eans assum e tha t in te re s t in th e con tras ting

,

dim ension tha t of chords was th ere for e compl e te ly lacking

, ,
.

F or th e six te e n th c e n tury harmony e xis ts admi t te dly much more for

,

th e sak e of lin e ar e ff e c t s than for it s own sak e In ord e r to b e ab l e t o .

follow th e various m e lodi e s in th e ir simul t an e ous cours e wi thou t diffi cul t y ,

cl e arn e ss and b e au t y in th e chordal combina tions w e re r e quire d In th e .

cours e of th e six te en th c e n tury th e d e mand for fulln e ss and ind epend en t

p l e asan tn e ss of t h e harmoni e s gradually incr e as e d Z arl in o alr e ady .

te ach e s in his work I stit ut io ni h arm o n ie h e ( 1558 ) tha t so far as possibl e

th e third and fift h ( or six th ) Should b e wri tt e n ov e r th e bass t on e .

A rt usi ind e e d go e s so far as t o giv e only com pl e te t riads as usab l e at

, ,

all in composi tions wi th more than t wo voic e s b e caus e as h e e xp re ss e s , ,

“ ”
it l a rze /ze z za de l l h ar m o nia can b e a tt ain e d only in this way
’
’
Thi s .

“
fe eling for harmonic richn e ss h as doub tl e ss d e eply and d e cisiv e ly af
f e cte d th e e volu tion of music If o n e Should go through th e li te ra tur e
.

of th e N eth e rland compos ers of th e fifteen th and e arly Six te e n th c en turi e s

and on through Pal e s trina and th e n mak e a t abula tion h e would see
, ,

how th e pe rc e n tage of incompl e te and e m pty combina tions cons tan tly
98 TECH N I CA L FEA T URE S
d e cr e as e s and how th e filling o ut of th e chords wi th thirds and six ths
simu lt an ously incr as s Wi th Pal e s trina apar t from more exc ep tional
e e e — .

cas e s wh e r e th e m e lody is b uil t up on th e harmony or wh e r e th e r ev e rs e 1

—
happ ens o n e can always obs e rv e a mas te rful b alanc e in th e r e gard for
t h e m e lod ic and harmonic r e quir e m e n t s al though as I hav e said t h e , , ,

harmonic d e mands are g en e rally ra th e r more for th e sak e of cl e arn e ss

than for any thing e ls e .

T h e sam e warin e ss agains t a b rup t or uncl e ar e ff e c t s which is char

acte ristic of th e Pal e s trina s t yl e in t h e lin e ar t r e a t m e n t is e vid e n t in t h e

t r e a t m e n t of chords Dissonanc e s are us e d only in r e s tric te d forms and

.

in p lac e s wh e r e th e y do n o t produc e an ob trusiv e eff e c t Th e ir use may .

be divid e d in t o thr e e principal ca te gori e s

1. Passing dissonanc e s .

2 S usp e nsion dissonanc e s

. .

—“

3 . A uxiliary dissonanc e s ( th at is dissonanc e s which are in t roduc e d ,

b y s te p on we ak b e at s an d th e n r e turn to th e pr e c e ding t on e ) .

In addi tion to all augm en te d and diminish e d in te rvals s e conds fourths , , ,

s e v e n ths nin ths and so on are class e d as dissonanc e s T h e four th

, , , .
,

how ev e r occupie s a v e ry p ar t icular individual posi tion : it hov e rs be

, ,

t w e e n consonanc e and dissonanc e and und e r c e r t ain circums t anc e s which ,

will be discuss e d late r can be t r e ate d as a co n so n an ce But as a rul e

,
l

.
,

th e four th is consid e r e d a dissonanc e T h e sam e thing app li e s also to .

o th e r mildly dissonan t t onal comb inat ions such as diminish e d and aug ,

m e n te d four ths and fift hs .

In accordanc e with long s t and ing t radit ion th e consonanc e s are di -

,

v ide d in th e sixt e e n t h c e n t ury in t o t wo grou p s : p e rfe c t an d im p e rfe c t .

T h e p e rfe c t consonanc e s are : unison fifth oc t av e t w e lfth and so on ; , , , ,

th e imp e rfe c t consonanc e s are : t hird Six th t e n th and so on In th e , , , .

six te e n th c e n tury to o p e rfe ct consonanc e s are p r efe rre d to impe rfe c t at

, ,

th e b e ginning and en d of a com p osi t ion .

O n e of th e chi e f t h e or e t ical rul e s of th e c en t ury forb ids th e dir e c t

p rogr e ssion from o n e p e rf e c t consonanc e t o ano th e r In o th e r words .

,

arall e l oc t av e s or fift hs are n o t p e rmissib l e

p

1 Bro k en c h d
or
‘

s an d th e l ik e are v y
er rare in the Pl
a e s t r na i st yl e .
 TECH N ICAL FEATURES 99

It mus t be poin te d o ut that this rul e app lie s only wh e r e such p arall e ls
occur b et w e e n a giv e n pair of voic e s ; if th e y are avoid e d by crossing th e
voic e s th e n it mak e s li ttl e di ff e r e nc e wh eth e r or n o t th e y are p r e s e n t
,

in th e sounds ac tually h e ard A good e xamp l e is found in th e following

.

assag e from th e credo of th e four p ar t mass of Pal e s t rina I n t e Do m i n e

-
p ,

spe m z / i which would sound as follows on th e piano

,

b ut which in r e ali t y do e s no t hav e p arall e l fif ths

,
sinc e it is no te d as
follows

re sur re xit te r ti 9

H e r e th e fifths avoid e d by th e crossing of th e t wo u pp e r p ar t s

are .

This is n o t as o n e migh t assum e pure ly a ma tte r of form for th e sak e

, ,

of e vading th e rul e O n th e con t rary it is an e xpr e ssion of th e e ss e nc e

.
,

of th e law for th e tonal quali t y of th e diff e r e n t voic e s e nabl e s o n e to

,

follow th e individual m e lodi e s and e asily to se e tha t th e fifths do n o t

occur in parall e l mo tion .

I t is n o t d e sirabl e for two or mor e four ths t o follow e ach o th e r in

Similar mo tion T h e only exc eption is th e following progr e ssion which
.
,

in mod e rn te rminology would be call e d a s e ri e s of p arall e l chords of

,

t h e Six th

But progr e ssions such as th e following are fore ign to th e s t yl e of

Pal e s trina :
100 TEC H N I CA L FEAT U RE S

S uch p roc e dur e s mor lik ly to b found in th e F ranco Burgundian

are e e e -

compos ers of th e fiftee n th c en tury Thus v e ry common in th e work

;

of th e s e mas te rs are cad e nc e formulas such as th e following

The six teen th c en tury how e v e r modifi e s this cad e nc e in to

, ,
th e following

Major thirds ,
to o , are us e d wi th a c e r tain cau tiousn e ss Wh e re two .

voic e s mov e in parall e l thirds ge n e rally a maj or third is followe d by a

,

minor third b e caus e two succ e ssiv e maj or thirds always produc e th e
t ri t on e e ff e c t if th e low e r par t mov e s a whol e t on e as for e xampl e :,

But it would b e to o s tric t to forb id th e succ e ss i on of two major thirds

e n t ir e ly
. Pal e s trina hims e lf fairly ofte n us e s two and some tim e s ev en three
such thirds in dir e c t succ e ssion as in th e G loria of his four p art mass
,
-

L auda S io n in which how e v e r only th e las t two t hirds produc e th e tri

, , ,

t one e ff e c t

Do mi—
ne Pi li u mi ge ni

F inally ,
t h e so - call e d cov e re d fifths and oc tav e s occur in th e music
 TE C H N I CA L FE A T U R E S 101

of Pal e s trina v e ry rare ly in two p ar t wri ting and th e n th e y are g e n e rally -

,

us e d in conn e c tion wi th an imi t a tion as in Pal e s trina s four p art mo t e t ,

’
-

I n die b us il l is
’

di e -
bus il

such fif hs and oc t av e s can also occur e v e n in two —p ar t wri tin g—

But t —
f

wi thou t any imi ta tion In such a cas e how ev e r o n e gen e rally finds t ha t
.
,

o n e of t h e voic e s mov e s by s t e as in t h following assag from a li any

p e
p e t ,

by Pal e s trina

Fa v us S am

O nly rar ly in ar t wri t ing do bo th voic e s Skip in th e sam e dirc e

e t wo -p

t ion t o a fif th or oc t av e In ge n e ral o n e h e si t a te s to allow t wo par t s to

“

Ski p in th e sam e dire c tion unl e s s at l e as t o n e of th e p ar t s is an inn e r p ar t .

S um m ary

A l though th e harmony of the Pal e s trina s t yl e is domina te d a c e r tai n to

e x t e n t by chordal f e e ling its full b e au t y is r e v e al e d only in r e la tion

,

to m e lodic consid e ra tions Ju st as w e canno t appre cia te fully th e m e lody

.

from Pal e s trina s o ff e rtorium A ve Maria m en tion e d in t h e p re c eding

’

chap te r so long as it stands alon e ( for un lik e mo st mod e rn m e lodi e s

, , ,

it can v e ry w ell s tand alon e ) so th e h armonic cours e of t h e progr e ssion s ,

which we find in this com posi tion in i ts e lf p e rfe c tly b e au tiful and ,

2
S "v
e e ra l ch i i
arac t e r s t c e xc e pi t o n al c as e s m a y b e fo un d . See m y s tu dy Ue b e r i
e ne n Brie f P al e r
t rin ar m e nt i o ne d o n pg a e 25 .
102 TEC H N I CA L FEA T U RE S
logical will n o t produc e a profound e ff e c t if th e r ela tion to th e th e ma tic
,

d ev elopm en t r emains conc e al e d B e caus e this work of art was conc e iv e d

.

as a whol e it mus t b e p e rc e iv e d as such

,

-
ri
 TEC H N ICA L FEA T U RE S 103

a, a ve Ma a, a ve Ma ~
ri

L et us seehow e v e ry thing liv e s and br e a th e s b e low this qui e t and pe r

ha ps sligh tly classically cool u ppe r voic e O nly now do e s it achi ev e
.

color and life .

 PA R T II

C o m m pun tal E xe rcise s

‘
 H
I NT R O DU C T I O N

M
o sr O F T following e xe rcise s involv e th e addi tion of o n e or more
E

parts to a giv e n m e lody th e can tus fi rm us a te chniqu e which old

—
, ,

as it is s till con tinu e s to hav e d e cid e d p r ac tical valu e

, .

T h e m e lodi e s giv e n b e low will s e rv e as can t us fi rm i ; b ut th e t e ach e r

or th e pupil may if h e so choos e s com pos e for hims e lf similar b asic
, ,

me lodi e s to work wi th N o te that th e m e lodi e s giv en h er e may b e t rans

.

pos e d a fourth up or a fifth down ( with a signatur e of o n e fl at ) and that

th e y may also b e t rans pos e d to th e up p e r or low e r oc t av e according t o

wh e th e r th e y are put in a high e r or a low e r part S inc e I n p olyphonic .

,

p rac t ic e th e
, L ydian mod e coincid e s wi t h t h e Ionian only Ionian can t us ,
“
fi rm i are indica te d Th e re is o f cours e no thing to pre v en t thos e who so
. ~

d e sire from e xp e rim en ting with th e L ydian but th e y mus t und e rs t and ,
-

tha t it do e s n o t hav e any par ticular prac ti cal a pplica t ion S imilarly th e .
,

di ff e re nc e b e twee n au th e n tic and plagal can tus fi rm i is disre gard e d

.
,

Sinc e it is wi thou t significanc e in polyphonic music .

D orian

1 T he can tus fi rm i n um be rs 1 , 6, an d 20 are by F u x; th e o t h e rs by h

t h e au t o r .

1 07
108 C O N T R A P U N T A L EX E R C I S E S
P h ry g ian

Mixo l y dian

I o nian
Cb apter II I

TW O P A R T - CO U NT E RPO INT

H
F IR ST S PEC I E S

N T I RST SPECI E S which

is also call e d no te agains t no te an upp e r
I
E F , ,

or lowe r par t is add e d to th e can tus fi rm us This add e d part mov e s .

in whol e no te s as do e s th e can t us fi rm us Mos t imp or t ant is that this n e w .

p ar t ( th e coun t e r oin t
p ) acquir e s an ind e p e nd e n t and b e au t iful m e lodic
“
form ; und e r no circums t anc e s may it hav e th e e ff e c t of b e ing con triv e d
“ ”
or forc e d .

P rel im in ary E xe rcise

We shall try to wri te a singl e m e lody in whol e no te s confining our ,

s e lv e s to th e e ccl e sias tical mod e s b e ginning and e nding wi th e i th e r th e

"
tonic or th e dominan t A s alr e ady me n t ion e d all pe rfe c t maj or and
1
,

.
, , ,

minor in te rvals up to th e fifths are p e rmi tte d in asc e nding as w e ll as in

d e sc e nding mo tion as is th e p e rfe c t oc tav e wh ere as th e minor six th
, ,

is allowe d asc ending only T h e rul e tha t th e large r skip s mus t p re c e d e

.

th e small e r on e s in asc e nding mov e m en t whil e in d e s c e nding mov e m e n t

th e ord e r is r e v e rs e d mus t n o t b e a ppli e d t o o rigidly wh e r e th e mov e m e n t

t ak e s p lac e in whol e no te s ( e ach whol e no t e r e c e iving t wo coun t s ) ; b ut

it is w e ll to ob s e rv e it wh e n e v e r p ossibl e T h e m e lody mus t b e qui e t

.

and sure in its mov e m en t so tha t it is fel t as an individuali t y which

,

knows wh e re it is going and n o t as a m e re vic tim of circums tanc e s wan

d e ring willy milly h e re and th e re A m e lody lik e th e following h as a
-
.

”
vagu e and cramp e d eff e c t ; it lacks dire c tion

l 1t Sh o ul ph iz d g i h i
d be e m as e a a n t at , n t he p l y ph i
o on c l i i l mo d e s
e cc e s as t ca ,
the fi fth b v
a o e

t h e to n c i y d i
is al wa s t h e o m ( pg
nan t se e a e 7 1)
1 10 T wo -
PART C OU NTERPOINT

In th e main th e dull im pr e ssion mus t be consid e r e d as due to th e cir

,

cum st an ce tha t th e m e lody s ee ms to s t ick at th e high e s t no t e F wi thou t

b e in g abl e to go b e yond it If th e Six th no te C is re plac e d b y a G th e

.
,

r e sul t is v e ry much b e tte r T h e m e lody do e s n o t b e com e re ally good for

.
,

th e r e are S till t o o many F s in i t b ut i t do e s acquir e n e v e r th e l e ss som e

’

, , ,

thing o f a musical charac t e r N a turally a m e lody which p oss e ss e s

.

“
e e
-
e —
dir c ion is n o t n c ssarily b e au tiful a guaran tee d proc e dur e for th e
t

p r oduc t ion of b e au t if ul m e lodi e s do e s n o t e xis t

( f o rt un at e l l
y ) Tha t th e .

follo wing m e lody al though we ll d e fin e d in con tour has an inar tis tic and
, ,

mono tonous effe c t may be admi tte d wi thou t argum en t

A s te pwis e progr e ssion is good e nough in it s e lf b ut scal e s alon e ,

are

no t su ffici e n t I t is a qu e s t ion of cr e a ting m e lodi e s cl e ar in d e sign and

.

at th e sam e t im e vari e d in th e assor t m e n t of t on e s us e d I t is e sp e cially .

impor t an t as has alr e ady b ee n m en tion e d tha t th e high e s t ton e b e us e d

, ,

in a fr e sh and e ffe c t iv e way ; th e r efor e it is we ll to avoid in troducing this

t on e mor e th an onc e — e sp e cially wh e r e th e m e lodi e s are fairly Shor t as ,

in th e s e e x e rcis e s O n e should exe rcI se S i milar cau ti on in th e tre a tm en t

.

of th e low e s t ton e A l though it is n o t so I mpor t an t as th e high e s t t on e

.
,

it d e mands a c e r t ain amoun t of consid e ra tion ; h e nc e it is b e s t n o t t o

—
r ep e a t this no te t o o fr e qu e n tly in th e m e lody in any cas e n o t wi thou t
a consid e rab l e in te rval of t im e in te rv ening I t is mor e ov e r n e c e ssary .

t o k e e p e ach s e para t e p ar t wi thin a r e asonabl e or Singab l e rang e We .

assum e th e e x e rcis e s for chorus and th e r efore we do n o t l e t th e soprano

,

go abov e or b e low lik e wis e th e al to is k ep t

wi thin th e r ange t h e te nor

th e bass A S w as m en tion e d in th e s e c tion on

e ccl e sias tical mod e s ,

th e S ev e n th d e gr ee is rais e d at th e cad e nc e in all t he
 TWO PA RT CO U N TERPOIN T
-
111

scal e s exc e pt th e Phrygian in which half S tep s do n o t alre ady e xis t b e

,

t w ee n t h e s e v e n t h and e igh th d e gr e e s In a cad e nc e it is n o t so good to .

a pproach th e s e v e n th de gre e ( l e ading ton e ) by an asc e nding skip as

to i n t roduc e it by a s t e pwis e progr e ssion b u t it is e rmissibl e to a roach
p pp ,

is no t p e rmissibl e ,
b ut is acc e ptabl e . Much be t

te r is t his

In m e lodic cons truc tion to o many skip s are bad ; a m e lody which ,

is con st an t ly ski pp ing is no m e lody at all L ik e wis e w e mus t b e car e ful .

of s e qu e nc e s sinc e th e y ge n e rally sound v e ry trivial F ux s A e olian

,
’

can tus fi rm us for e xampl e is l e ss u seful on this accoun t

, ,
.

O n th e o th e r hand m e lo d ie s l ik e the following

.
i
are good
A e o l ian

D o rian

M ixo l y d ian

T he r epe ti tion of a ton e is p e rmi tte d occasionally in th e firs t spe ci e s ,

and th e re only .

Co a nte rpo in t

B e aring in mind so far as possibl e th e m e lodic consid e ra tions jus t dis

cuss ed le t us add par ts abov e and b e low th e giv e n can tus fi rm us pro
, ,

cee d in g according t o t h e following rul e s :

1 . O nly consonan t combina tions may b e us e d ( Do no t forge t tha t .

th e four th is consid e r e d a dissonanc e ) .

2 To t hi s m u st b e dd d h
a e t at t he b gi i g
e nn n s ug g e st s b k ro en c h d
or s ( co m p are p .
1 12 T wo - PART COUNTERPOINT
2 . mus t b egin and en d wi th a pe rfe c t consonanc e ( oc tav e fifth
O ne , ,

an d so on ) If th e coun terpoin t li e s in th e lowe r par t how ev e r only th e

.
, ,

oc tav e or unison may be us e d at th e b eginning and ending .

3 U nisons may occur only on th e firs t and las t no te s of th e can tus

.

fi rm us

H H
.

4 . H idd e n and parall e l fifths and oc tav e s p e rmi tte d It is

are no t .

t h e r efor e n o t p e rmissibl e to approach a fif th or oc t av e in S imilar mo tion .

id de n f if th s al le ] f if t h s idd e n

5 . Thecan t us fi rm us and coun te rpoin t mus t n o t be to o far apart .

O nly for th e sak e of a b e au t iful voic e l e adin g should th e in te rval of th e

t e n th b e e xc ee d e d .

6 T h e coun te rpo in t and can t us fi rm us mus t n o t mov e in parall e l

.

thirds and six ths for to o long at a t im e sinc e th e ind ep e nd e nc e of th e

,

coun te rpoin t is th e r eb y d e s troy e d I t is to b e sur e hard to fix a d e finite

.
, ,

limi t ; but mor e than four such parall e ls are n o t good wh er e th e voic e s as ,

in this sp e ci e s mov e in whol e no te s

,
.

7 C au t ion mus t be e x e rcis e d wi th r e gard to allowing b o th par t s to

.

skip in th e sam e dir e c tion If th e y do non e of th e par ts ough t to skip

.
,

mor e than a four th ( This do e s n o t includ e th e skip of th e oct av e which

.
,

mus t be consid e r e d a sort of ton e r ep eti tion ) .

8 T h e t yp e of mo t ion tha t produc e s th e mos t b e au t iful eff e c t and

.

is mos t in accordanc e wi th th e natur e of polyphony is con trary mo tion .

Wh e re v e r m e lodic consid e ra tions p ermi t it Sh o uld b e pr efe rre d ,

.

E xam pl es

D o rian
 TWO PART COU NTERPOIN T
- 13

P h ry g ian

M ixo l y d ian

A e o lian

3 To c ro ss th e p ar ts i
( o ccas o n all y to le t the lo we r p art go a o b v e th e u pp er part or vi ce

v e rsa ) is a t ech i q whi h

n ue c cann o t be re co m me n dd
e i i
s uff c e n tl y . O n e m ay say h
t at wi h t o ut

thi s no re a l p l y ph
o y i p i bl
on s o ss e .

4
T wo s kip f hi d i h
s o a t r n t e sam e d i i
re ct o n are p m
er i i bl
ss e and are no t re g arde d as an

ar e p gg i o .
 1 14 TWO PART COU NTERPOINT
-

I o nian

S ECOND S P EC I ES

In th e s e e x e rcis e s two no te s are se t in th e coun te rpoin t agains t e ach

no te in th e can tus fi rm us .

P re li m in ary E xe rcise

Wri te m e lodie s in h alf no te s I t is p ermissibl e to b e gin wi th an up

.

b e a t ; in such cas e s how e v e r th e firs t ton e mus t b e th e tonic or th e fifth

, ,

of th e scal e L ik e wis e in th e n e x t to th e las t and third to th e las t m e as

.

ur e s a whol e no te may be subs ti tu te d for th e two half no te s whil e th e

,
'

las t no te in this as in all o th e r s pe ci e s mus t invariably be a bre ve ; T h e

r ep e ti tion o f a ton e b e ing pe rmissibl e only in th e firs t spe cie s ( see p
,
.

is accordingly forbidd e n in th e s e con d and in th e r e mainin g sp e ci e s .

T h e rul e p r e viously m e n t ion e d abou t th e succ e ssion of large r and small e r

in te rvals in th e sam e dire c tion mus t b e obs e rv e d mor e care fully h e re
than wh e r e ( as I n th e firs t sp e ci e s ) th e mov e m e n t t ak e s plac e I n whol e

no te s ; how e v e r an idiom lik e th e following may be us e d

“

2 3 2

b ut only wh e n th e d e sc e nding progre ssion of th e s e cond follows imm e

diate l y af te r th e asc e nding Skip of th e third which is in troduc e d con trary
,

t o rul e T h e following proc e dur e is n o t so good :

.
 TWO PART CO U NTERPOIN T
- 115

H owe v e r may be use d But in th e s t yl e und e r consid e ra t ion a m e lodic

,
it .
,

lin e such as th e following is lacking in form and d e sign :

2 3 2 2 3 2 2 2

L et us consid e r th e following coun te rpoin t

(b) 3 2

It s e e ms unsa tisfac tory chi e fl y pe rhaps b e caus e it appe ars to b e con

, ,

st an t l knocking i t h e ad agains t th e t wic e lin e d D wi thou t e v e r achi e ving

-
y s

a climax tha t s ee ms na t ural and fre e To this mus t be add e d also t h e

.

irre gular p rogre ssions of in te rvals at ( a ) and ( b ) in co m b in atio n wi th .

a mono tonous use of th e ton al ma te rial ( among th e tw e n t y t wo no te s -

of th e m e lody in qu e s tion th e no te s which l ie clo se ly adjoining— B A G

,
,

, , ,

—
F [ Sharp ] occur re s pec tiv e ly 3 5 6 and 4 tim e s ) F urth e rmore t h e
'

F -
, , , , ,
.

r epe t i tion of th e tonal ma te rial in th e e igh th and nin th m e asure s is

mono tonous S uch r e dundancy ( as w
. e ll as s e qu e nc e s
) mus t b e d e fini t e ly
avoid e d I t is e s pe cially impor tan t in th e se shor t m e lodie s to s triv e for
.

good classical s t yl e which im pli e s th e s tric te s t e conomy of m e lodic

,

ma te rial and th e avoidanc e of all padding Wi th th e following change s .

th e p r e c e ding m e lody b e com e s acc e t a b l e :

p

Co unte rpo i nt

In trying to combin e such a m e lody in half no te s wi th a can tus fi rm us .

we mus t obs e rv e th e followin g rul e s

1 16 TWO PART COUNTERPOIN T
-

1 . The arsis ( th e acc en te d p or t ion of th e m e asure ) may hav e only

consonan te .

2 . Th e th e sis ( th e unacc e n te d por tion of th e m e asur e ) may hav e

i h e r consonanc e or dissonanc e C onsonanc e may b e in troduc e d free ly ;
e t .

dissonanc e may b e us e d only if it is in troduc e d conjunc tly and is l ef t

conj unc tly con tinuing in th e sam e dire c tion ( in this way it fills in th e
in te rval of th e third b e tw ee n th e two no te s on e i th e r S id e of it ) as ,

follows :

b ut no t

H ere ,
to be
sur e a dissonanc e is in tro duc e d conjunc t ly and proc e e ds
,

conj unc tly b ut in th e opp osi te dire c tion from tha t in which it was
,

in troduc ed T h e following m e thods of tre a tm e n t are of cours e en t ire ly

.

inadmissibl e

3 . The unison on th e s trong acc e n t is p e rmissibl e only on th e firs t

and th e las t note s of th e can tus fi rm us In th e r e maind e r of th e coun te r
.

5
I t is to be n o te d h e re o n ce an d h
f o r all t at all t h e ru l e s in t hi s m an u al are b d
ase on th e

p re m se i t h at t h e h al f n o te is t h e i
un t k
o f m e asu re ( it t a e s o ne be at ) .
 T wo -
PART COU NTERPOINT 1 17

oin t how e v e r i t may also b e us e d on t h e unacc e n t e d p or t ion of t h e

p , ,

m e asur e I t Should b e no te d in this conn e c t ion tha t it is b e s t that th e

.

unison in troduc e d by Skip be qui tte d by conj unc t mot ion in th e opposi te
dire c tion al though this may n o t always b e possib l e
,
.

4 . fifths or oc tav e s ( fif ths or oc tav e s followi ng e ach o th e r

A cc e n te d
on succ e ssiv e acc e n ts ) mus t be us e d carefully e v e n if th e y are n o t ,

e xclud e d e n t ir e ly .

E xam pl e s

Do rian

6 Si n ce p fl
b ar l i n e s are su er uo u s in i
e xe rc se s w ih
t can t u s fi rm i w e , S h al l no t u se t h m in
e t hi s

b k O h ld b v h
oo . ne s ou o se r e t at w h en b ar l i ne s are no t u se d , acc id e n t al s a pp l y on l y to t h e n o te

i m m di l y f ll w i g
e ate o o n .
118 T WO PART CO U N TERPOIN T
-

Mixo ly d ian

A e o lian

I o nian
 TWO PART COU NTERPOIN T
- 1 19

Trip l e tim e wi th th e half no te as th e uni t of me asure r e quir e s in th e ,

Pal e s trina s t yl e tha t e ach half no te b e a consonanc e I t is th e r e fore

,
.
, ,

n o t in accordanc e wi th th e laws of t h e s t yl e wh e n Be l l e r m ann H all e r , ,

and o the rs p e rmi t th e s e cond and third half to b e dissonan t T h e rul e is .

t ha t in t ri p l e t im e only th e s e cond half of e ach uni t of m e asur e may b e

diss onan t Thus in. t im e only e v e ry o th e r half no t e may b e dissonan t

and in t im e e v e ry o th e r quar te r C ons e qu e n t ly only by t h e no t a

.
,

t ion are t im e and t im e dis t inguish e d and th e r e is th e re for e no ,

re ason for tre a ting trip l e t im e b e fore th e following e x e rcis e s in third

Spe ci e s .

T H I R D S PE C I E S

In th e s e e x e rcis e s four quar te rs are t o be se t agains t e ach no te in th e

can tus fi rm us .

P re parat o ry E xe rcise

F irs t wri te ex e rci se s in quar te r—no te mov e m en t

,
in th e p re c e ding . AS
spe cie s it is pe rmissibl e to b e gin wi th an u p b e a t th e r efore wi th a quar te r
, ,

re s t and occasionally also wi th a re s t of two or thre e quar te rs In th e

,
.

n e x t to th e las t bar t wo half no te s or o n e whol e no te may b e subs t i tu te d

,

for th e four quar t e rs whil e th e las t m e a sure as in al l s pe ci e s mus t hav e a

, , ,

br e v e Wi th no te valu e s as compara tiv e ly shor t as quar te r no te s it is

.
~

n e c e ssary as I hav e said to obs e rv e all th e m e lodic rul e s more rigidly

, ,

t han wi th Slow e r rhy thm s b e caus e o n e is mor e conscious of th e m e lodic

,

con te x t in th e more ra pidly moving no te s In th e s e e x e rcis e s th e refore .

, ,

n o e xce pt io n s are pe rmi tt e d to t h e rul e tha t larg e r in t e rvals mus t p r e c e d e

small e r on e s in con tinuous asc ending mov e m e n t an d vic e v e rsa wh e re , ,

t h e dir e c t ion is op posi t e N or are t wo or mor e succ e ssiv e ski p s in th e

.

sam e dire c tion pe rmi tte d But e v e n wh e re th e corre c t succ e ssion of

.
7

large r and small e r mov e m e n ts in th e sam e dire c tion is obs e rv ed th e ,

p ossibili t i e s wi th quar te r no te s are much mor e limi t e d than wi th t h e

g re a te r no te valu e s In re ali t y only t wo usabl e combina tions are avail

.

abl e : th e asc ending third followed by its u ppe r s e cond for e xampl e ,

7 Co m pare p . 89 .
an d th e d e sc ending s tep of th e S e cond followe d b y th e skip of th e t hird
in th e sam e dir e c tion for e xam pl e
,

If in this cas e a four th is subs ti tu te d for th e skip of th e third

, ,

t h e limi t s for this s t yl e hav e alr e ady b e e n viola te d A figur e lik e .

is th e re for e mos t rare in Pal e s trina and wi th ,

th e

downward S kip of th e four th for exam pl e ,

do e s n o t occur at all .

F ur th e rmor e th e rul e tha t no upward Skips from an acc en te d quar te r

,

n o te are p e rmissibl e mus t b e clos e ly obs e rv e d Th e r efor e mov e m en t s

.
,
.

lik e th e following mus t be avoid e d :

O n th e o th e r hand th e inv e rsions of th e s e figur e s are qui te p e rmissib l e

L ik e wis e , o ne mus t t ak e car e as far as p ossi b l e to fill o ut Skips im

m e dia te ly . A figur e such as is b e s t con tinu e d thus

b ut may also be con tinu e d by u pward Skip s for ,

b ut und e r no circu m s t anc e s by con t inuous downward mov e m e n t .

ik
L e wis of gr a Significanc i t h rul which is p ar t ially cov e r e d b y
'

e e t e s e e

wha t has alr e ady b e e n said ( com pare p 92) and according t o which
.

an unacc e n te d quarte r not e in troduc e d ste pwis e from b e low I S pre fe rably
, ,

con t inu e d u pward by s te p h e nc e t re ate d as a passing no te V iola tions

,
.
 T wo - PART CO UN TERPOIN T 12 1

of this rul e are v e ry rare ; th e only fairly usual e xc e pt ion to this rul e is
th e d e sc e nding ski p of t h e t hird following an unacc e n t e d quar t e r no t e

in t roduc e d s tepwis e fro m b e low for ,

e xamp l e

The unacc e n te d quar te r no te in troduc e d fro m abo ve is tr e a t e d wi th

gre a te r fr ee dom T h e b e s t proof for t his is th e much lik e d cam biat a
.
-

But also compara t iv e ly common

figure s lik e th e following

s e rv e to illus trate th e sam e poin t .

S e qu e nc e s lik e mus t of cours e be avoid e d .

Ge n e rally, d e sce nding Ski ps from two succ e ssiv e acc e n te d quar te r no te s
are n o t so good if h e y are asc e nding, t h e y are of cours e s t ill wors e )
( t .

R epe ti t ion of th e ton e of th e firs t q uar te r on th e third quar te r h as a [

t rivial e ff e c t if th e third quar t e r is in t roduc e d from abov e T h e sam e .

holds tru e und e r Similar circums t anc e s for r ep et i tions of th e s e cond to

th e four th quar t e r Th e r efore idioms lik e th e following are rare ly or
.
,

n ev e r m e t wi th in th e s t ylis tically pure music of Pal e s trina :

whil e such r ep e ti tions of ton e may p ass wh e r e th e third or th e four th

quar te r no te is in troduc e d from b e low F or e xamp l e th e following .
,

ornam e n t is e xc eedingly popular and common in th e six tee n th c e n tury :

8
1t is to be no te d h
,
o we v e r, h
t atkipa s o f t he t hi d d
r o d
w n w ar f ro m an u n acce n t e d q u art e r

n o te , i p iv f
rre s e ct e o th e o t h er hy hmi i
r t c c rc u m s tance s . m ust al w a sy be f o l lo we d by a st e p o f
t he se co n d pw d
u ar .
122 T W O P A R T C O U N T ERP O I N T
-

L ik e wis e idioms such as

are in cons tan t favor in th e six te e n th c e n tury ev e n if th e h e igh t of th e ir

,

o
p p ulari t y li e s som e wha t fur th e r back
.

In this sp e ci e s unusual possibili ti e s for b e au tiful m e lodic progre ssions

are a ff ord e d and it is now impor t an t t o u se t h e m so tha t th e s truc t ur e of
,

th e m e lodi e s in th e broad er s e ns e of th e word may b e com e b e au t iful and

ar tis tic I t is impossibl e to giv e a d e fini te ou tlin e for th e archi te c tur e of

.

such a m lody e v e n wi thin a s t yl e so d e fini te ly circumscrib e d as tha t

e —

of th e tim e of Pal e s trina m e lodie s may b e wri tte n in a thousand di ff e ren t

‘

ways and ye t e ach b e good A par ticularly b e au tiful form howe v e r is

.
, ,

t h e o n e tha t h as it s climax ( high e s t no te ) toward th e e n d of th e m e lody

and gradually re ach e s its cu l m in at io n in a sof t and na tural chain of

small e r asc e n ts and d e sc e n ts

I t is inadvisabl e to put th e poin t of culmina tion at th e v e ry en d of th e

m e lody ; I t may e asily hav e th e e ff e c t of a sudd e n and drama t ic conclusion .

I t would b e b e t te r t o plac e th e culmina t ion no t e at th e b e ginning of th e

m e lody al though e v e n th e n it migh t b e di ffi cul t to bring abou t th e
,

n e c e ssary tranquilli t y and balanc e .

N o t t o cri t iciz e which in mos t cas e s is a r e la t iv e ly e asy ma tt e r wh e n a

,

sys te m of te aching h as r e ach e d a c ert ain age b ut t o d e mons tra te th e

,

con tras t b e twe e n th e old e r cou n te rpoin t more harmonically bas e d and
,

t h e n e w e r of s t rong e r m e lodic t e nd e nci e s We will t ak e from F ux an

,

e xam pl e which la t e r has gon e in t o mor e mod e rn manuals

 T wo -
PART COU NTERPOIN T 123

L y d ian

A l though canno t d e ny tha t this m e lody manife s t s a c e r t ain sur e n e ss

o ne

in th e l in e ar tr e a tm e n t ( it r e ach e s it s climax a for e xamp l e by m e ans

l
, , ,

of a logical and purpos e ful asc e n t ) n e v e r th e l e ss it is s trongly mark e d

, ,

by pure ly harmonic im puls e s Thu s w e find in th e s e cond m e asure a

.
,

G maj or chord of th e Six th sk e t ch e d in ( which mor e ov e r is con t rary to , ,

th e rul e cons t an t ly obs e rv e d in th e s t yl e of Pal e s trina t ha t in quar t e r no te -

mov e m e n t two skips in th e sam e dire c t ion are n o t to be wri tte n ) In th e .

sam e way m e asure s 5 to 7 are to b e re gard e d as fi g uratio n s of th e harmonic

be caus e of th e s e qu en tial way in

p rogr e ssions

which th e
skip of th e third is acc en te d ( m e asure 7 h as th e sam e mo tiv e
as 5 to 6 b ut in r e v e rs e ord e r
, ) M e
. asur e 9 h as a s t ill mor e awkward e ff e c t

b e cause it n o t only consis ts of a s e qu e nc e ( th e r e pe a te d skip of th e third

C—E ) b ut also t wic e viola t e s th e rul e tha t th e r e should be no u ward Ski
p p
from an acc e n te d quar te r no te This las t rul e which was n o t qui te
.
,

cl e ar to th e e arlie r s tud e n ts of th e st yl e is viola te d more ov e r in m e asure s

, , ,

2 and 7 as w e ll as 4 I t is ge n e rally e vid e n t how harmonic consid e ra tions

, .

“
hav e carri e d to o much we igh t h e re O nly by thinking horizon tally
.
”

is it possibl e to r e ach a ge nuin e p olyphonic mann e r of wri ting .

C o un t e rpo i nt

T he rul e s for the chordal combina tions in this s pe ci e s are as follows

1 . O n th e firs t and th e third quar te rs of th e m e asure only consonanc e s ,

may be us e d C onc e rning this rul e F ux re marks tha t occasionally ( only

.
, ,

howe v e r wh e n th e firs t s e cond and four th quar te rs are consonan t ) th e

, , ,

third quar te r may be dissonan t H ow e v e r this rul e ado pte d by mos t

.
, ,
1 24 T WO - P ART COU NTERPOINT
of th e manuals found e d on F ux is n o t b orn e o ut in th e st yl e of Pal e s trina , .
9

A f ew exc ep tions which in two par t coun te rpoin t can occur only wh e n ,
-
,

b o th voic e s mov e fr ee ly ( but n o t wh en as in this cas e o ne voic e is re , ,

strict e d t o whol e no te mov e m e n t ) will b e m e n t ion e d la te r on

-
.

2 O n th e s e cond and four th quar te r dissonanc e may be us e d T h e

.
, .

condi tions und e r which this may occur are as in th e s e cond sp e ci e s th e , ,

s tepwis e in troduc tion and con tinua tion of the dissonanc e But whil e it .

“
was possibl e in half no te mov e m e n t to use only th e so — -
call e d passing no te
”
dissonanc e s in th e third sp e ci e s o n e is no t r e s tr i c te d to th e con tinua tion
,

in th e sam e dire c tion b ut may re turn to th e ton e from wh ich o n e s tarte d ;

,

in o th e r words it is p e rmissib l e h e re to use dissonan t auxiliary no te s

, .

F ux to be sure do e s n o t u se such dissonance s and Be llerm ann says in this

, , ,
1°
re gard :
T he co m po se r s f t he sixte e n t h ce n tu ry l ik e wise k n e w t h is k in d o f
o d isso nance
bu t t he y rare ly u se d i t , an d t h e n o n l y i n n o te s o f sh o rte r v al ue , q u arte rs an d e ig h t s .

Wi th this r e mark Belle rm ann forb ids th e ir use h enc eforth Me anwhil e .

h e is d e fini te ly in e rror wh e n h e ass e rts tha t th is proc e dur e is rar e in th e

six te en th c en tury O n th e con trary it is v e ry popular F rom a th ou sand
.
,
.

or more e xampl e s l et us t ak e th e following from th e b e ginning of

,

Pal e s trina s four par t motet Mag n um lt ae recl itatis mysterium :

’
-

num h ae re - di ta tis my

The hird quar te r in th e fourth m e asure in th e e xc e rp t ab ov e do e s n o t

'

con tinu e th e conj unct d esc ending mov e m e n t s t ar te d on th e first and

s e cond quarters as it sh ould hav e don e according to th e rul e s conc e rning
,

th e t r e a t m e n t of dissonanc e as form e rly giv e n b ut r e turns t o th e s t ar t ing .

no te A b y which th e dissonanc e G on th e s e cond quarte r tak e s a turn as ,

H
it w e r e around th e A b e coming th e r eb y a r e t urning ( auxiliary ) not e
, ,
.

9
C redi f h v i g p v d hi
t or a n ro e t s co n v i i gl y g
nc n o e s to t h e
"
Ge rm an h i
t e o r st Fran z N e k e s, wh o ,
in a re v i w f ll K mp i i
e o a er s
’
o o s t o ns l e lzre in
“
Gre g o ri us Bl att 1 8 9 2, pi o n ts o u t t hi i
s re l at o n cl e arl y .

1° K p k p 1 54
o nt ra un t, . .
 T wo -
PART COUNTERPOINT 125

N o te how e v e r tha t whil e this t ype of dissonanc e is v e ry common in

, ,

s t yl e of Pal e s trina wh e n th e auxiliary dissonanc e is th e s e cond b e low

r e c e ding acc e n t e d quar t e r no t e th e con t rary is th e cas e wh e r e
p ,

auxiliary no te is th e s e cond abov e I t follows mor e ov e r from what .

, ,

b e e n said e arli e r und e r Me lody ,

t hat idioms lik e

wer e alr e ady avoid e d for pur e ly m e lodic consid e ra t ions Th e r e was all .

th e mor e r e ason t o avoid this t yp e of idiom wh e n in addi t ion t h e r e w as , ,

a possibili ty of thr e a te ning th e harmonic b e au t y of th e composi tion wi th

a r e la tiv e ly s trongly mark e d dissonanc e In th e pr e s en t e x e rcis e s we will
.
,

th e r efor e allow th e low e r auxiliary dissonanc e

,
T h e u pp e r auxiliary .

dissonanc e canno t be us e d wh e n as in this cas e th e mov e m e n t t ak e s plac e

, ,

e xclusiv e ly in quar t e r no t e s C oun te rpoin t in mix e d no te valu e s pr e s e n t s

.

—
to a c e r t ain e x t e n t a di ff e r e n t probl e m m f w h ichb n o re will b e said la t e r
r .

T h e main rul e for th e t r e a t m e n t

m en t is th e r efore tha t th e y mus t
, ,
u v w -a

m e asur e and mus t b e in troduc e d Th e re is ,

how e v e r o n e and 0 5 1? o n e fairly common e xc ept ion t o th e rul e abou t

,

th e s t e pwis e con t inua t ion of th e dissona nc e s : th e so call e d cam biata By -

.

t his t e rm is m e an t th e idiom in which th e dissonanc e in t roduc e d s t e p

wis e from abov e ( which lik e all di ssonanc e in this and th e pr e c e ding
,

spe ci e s falls on th e unacc e n te d p ar t of th e m e asur e ) is qui tte d b y th e

,

skip of th e third downward follow e d by th e s tep of th e s e cond upward ,

for exampl e :

3 . also th e rul e in th e third s pe ci e s as in th e pre c e ding s p e ci e s

I t is , ,

t o b e gin wi th th e pe rfe c t consonanc e If how ev e r th e coun te rpoin t .

, ,

b e gins wi th th e up b e a t im pe rfe c t consonanc e s may b e us ed occasionally

-
,

4 A sid e from th e firs t and las t m e asur e s th e unison is n o t allow e d on

.
,

1 1 Co m p are p . 91 .
126 T W O P A R T C O UN T E R P O I N T
-

t he firs t quar te r of t h e m e asure b ut may be us e d free ly on th e re maining

b e a ts .

5 A cc e n t e d fif ths or oc tav e s on succ e ssiv e acc e n te d quar te rs f o l lo wm g

.

e ach o th e r may b e p e rmi t t e d v e ry rar e ly E s pe cially oc tav e s such as th e

.

following are so flat as to b e prac tically unusabl e .

If th e y are four quarte rs a p ar t th e y ,

are acc e ptabl e ,
e spe cially in th e

following cad enc e

T he sam e appli e s t o th e fifths .

E xampl e s

Do rian
T wo -
PA RT COU N TERPOIN T 1 27

Ph ry g ian

Mixo l y d ian
128 T W O —P A R T C O U N TERPOIN T

A e o l ia n

I o nian
 TWO -
P A RT .
C O U N T E RP O IN T 1 29

The rul e s for binary m e te rs a

pp ly also to te rnary m e te rs . F or e xampl e
Do r ian
130 TWO PART CO U NTERPOIN T
-

FO UR T H
S PEC I ES

In th e four th sp e ci e s as in th e s e cond two half no te s are wri tte n in the

, ,

coun te rpoin t against e ach no te in th e can tus fi rm us In con tras t to th e

.

prac tic e in th e s e cond s pe ci e s th e unacc ente d half note is t ie d to th e

,

acc e n te d o n e imm e diate ly following so that a chain of susp ensions is

,

form ed Thus in r e ali t y th e coun te rpoint mov e s in wh ol e note s in th e

sam e way as in th e firs t sp e ci e s and th e sam e m
.

,
e lodic rul e s apply h e r e

as th e re T h e rul e s for th e s e qu e nc e of large r and small e r in tervals in

.

th e sam e dir e c t ion may b e in t e rpr e te d much mor e fr ee ly in th e four th

s pe ci e s than in th e firs t T h e m e lodic con tin uit y is we ak e n e d b y th e

.

forma t ion of th e syncopat ions and th e ex e rcis e s of th e fourth spe cie s

,

h av e th e r e fore more v e r tical characte r in con t ras t to t hos e of th e pre

, ,

c e ding sp e ci e s b e caus e th e y s e rv e mainly as prac tic e in th e use of sus

,

e nsion dissonanc e s whil e t h e y e mphasiz e lin e ar asp e c t s t o a much

p ,

l e ss e r e xten t C ons e qu en tly we may disre gard h e re spe cific m el odic

.

p pr e ara t ory e x e rcis e s .

 T WO -
PART COU N TERP OIN T 13 1

The more imp or t an t rul e s for th e chordal comb ina t ions are as follows
1 Dissonanc e s may b e us e d only o n acce n te d half no te s; and so us e d
’

t ha t t h e dissonan t t one is t i e d ov e r from t h e unac ce n t e d par t of t h e pre

c e ding m e asure wh e r e it m us t be a consonanc e W I th t h e can tus fi rm us

,
.

A fte r tha t i t mus t b e t ak e n stew i s downward to a consona nc e on th e

e fi l F “
un

unacc e n te d par t of th e m e asure fi r e xample

/

Whil e th e dissonanc e s i n th e pre c e ding sp e ci e s are p lac e d only on

unacc en te d p ar ts of th e m e asur e wh e re th e y are l e ss no tic e d and pass by
mor e e asily th e fourth Spe ci e s follows e xac tly th e opposi te proc e dure :
,

it us e s th e dissonanc e for its own sak e H e r e we wan t e xpr e ssly to h e ar

.

dissonanc e and dissonanc e only ; p re sumably in ord e r to b e abl e to e nj oy

th e ar t is t ically valuabl e con tras t b e t w ee n consonanc e and dissonanc e In .

t h e s e cond and third sp e ci e s th e dissonanc e s w e r e only t ol e ra t e d

,
Nev e r .

th e l e ss e v e n if in th e four th sp e ci e s we wish to hav e th e dissonanc e plac e d

,

so tha t it s tands o ut cl e arly we mus t be cons tan t ly on th e al e r t f o racrid

,
“
or ob trusiv e e ff e c ts Cons e qu e n t ly th e d issonanc e mus t b e prep are d
.

tha t is th e dissonan t t on e mus t b e t i e d ov e r from th e unacc e n t e d p ar t

,

of th e pre c e ding m e asur e wh e r e it is i n troduc e d as consonanc e B e caus e .

th e dissonan t ton e is t hus f e l t in consonan t r e la t ion t o th e can t us fi rm us

imm e dia te ly b efore th e harsh e ff e c t t ak e s plac e any shock is re mov e d , ,

and also th e s tepwis e d e sc ending reso lutio

qui e ting musical e ff e c t s s e rv e s to ton e do w
— n and smoo th o ut th e rough
n e ss .

2 Dissonanc e s may b e r e solv e d only to I m pe rfe c t consonanc e s

. O ne .

wan ts to h e ar afte r dissonanc e a r e ally full and harmoni ous e ff e c t ; th e re

fore o n e r e solv e s to a lthird S ix th te n th ; and th e lik e b ut n o t so w e ll
, , ,
“ ”
to e mp t y fifths and oc tav e s I t follows th e r e for e in conn e c tion wi th
.
, ,

th e d e mand for s te pwis e d e sc e nding r e solu tion tha t wi th t h e coun te r ,

poin t in th e upp er voic e only th e s ev en th and four th may b e us e d as

,

a sus pension dissonanc e ; and wi th coun te rpoin t b elow th e can tus fi rm us

only th e s e cond and nin th as follows ,
1 32 T WO PART COU NTERPOINT
-

A ccordingly in ar t coun te rpoin t th e nin th and s e cond in th e

, t w o -p ,

u ppe r voic e and four th and s e v e n th in th e lowe r p ar t should be disre

gard e d e n tire ly sinc e th e y all re solv e in to p e rfe c t consonanc e s :
,

3 In th e four th s pe ci e s as many s usp ension dissonanc e s as possibl e

.

are us e d H ow e v e r o ut of r e gard for th e voic e l e ading and for th e

.
,

harmonic progre ssions it is occasionally n e c e ssary to put a consonanc e

,

on th e arsis In this cas e th e con tinua tion of th e syncop a ting t on e is

.

o ptional for e xamp l e

,

12
i
S m il arl y o ne o u gh t to a v id
o al l gm
au e n te d a nd di m i i h d i
n s e v
n t e r al s in su s p i
e n s o ns .
 T WO PA RT COU N TERP OIN T
-
133

T he s tepwise d e sc e nding con ti nua ti on is obliga tory only wh e r e th e

yncope is ici issonant

‘

s .

4 If a syn EO pate d consonanc e occurs on th e s trong acc e n t it is

‘

p e r

missibl e to t ak e a passing dissonanc e on th e following w e ak b e at ,

‘

b ut
only in accordanc e wi th th e rul e s of s e cond s pe ci e s for e xampl e : ,
13

O ccasionally it may be n e c e ssary to br e ak th e chain of syncopa tions .

To do so giv e s ris e to episod e s of th e s e cond sp e ci e s which are handl e d

according to th e rul e s of this Specie s ,
. f o r e xampl e :

5 . T he
unison may be us e d fr e e ly in th e four th sp e ci e s bo th on arsis
and th e sis If th e suspensions are brok en th e rul e s of th e S e cond sp e ci e s
.

hold also wi th r e sp e c t to unisons .

6 I t is pe rmissi b l e to b e gin wi th th e u b e a t which th e n mus t form

p
. -
,

a pe rfe c t consona nc e to th e can tus fi rm us .

7 In th e four th s pe ci e s if th e coun te rpoin t li e s in th e u pp e r voic e

.

, ,

it is b e s t t o use t h e sus pe nsion of t h e s e v en th in th e cad e nc e wi th t h e

;
can tus fi rm us in th e u ppe r voic e th e sus pe nsion of th e s econd is th e rul e
, .

13
Se e pp . 1 16 f .
1 34 TWO PA RT CO U NTERPOINT
-

Wh er e it is d e mand e d b y th e can tus fi rm us how e v e r

, ,
o ne may p ut a
whol e no te in th e n ex t to th e las t m e asure .

E xampl es

Do r ian

P h r y g ian

Mixo l y d ian

14 Co m p are p . 1 42 .
 I o nian

F I F TH S PEC I ES

P re parat o ry E xe rcise

Wri te m e lodi e s wi th mix e d no te valu e s .

In th e fifth and mos t import an t sp e ci e s of all for which th e pr e c e ding

,

e x e rcis e s are only

p p r e ara t ory t h e rhy thm is fr ee ; t ha t is w e are no long e r
limi te d to o n e sp e cific no te valu e but m
, ,

ay use br e v e s whol e no t e s half

, , ,

note s quarters or e igh ths Th e s e n o te v alue s howev e r may n o t be us e d

"

, ,
.
, ,

ad l ibit um ; th e rhy thms also as w e ll as t h e in t e rvals are subj e c t t o c e r t ain

artis tic laws Wh e n m e lody and rhy thm uni te th e re la tion b e com e s v e ry
.

compl e x and sub tl e I t b e com e s incr e asingly diffi cul t to formula te im

.

pre ssions in to rul e s ; th e y mus t b e h e ld fluid wi thin c e r t ain broad limi t s .

We will th e refore limi t ours e lv e s to a f e w ge n e raliza tions In s pi te of all .

“ ”
'

effor t s an, a e s th e t ic of rh yth m is s till w e ll in th e fu t ure .

1
. I t is impor t an t to cr e a te vari e t y in th e m e lodi e s ; cons e qu e n tly th e
no te valu e s mus t be arrange d so tha t th e impre ssion is at onc e bo th fre sh
and fl exibl e E v e rything which migh t hav e a s ti ff and abru pt e ff e c t mus t
.

be avoid e d .
O nly a poor m e lody would hav e th e firs t four m e asur e s
in half no te s the n e x t four in quar te r no te s and so forth S uch a m e lody
, , .

would s e e m awkward and lacking in con tinui t y I t would b e s till wors e .

to fill th e firs t four m e asur e s wi th whol e no te s and th e n e x t four wi th

quar te r no tes Sinc e rhy thmic con tras ts Should n o t b e so jux ta pos e d but
,

should be in troduc e d smoo thly and ev e nly Jus t as th e in te rvals d emand

.

a balanc e d tr e a tm en t so tha t afte r large r ski ps small e r mov e m e n ts are

in troduc e d and vic e v e rsa so rhy thms require com pe nsa tion : afte r longe r
,

no te valu es a n ee d is fel t for shor te r on e s A classical exam pl e of such

.
136 TW O PA RT CO U NTERPOI NT
-

a comp l e te ly b e au tiful rhy thmic balanc e is t h e famous b egin ning of th e

S anc tus in Pal e s t rina s Marce l l us Mass :
’

S an o tus . S an

A fte r th e smoo thly in troduc e d sy n cop e in m e asure s 1 to 2 the re c e ding ,

mov e m e n t of th e two quar te rs in th e s e cond m e asure is fe l t as a na tural

r e solu tion which how e v e r con tains th e e las tic powe r for con tinua tion
, , , .

Wi th incre asing rhy thmic and m e lodic e n e rgy th e mov e m e n t con tinu e s
in m e asur e thre e and l e ads b y vir tu e of its organic d e v e lopm en t to th e
,
‘

e x t r e m e ly e x r e ssiv e and nob ly acc e n t ua te d climax on G T h m lody

p e e .

consis ts of thr e e curv e s o n e ab ov e ( or around ) th e o th e r and th e way ,

in which th e more rapid mov e m e n ts are h e re d e v e lo pe d from th e slow e r

on e s th e high e r curv e s from th e low e r has almos t the quali t y of a na tural
, ,

h e nom e non in th e s e ns e tha t in it s r e s e nc e o n e f ee ls a d ee convic t ion

p , p p
tha t in e vi t ably it mus t b e j us t so as wh e n a s t on e f alling in t o a pool p ro
,

duc e s rings in wid e r and wid e r circl e s Mos t of all pe rhaps th e t ranquil
.
, ,

and na tural use of this th e m e re minds o n e of a nobl e and grac e fully

S plashing foun t ain .

T h e syncope which p lays such a d e cisiv e rOl e in th e m e lody abov e is

cons t an tly fe l t as a rhy thmic e l e m e n t which r e quire s som e s pe cial com
e n satio n b e caus e of th e hal t ing e ff e c t which it p roduc e s in th e mov e m e n t
p .

O fte n t h e r efor e shor te r no te valu e s are put imm e dia te ly b e for e th e syn
, ,

co pe as in th e following e xam pl e wi th its an t ici pat ion figur e

,

S imilarly, it is a favori te prac tic e to allow th e syncop a te d no t e to be

follow e d by e igh ths

2. It
is impor tan t to cr e ate organic m e lodi e s of unbre akabl e con
t in uit y Th e r e for e to d e v e lop th e fas te r mov e m en t s gradually from th e
.
,

S l ow e r on e s and e s e cially in t h e cad e nc e

( p ) t h e slow e r from t h e fas t e r
 TWO PART -
C OU NTERPOINT 1 37

is good A s h as b ee n p oin t e d o ut th e e xc e rp t from th e Marce ll us Mass

.
,

ingeniously shows such a transi tion from qui e te r to mor e liv e ly mov e
me n ts b ut almos t ev e ry b e ginning th e m e in comp osi t ions of th e Six te en th
,

c en tury is of this t ype A n e spe cially b e au t iful e xamp l e of such a rh yth

.

mic cre sc endo wi th a cons e qu e n t d e cre sc e ndo is found at th e b e ginning

’
of Pal e s trina s four p ar t mo te t Val a e h o n o rana us e st :
-
’ ’

no ran dus e st , ho

ran dus e st

At firs t glanc e o n e migh t think tha t th e compos e r proc ee d e d in a

,

e dan t ic and m e chanical way s i n c e h e pu t s a br e v e in th e firs t m e asur e

p , ,

whol e no te s in th e s e cond and half no te s v e ry m e thodically in th e third

, .

H ow e v e r no dry calcula t ion li e s b ehind this proc e dur e ; ev e ry thing is

,

inspira tion Try onc e to sing this m e lody and fe e l how We ll it fi t s th e

.

words h o w b e au t ifully and na turally it e xpr e ss e s th e m ! L ik e wis e it is

,

worth whil e to no te how th e climax is form e d rhythmically and m e lo d

icall y in th e sam e way as in th e m e lody giv e n abov e from th e Marce l l us
Mass Th e re is mor e ov e r som e thin g v e ry na tural in th is ten de n cy to
.

.
, ,

dwe ll o n th e high e r no t e s e s pe cially wh e n th e y are acc e n t ua te d A S an

, .

e xp e rim e n t l e t u s und e r t ak e t o rhy t hmiz e t h e following d e sc e nding s e ri e s :

H ow much mor e b e au tiful th e f c

wh e n o n e linge rs on its high e s t
ef e t is
no te than wh e n o ne b e gins wi th th e mor e ra pid no te valu e s and th e r e
aft e r go e s ov e r to th e slowe r on e s for e xamp l e ,

In th e las t cas e th e whol e is fe l t to be a b it awkward and shor t of

bre a th whil e th e form in V al a e b o n o rana us e st h as a fre e an d n a tural
,
’ ’
13 8 T wo -
PART CO U NTERPOINT
ef e t f
c Wha t also s e rv e s to mak e th e la tte r form so b e au tiful is tha t
.
,

d e sc ending from m e asure 4 to 5 it re s ts on two rhy thmically vari e d ,

p or t ions of th e m e asur e sinc e t h e firs t no t e falls on t h e t hird

, ( acc e n t e d )
half no te of th e m e asur e whil e th e fifth no te falls On th e s e cond ( uh ,

acc e n t e d
) half no t e of t h e m e asur e T h e e ff e c t would b e much l e ss p ro .

n o un ce d if bo th r e s ts w e r e laid on rhy thmically s imilar par ts of th e

m e asur e for e xampl e ,

The
s triking di ff e r e nc e in th e tr e a tm e n t of asc e nding and d e sc e nding
mov e m en t which we hav e obs e rv e d e arli e r m e e ts us also in th e rhy thmic
fi e ld Though it is b e s t in d e sc e nding mov e m en t to hav e th e longe r
.

no te valu e s com e b e fore th e Shor te r on e s it is qui te cor re c t in asc e nding ,

mov e m e n t to b e gin wi th th e quick e r no te s T h e fo llowing is fa irly com .

mon :

esp e cially wh e r e as h e r e th e las t no te in th e asc e nding s e ri e s is susp end e d ;

, ,

b ut at l e as t j us t as fr e qu e n t ly o n e finds :

whil e th e inv e rsion of this figur e

is s e ldom s e e n sinc e ,
th e corr e s ponding m e lodic Si tua tion is almos t always
b alanc e d as follows :

1 5
I t is h gh
al m o s t h d
as b m i d hi m l f i v l
t ou ily o ne h a su tte se n o un tar to t e l aw o fg vi y
ra t an d
o t h l l w
e r n at u ra I f w l ik
a h l w
s . h f
e f h h h
en t e o e s t to n e to t e s u r ace o t e e art , t e n t h e s ame p h e n o m e

no n o ccu rs h w b v wh
t at f ll i g b d y m v
e o wi h
se r e ly en a a n o o es t co n sta n t i n cr e asi n g p d
s ee as i t

a pp ro ac h h es th d h f h
e e ar t ;m v f
an h b gi
t ig f
e act t at o n e o es as te r at t e e nn n o h
an asce n t t an wh e n

h e h as g p o nef h w yart o m b ill t dh

e a s ee s to e u st rate e re .
 TWO - PA RT COU NTERPOIN T 1 39

The following applie s furth e r to th e tre atm en t of quarters

3 a I t is b e s t g e n e rally if th e quart e r note mov e m e n t b e gins on th e
. .
-

unacc e n te d half no te This rul e appli e s e sp e cially to d e sce nd ing mov e

.

m e n t s ; wh er e m e lodie s asc end and cons e qu e n t ly th e l e ss e r n ote valu e s

may w e ll pre c e d e th e gr e a te r a quar te r note mov e m e n t m ay b e gin on ,
-

th e acc e n t If o n e d esc ends thus in quar te r note s from such an acc en te d

.

half no te th e mos t na tural form is th e s tepwis e f o r exampl e

, ,

O ne can howev e r advan t age ously

, , use also figures such as

If on th e con trary m e lodie s asce nd in a similar man n e r

, , , th e dire c t
scal e wis e proc e dur e has a s o m e wha t sharp eff e c t :

an d is only infr e qu e n tly found in works from th e flo rescen t p e riod of ’

I t is much b e tte r h ere to plac e a skip downward at

16
vocal polyphony .

th e b e ginning Th e n by th e law of b alanc e it mov e s naturally in th e

.
, ,

opposi te dire c tion E sp e cially fi n e is th e following idiom :

.

b ut also wi th four th fifth and e v e n oc t av e ski ps , , th e figure is e xc e ll e n t ,

for e xampl e

19 . b e s t as a rul e if th e quar te r no te mov e m e n t con tinu e s up

I t is , ,
- to

an acc en te d half no te h enc e ra th e r ,

:

16 T hi s is q itu k pi g w i h h id h
e in ee n t t e ea t at a ce rt a n t i h rus ti n g e ne r gy is q ui
re re d in orde r to
g e t the asce n di gn m v m whi h ff
o e h g e nt, c o e rs t e re ate st i re s st an ce , u nde r w ay ag ina aft e r th e hal t

on t h e acce n te dp f h mart o ( wh i i t e e asu re e re t s es p i lly

ec a i
n o t ce ab l e ) .
1 40 TW O PA RT COU NTERPOINT
-

E v en wi th th e b e s t com pos e rs of th e six tee n th c e n tury o n e finds how

, ,

e v e r idioms of th e las t m e n t ion e d t y e b ut mos t of t e n in such cas e s th e

p
-
, , ,

unacc en te d half no te holds ov e r to form a suspe ns i o n b efore which th e

quar te r no te mov e m e n t s to ps thus :
-
,

c . E v en
if o n e will tol e ra te mor e quar te rs in succ e ssion than half or
whol e no te s na turally a tim e com e s wh e n o n e d e sire s o th e r rhy thms
,
.

I t is di ffi cul t h e r e t o se t any d e fini te limi t ; but a s e l e c t ion lik e th e fol

lowing ( t ak e n from th e C re do of Pal e s trina s Missa sine tit ul o V o l 24
’

, .
,

in h is comp l e te works ) may app roximat e ly sugge s t th e maxi m um numb e r

of succ e ssiv e quarte r no t e s :

a
'
.
Pr efe rab ly two quar te rs should n o t s t and isola te d in th e plac e of an
acc e n te d half no te in a b ar In ord e r t o mak e such a mov e m e n t l e ss
.

as thmat ic in e ff e c t it is n e c e ssary to add quarte r no te s e i th e r b efor e or

,

afte r Th e refore n o t
.

H ow e v e r th e two acc e n te d quar te rs can re main

, ,
to o , if th e subs equ e n t
half note is susp e nd e d :

1 7
S ee p . 88 .
 TWO PART CO UNTERPOINT
- 141

or if th e firs t of th e tw o quar te rs is t ie d ov e r t o th e p r e c e ding half no t e

4 . r a m en t of e igh th note s th e r e is no thing t o b e

C o n c e r ning th e t e t ,

add e d h e re to what was said in th e s e c t ion on m e lody ( pp 93 .

5 In r e gard t o syncopa tion

.

a T h e no t e of l e ast valu e t o b e syncop ate d wi t h ano th e r no te of e qual

.

valu e is th e half no te Th e refor e a quarte r no te canno t be t i e d t o a

.

quarter for e xampl e,

5 . I t is no t p e rmissibl e t o t ie no te s of l e ss valu e to subs e qu e n t no te s of

gre a t e r valu e The opp osi te may t ak e p lac e ,

b ut in such a cas e only valu e s can b e t i e d t ha t are in r e la t ion t o e ach

oth e r at In o th e r words o n e can do t br e v e s whol e no te s half no te s , , , ,

or quarte r no te s but o n e canno t use th e doubl e do t which o n e would b e

, ,

oblige d to do if ( according to Six te e n th c en tury prac tic e ) o n e wish e d to

write th e following rhy thms wi thou t th e bar lin e

T he rul e tha t shor te r valu e s may n o t be tie d to longe r has no validi t y

'

wh e n it is th e las t no te to which th e form e r is t i e d .

In th e use of do tte d half no te s th e rul e s for th e third s pe ci e s app ly to

th e las t t hird of t h e no t e valu e Th e refor e th e following quar te r no te .

18 p i I h ld lik
As a re cau t o n s o u e to cal l att e n t o n i to the f o o t no te o n p g 1 16 T h l
a e . e ru e s ta t e d
b v pp l i
a o e a ly wh h h lf es on e re t e a n o te is the un t oi f m e asure . I n f o ur - f i m w hi h i
o ur t e, c s o f te n
d i h m d ig l m i f h i
u se n t e a r a us c o t e s xt e e n t h ce n t ur y th
,
e re is no t hi ng to p v h p i
re e nt t e su s e ns o n o f
o ne q uarte r to t h e n e xt .
1 42 TWO PA RT COU NTERPOIN T
-

may b e e i th e r a p assing dissonanc e or a dissonan t auxiliary no t e for ,

e xampl e

It may n o t how ev e r proc e e d upward by skip

, , . H e nc e ,
the following is
n o t p e rmissi b l e :

A t h e m e of Pal e s trina will indica te wha t we conc ern e d W i th b e tte r

are

t han all th e s e rul e s F rom a gre a t many possib iliti e s I choos e o n e of th e

.

mos t b e au tiful a fragm en t of th e four part mo te t E g o s um panis air/ us :

H
-
,

ie est pa nis de coe 10 de see n de ns

L e t it p s e ak for i t s e lf Who
. e v e r fully und e rs t ands t h e lucid and u n

e xc ll
e e d mas t e rpi e c e t ha t t his appar e n t ly simpl e m e lody r e pr e s e n t s has
in r e ali t y l e arn e d mor e than all th e oris ts and rul e s of s tyl e can te ach .

C o unt e rpo i n t

The rul e s for t h p

e r e c e ding four sp e ci e s also a p ply t o t h e fif t h as far
as th e dissonanc e t r e a tm e n t is conc e rn e d A s a re sul t of th e addi tional
.

possibili ti e s a ff ord e d in this s pe ci e s by th e u se of do tte d no te s som e cas e s ,

aris e tha t are n o t cov e r ed by th e pre c e di ng rul e s Thus th e unacc e n te d

.
,

half no te that follows afte r a t ie or afte r a whol e no te can form a dis

sonanc e wh e n th e dissonanc e is t re ate d according to th e rul e s of th e
s e cond S pe ci e s ( but half no te s of this kind may n o t b e dissonan t if pre ,

c e d e d b y a quarte r ) .
 TWO PART COUNTERPOINT
-
143

The sam e app li e s to quar te r no te s af te r ti e s or do tte d half no te s .

I t i s fur th e r n e c e ssary t o obs e rv e tha t quar te r no te s which are t i e d

e e e d
ov r from p r c ng unacc e n te d half no te s should rare ly b e us e d as
i

dissonanc e s Wrong .m i
19
o z f e i s s D /s a s 5

O n t h e o th e r hand a suspe nd e d quar te r no te \disso n at e on a w e ak can

m e asure in e i th e r d e sc ending or asc e nding s tep wis e m

,

b e a t Of th e ov e
men t

In gen e ral it is b e tte r howe v e r for bo th voic e s to proc e e d conjunc tly

, ,

as in th e for e going e xampl e Whil e in th e fifth s p e ci e s ( as we ll as in .

th e third s ci
e e s wh r
e e t h e mov e m e n t is e n t ir e ly in quar t e r no t e s i t is
p
n o t pe rmissibl e to l e t t h e t hird quar t e r in t h e m e asur e dissona t e i t i s ,

ano th e r ma tte r wh e n th e no te tha t is disso n atin g follows af te r an acc e n te d

half no te ( n o t afte r a quar te r no te ) and th e m e lodic mov e m en t all th e
way through is s te p wis e downward Whil e this : .

6 5 4 3

is absolu te ly forbidd en ,
th e following is unobj e c tionabl e .

19 Translat or s
’
no t e . E xce p t , o f co u rse , in th e o rn am e n t al re so l ut i on o f t he di s so n an ce s u sp e n

i
s o n . S ee p . 1 48 .

20
I m e nt i on t hi h s e re al t h gh
ou it c an fi rs t o ccu r i n f re e t wo -
p art wr ii g
t n .

2 1 Co m p are p . 1 23 .
 44 TWO PART CO U NTERPOIN T
-

5 4 3
In o th er words wh e n two quar te rs mov e in s tepwis e progre ssion down
,

ward if th e mov e m en t fo ll o ws an acc en te d half no te it is p e rmissibl e

,
,

to l e t th e firs t ( or s e cond
) of th e s e quar t e rs dissona t e If on t h e o th e r .
,

hand th e mo tion is s te pwi se asc e nding for e xam pl e :

, ,

( which as w e alr
, e ady know is n o t so go od on pure ly m e lodic grounds ) ,

th e n only th e s e cond of th e s e quar t e rs may dissona t e In con tras t to th e .

t hird s p e ci e s in which t h e low e r auxiliary diss o nan

, c e only was per
m i t te d
22
in th e fif th spe ci e s th e up pgl auxil iary dissonanc e also may be
,

us e d th o ug h onl yw
m

—
hefi i t pr e c e d es ahalf or a whOl e fi O te? F or e xampl e
'

'
h ‘ fi fl - fl
s w fi s a “
v T

We hav e un til now had to do wi th th e cam biata in th e quar te r no te “

mov e m en t only according to th e rul e s of third spe cie s

, I t also appe ars in .
24

som e rhythmic forms which occur more fre qu e n tly in free co mp osi tion
than th e o n e alr e ady m e n t ion e d :

In all such cas e s how ev e r th e dissonan t no te i ts e lf ( th e s e cond no te of

, ,
W
th e cam biat a) can h av ee nl gt t hey al ue of a rfg no te If h hird no
‘

q ua t e t te .

of th e cam biata is a quarte r th e four th no te also mus t hav e tha t valu e , ,

and in such cas e s th e fifth no te mus t n e c e ssarily be th e uppe r s e cond to

22
Co m p are p . 1 25 .

23
Se e T/ ze S ty l e o f P al estri n a an d t b c Diss o nance ,
p . 162 .

24
S ee p . 1 25 .
 T wo - P A RT C O U N T E R P O I N T 145

th e fourth If th e third n o te of th e cam biata is a half note ( it can in

H
.

ge n e ral b e only a half no te or a quarte r ) th e n e x t note can be a half

,
’

or a whol e no te In such cas e s th e four th no te of th e cam biata n ee d

.
,

n o t be l e d on s t epwis e upward b ut may be tr e a t e d fr e e ly as in th e fol

,

lowing e xc erp t from Pal e s trina s four par t mo tet Misit e ro aes
’
-
' ’

The ge n e tic his tory of th e cam biata may be b ri efl y ou tlin e d as follows
This figure go e s back originally to a sor t of d e cora tiv e no te Wi th which
th e downward S kip of th e four th was adorn e d wh e re in plac e of
,

was p u t In t his cas e o ne

was n o t S O particular if th e s e cond note ( in th e e xp and e d form ) was dis

sonan t h e r e and th e re and did n o t d e mand sub s e qu en t r e solu t ion of th e
dissonanc e .

Thus at th e en d of th e fiftee n th and th e b eginning of th e sixte en th

c e n tury a v e ry popular cad e nc e was as follows
,
:

J aco b Ob re ch t (ca 143 0

. M ass : J e me d e mande .
1 46 T wo -
PART COU NTERPOINT
O riginally th e figur e consis te d of only thre e no te s If as
cam biata .
,

in th e e xam pl e abov e o n e did n o t conclud e wi th th e third no te o n e

, ,

could put as th e four th no te any o n e of th e following : th e s e cond third , ,

or four th b e low or th e third four th fifth minor six th or oc tav e ab ov e

, , , , ,

t h e third no te . In th e fifte e n th c e n tury how ev e r a form tha t could be

, ,

“
call e d th e classical was known This form was th e o n e wi th th e s tep
.

of t h e s e cond u pward af te r th e third no te for exampl e : ,

D uf ay (ea 1 400
. Mass S e la f ace ay pal e .

W e ll in to th e Six te e n th c e n tury this form supplan ts all th e o th e rs ,

and in th e s tyl e of Pal e s trina it is ac tually us e d e xclusiv e ly U ndoub te dly

,
.

th e r e ason for this is tha t in t his s t yl e t h e law or rul e ab ou t th e s tepwis e

con tinua tion of dissonanc e s is appli e d prac tically wi thou t e xc eption .

Whil e th e o th e r cam biata forms obviously con tradic t this rul e th e ,

“ ”
classical form is only an apparen t e xc eption to it and may th e refore ,

s t and e v e n und e r th e more s tric t in te rpr et ation of th e laws of th e s t yl e .

S inc e th e third t on e of th e cam biat a go e s to its u pp e r s e cond th e latte r ,

is fe l t t o b e th e no t e of r e solu t ion e v e n if it occurs la te and th e third ,

no te is though t of as a non e ss e n t ial ornam en t al ins e r tion which is n o t ,

abl e to hid e th e r e al and p erfe c tly normal t re a tm e n t of th e dissonanc e ,

nam e ly its s tepwis e con tinuation

, .

A t th e sam e t im e that th e fr ee r cam biata forms m e n t ion e d ab ov e are

“ ”
supp lan te d th e asc e nding cam biata disapp e ars This figure which
,
.
,

is th e exac t inv e rsion of th e classical cam biata ( and in which th er e fore , ,

t h e dissonanc e is in t roduc e d s tep wis e from be l o w and is con t inu e d b y

t h e skip of th e t hird up ward follow e d by a s t e p of th e s e cond d o wn ward )

,

was common around th e y e ar 1500 F or e xampl e : .

 T wo PART COU NTERPOINT

H 47
-

J o squin de s P re z (ca 1 45 0 . Mass : e rcul e s .

T he
only sligh tly irr egular form of th e cam biata which is fairly com
mon i n Pal e s trina e sp ecially in his e arli e r works is th e idiom which migh t
, ,
“ ”
b e call e d th e e x te nd e d cam biat a for e xampl e ,

P al e strina, Mo t e t : Mag num h ae re d itat is m y s te rium .

car ne m as su

A s may be s ee n from th e exampl e giv e n abov e hird no te of th e , th e t

cam biat a is follow e d by th e skip of th e third upward follow e d in t ur n

,

by a s te p of th e s e cond downward through which th e r e al no te of ,

H
re solu tion com e s at las t and is thus dou b ly d elaye d In this way th e .
25

T h E gl i h h
25
e i K i p hi g p id d w w h h y b h f
n s t eo r st tso n d uts t n s u s e o n en e sa s a o ut t e re e
”
an ex

te n dd e hy f d
ca m biat e , as t e are o un in t h e co m p o se rs o f i h
th e s xtee n t ce n t ur y h gh
t ro u co n

stan t use , t h l ig i fi
e re a sf h n cance o t e N o ta C am bi ata h as b f g
een or o t te n . Ki t so n , C. Th .
, e A rt
o f Co u nte r p i o2 d Ed
nt , (O f dn . x o r Univ i y P
e rs t re s s , p 51 F . . or m ul as o f t hi y p d
s t e o no t
s ig if y
n mo d ime rn s h im b
s at t at t e ut j h
u st t pp i e o o s te ; t h l
e i l
“
c as s ca ca m biata was no t t he p i
o nt

o f d p e art ure b ut t h e fi n al s t a e g in t h e d v l pm
e e o e nt .
14 8 T wo - PA RT COU NTERPOINT
cam biata com e s to con tain fi ve no te s ins te ad of th e four of th e classical
26
cam biata In th e pr e s en t e x e rcis e s howev e r we shall use only the las t
.
, ,

nam e d form .

C ad enc e forma tions of te n occur in this s pe ci e s wi th an ornam e n tal

dissonanc e susp ension : ins te ad of :

we write

In such ex tend e d formulas it is imma te rial wh eth e r th e firs t or s e con d

or b o th eigh ths dissona te If e i gh ths in g en e ral are handl e d m elodically .

”
according to th e pre viously giv e n rul e s th e y may dissona te fr ee ly ,
.

A cad enc e formula which o n e m e e t s though s e ldom in t h e music , ,

of th e Six te en th c en tury is th e following :

H e r e a quar te r no te is ins e r te d b e tw e e n a suspe nsion dissonanc e and

it s no te of r e solu tion I t is a third b e low th e dissonanc e and forms a
.

consonanc e in r e la tion to th e o th e r V o i c e O n th e o th e r hand th e figure .

,
‘

us e d b y P ux and th e th e oris ts tha t follow e d him :

is posi tiv ely n o t in th e s t yl e of Pal e s trina can find . U n doub te dly o ne it

among th e compos ers of th e six te e n th c en tury in rare ins tanc e s ; b ut it
is n o t in commo n use un til th e b eginning of th e e igh tee n th c e n tury i n
compos e rs such as Bach and H and e l Th r for .
e e e P u x mus hav adop d
t e t e .

it invol un t arily from his own con te mporary music .

S om e comm n
e t s on t h e an t ici p a t ion may lik e wis e b e in ord e r h e r e .

The an t ici a t i on is an unacc e n t e d quar t e r no t e which an t icipa t e s t h e

p
following acc en t e d no te F rom th e m e lodic r e quir e m e n ts for its t re a t .

m en t m en t ion e d on p 94 it follows tha t it is us e d only if it is in troduc e d

H
.
,

26
S o me h
au t o rs , fo r e xa m le p i ih
e nr c h k Sc en h h l i l mbi f m
e r, as se rt t at t e c ass ca ca ata or s an

or g i
an c un t o i ffi ve to n e s , wh i
o se s ucce ss o n re m i i v i bl
a ns ( N m ni k l i h
ar a T h ie d
. e ue us a sc e eo r e n un

Ph i
ant as e n , U iv n e rs a l Ed .
,
Vi e n n a, 1 9 10 V l 2 p
, o . O l y if h f
, . h f h m bi
n i t e o u rt no te o t e ca at a s

a qu i i
ar te r n o t e s t ne ce ssar yt o co n t n ue i i h pp t to t e u d di g h f m i d l
e r s e co n , acco r n t o t e a o re ent o ne ru e

t h at dq
u n acce n t e uar te r n o t e s i n t ro d d p wi f m b l w m b
u ce ste se ro i d by pwi e o d u st e co nt n ue s te se asce n

ing m o v e m ent . If the f o u rt h n o te h h

as an o t vl i p g i i f
e r n o te
“

a ue , ts ro re ss o n s ree .

27
 TWO PART COU NTERPOIN T
- 1 49

s tep wis e from abov e . In this cas e it is imma te rial wh e th e r it disso n at e s

or n o t for exampl e :
,

Par ticularly smoo th and organic is th e e ff e c t of th e an ticipa tion if it

s tan ds dire c tly b efor e th e susp ension dissonanc e which is d e corate d wi th
e igh th no t e s for e xampl e
,

F inally som e exampl e s of coun te rpoin t in fifth sp e ci e s mus t giv e n

be .

I e mphasiz e again th e gre at significanc e of th e s e e x e rcis e s and r e comm end

tha t o n e sp e nd consid e rab l e t im e on th e m T h e probl e m involv e s th e
.

mas te ry of th e harmonious re la t ion b e t w ee n r e s t and mo tion th e mos t,

import an t p robl e m of musical te chniqu e .

D o rian
1 50 T wo - PA RT C O U NTERPOINT

Mixo l y dian
T WO -
PART CO U NTERPOINT 1 51

A e o lian
1 52 TWO PA RT COU NTERPOIN T
-

In te rnary m e te r exac tly,

th e sam e rul e s a pply as in b inary m e te r .

I o nian

F R EE Two PAR T CO UNTER PO INT

-

( Wit h so me co m m e nts i
co n ce r n ng the pr o b l e m s 0 / fr e e c o unte r po i nt i n t h re e a n d [o ur parts .
)

F or th e s e ex e rcis e s wh e re fre e rhy thmic par ts are se t agains t e ach

,
t wo

o th e r ( and th e can tus fi rm us principl e is forsak en ) th e sam e rul e s as

-

for tw o p art fifth S pe ci e s are valid for th e mos t par t H ow eve r it is

-
,
.
,

n e c e ssary t o mak e som e addi tions :

1 . T h e rul e tha t dissonanc e may n o t t ak e plac e in no te agains t no t e - -
 TWO - PART COU NTERPOINT 1 53

has unre s tric te d validi ty only wh e r e th e voic e s mov e in gre ater no te

valu e s than quar te r agains t quarte r O n th e oth e r han d o ne can find
.
,

among th e b e s t compos e rs of th e six teen th c en tury num ero us pas sage s

lik e th e following from Pal e s trina s Marcell us Mass
’

H e r e bo th of th e ou te r par ts in th e firs t me asure d quarter dis

, se co n ,

sona te But e ach voic e tre a t s its dissonanc e corre c tly in itse lf : th e upp e r
.

voic e as an up ward moving p assing no te th e lo we r as the cl assi cal cam bi

,

ata. This re ciprocal corre c tn e ss is in ge n e ral th e rul e in disson an t n ote

agains t no te F rom tim e to tim e also o n e or more voic e s use dissonanc e s
-
.
, ,

wi th gr e a te r fre e dom for e xamp l e :

,

P ale strina: Missa Bre vis

In this e xampl e th e dissonanc e of th e upp e r voic e is c e r tainly us e d as an

ordinary passing dissonanc e b ut th e n ex t to the to p voic e p e rmits som e
,

thing so irr e gular as a skip of th e six th u from a dissonanc whic h

p e

h as b ee n in troduc e d by a ski p of th e third But e ach Vo i c e i s n e c e ssarily

.
1 54 TWO -
PART COUNTERPOINT
corr e c tly tr e a te d in r e la tion to th e s ta tionary voic e s T h e rul e s for .

“ ”
th e dissonanc e t r e a t m e n t in no t e agains t no t e can b e f o m ul at e d t hus :

a Gr e a te r no te valu e s than quar te rs may n o t dissona t e wi th valu e s of

.

th e sam e t yp e .

b If quarte rs dissona te agains t quar te rs in two part coun te rpoin t e ach

.
-

voic e mus t tr e a t th e dissonanc e corr e c tly ( i e in th e sam e mann e r as . .

,

wh e n wri tte n agains t a can tus fi rm us in whol e no te s ) This appli e s .

also t o wri ting in thre e or more voic e s wh e re all th e voic e s mov e in ,

28
quar te r agains t quar te r .

c If in coun te rpoin t in thr e e or more p ar ts o n e or more voic e s hav e

.
,

s t a tionary no te s whil e two or mor e voic e s simul t an e ously mov e in quarte r

,

agains t quarte r th e s e m oving voic e s can mak e dissonanc e s r e ciprocally

,

only if e ach par t mov e s corr e c tly in r e la t ion to th e s t a tionary voic e s .

29

2 T h e rul e in accordanc e wi th which acc en t e d quar te rs may n o t be

.

us e d as dissonanc e s may b e infringe d in fr e e coun te rpoin t und e r th e

following c o ndi t ions :

Wh e n four quarte rs of which th e firs t is fully acc e n te d ( falls in th e ,

28
S i gl d p
n e e ar t u re s f ro m t hi s ru l e can be f o u n d v e en am o n g the g re at e s t co m p o se rs of th e six
t e e n t h ce n t ur y , bu t v y ld
er Se om . Co m p are T h e S t yl e o f P al e st ri n a, pp . 1 59 f .

29
O ne fi d n i g hi bj m g h li h i
s no co m Th fi
m ent wh co n ce rn n t s su ect a on t e e ar er t eo r s ts . e rst o, so

f ar I k
as w f d i i h E gl i h m W S R k
no , I
r e e rre Th R l to f C p i t s t e n s an , . oc s tro . n e u es o o u nt e r o nt

(L d 1 8 82 p 1 02 ) h w i Th N (q lw y b i p h bl i h i “
on o n, , .
) m e r te s : e se o te s u ar te rs u st a a s e rre ro c a e n t e r

l i
re at o n s t o h B b wi h di g hi h y f q l y m k f ig h f l ll i i wi h h
t e ass ; ut n o t t s t an n t s, t e re ue n t a e r t u co s o ns t e ac

o h Nw f h
t er . ll i i
o h g
, of h G M k
t e s e co i wh v P s o n s, t e re at e s t o t e re at ast e rs t o o no n o t ce at e er . ro

v i d d h i F l id P
e t e r m v d w l l wi h h B or h y d hi g f h
ar ts h w hi h k
o e e t t e ass , t e care no t n or t e cras es c to o

p l b w h m A vid
ace et e en h hi l i i ffi i h w v
t e .
”
id m g h
s e e n ce t at t s ru e s n su c e n t, o e e r, co n s er a on o t ers

t h f ll w i g
e o o n :

H e re

t re at m e n t

on th e th r
bo t
is
idQ
h
an
mi

u arte r ,
dd l v i
o ss
e

i m p ib il i y i
w hi h h
o ce s

c
t
are

n th e s

t e n e xt t o t
quit
tyl

h
e

f P l
e o i
p v i
cl e arl

i d
e to
y
f h i g l ly
N v h l hi
co rre ct

d di
a e st r n a o n acco u n t o

gi h i y D i h pp
o ce n t ro
in re l atio n

u ce s a a n s t t
t
to

e
th e

rre
b ass
u ar

e st at o n ar
. e

t re ate
e rt

n t
e e ss

sso n an ce

e u
t

er
s

vi o ce . I t is ff i
n o t su i c e n t , t h e re o re , f h h q
t at t p b
e ly di l i
uart e r-n o te h art s e co rre ct t re at e n re at o n t o t e

b as s ; t hy e m u st b e co rre ct in re l at o n i ll h to h l ga vl t l e i wh ot v v i er on er n o te a ue s a so , n at e er o ce

t h ym
e ay o ccur .
 TWO PART COU NTERPOIN T
- 1 55

plac e of th e firs t or third half note ) s tand t oge th e r in s tep wis e d e sc e n ding
,
-

mo tion th e third quar te r as we ll as th e s e cond and four th can dis

, , ,

sona te T h e re maining condi t ions for this lic e ns e are th e following

.

T h e four t h quar te r mus t b e follow e d by i ts u ppe r s e cond

?0
a.

5 . coun te r voic e mus t form a susp e nsion dissonanc e

The to th e

quar te r no te part for e xampl e :

-
,

F igure s adap t th e ms e lv e s for such a sp e cially in th e cad e nc e use e

formula and as such we re e x traordinarily we ll lik e d in th e S ixtee n th -

c e n tury b oth in two par t wri ting and in coun te rpoin t wi th s ev e ral parts
,
- .

Par ticularly charac te rist ic is the tre atme n t in th e following four p art -

form :

T he r e ason th e mos t cons erva tiv e compos e rs of Pal e s trina s tim e mad e ’

fre qu e n t use of this e ff e c t in S p i te of th e unusually s trong dissonanc e

, ,

is sure ly tha t th e y consid e re d it a varian t of th e classical cam biata as a ,

kind of fi lle d o ut cam biata B e hind

-
.

3°
T hi s p ro v is io n i p
is m o rtan t . Co m p are T h e S ty l e o f P al e st ri na , p . 1 12 .
1 56 T wo -
PA RT CO U NTERPOIN T

3 . susp ension dissonanc e th e accom panying voic e

R e garding th e ,

h e non syncopa ting voic e ) do e s n o t as in th e four th s pe ci e s n e e d to

( t -
, ,

wai t for th e r e solu tion of th e dissonanc e b e fore moving on but can ,

shift t on e s simul tan e ously with th e syncopa ting voic e for e xam pl e : ,

In such cas e s th e re are no p ar ticular r e s tric tions on th e dir e c tion of th e

mov e m e n t in th e accompanying voic e exc e p t of cours e that it goe s to , ,

a ton e which is a consonanc e wi th th e no te of re solu t ion of th e dis

sonanc e and e spe cially that it do e s so in such a way tha t th e dis
,

sonanc e is followe d by an imp e rfe c t consonanc e I t is also qui t e pos .

sibl e to l e t th e accompanying voic e mov e on b efor e th e syncop e dissonanc e

r e solv e s ; if it do e s th e only four possibiliti e s for th e m e lodic mov e m e n t
,

of th e accompanying par t may b e group e d as follows

a .E i th e r a low e r or an up pe r auxiliary

us e d in Pal e s trina s mass V iri Gal il ae i

’
as

31
In suc h case s , b ad p i
sus e n s o n s s uc h i
as i i n t h s in th e u pp v i er o ce can be p i
e rm t te d w h en hy
t e

re so l v e in hi
t s m an n e r to imp f e r e ct co n so n an ce s .
 T W O -
PART CO U NTERPOINT 1 57

and in his mass L aud ate d o m i n um :

sub Pon
5 . O r an asc e nding or a d e sc ending p assing no
”
t e

as in Pal e s t rina s mo te t Do ct o r b o n us
’

and in h i s mo te t Do m i n e q uan d o i
ve ne r s
‘

.
1 58 TWO PA RT COU NTERPOIN T
-

Th e s e p ossibili ti e s can be summ e d up in th e following rul e : Wh e n the

acco m
p an i
y gn i
v o ce to th e disso nant s uspe nsi o n m o ve s on f
a ter o nl y

th e d uratio n f it is n ece ssary t h at in his voic h

o a q uart e r , ( t e
) t e first ( ac

ce n t e d ) q uart e r b e f o l l o we d by t wo st e ps o f t h e se co n d T h e only e x .

ce
p t i m er e ly an app aren t o n e is th e cam biata
o n, , .

Wh en as in th e s e e x e rcis e s o n e wri te s two fr ee m e lodi e s agains t e ach

, ,

o th e r o n e mus t s triv e for an e l e gan t and organic d e v e lopm e n t of th e

,

r ela tions b e tw ee n th e voic e s n o t only in th e horizon t al b ut also i n th e

v e r tical dim e nsion Thus o n e Should wi thou t p e dan tic e xagge ra tion
.
, ,

t ak e car e tha t b road mov e m e n t in any o n e voic e is opp os e d wi th mor e

rapid and e n e rge tic mov e m e n t in th e o th e r voic e and vic e v e rsa This , .

is a g e n e ral ar t is tic princip l e to which music ow e s som e of its gr e a te s t

mom e n ts Pal e s trina has mas te re d it as f e w hav e for e xampl e in th e
.
,

mass S pe m in alium :

Ky r ie e -
le i

A no th e r hing which ough t to be m e n tion e d is that bo th voic e s should

t

n o t synco p a t e simul t an e ously Sinc e to do so produc e s a vagu e and ,

uncl e ar rhy thmic e ff e c t If th e o n e voic e has a sus pension th e o th e r

\
.
,

ough t t o mark th e h e avy b e at ; it is b e s t if this t ak e s p lac e in such a

mann e r as to produc e a dissonanc e .
32

4 In quar te r no te valu e s mor e p arall e l t hirds and six ths may b e us e d

.
-
,

s ucc e ssiv e ly t han in no te s of longe r valu e app ar e n tly b e caus e more in ,

t e re st in g d e vic e s ( such as con t rary mo t ion ) are n o t so e ff e c t iv e in rapid

valu e s .

O n S e ttin g t h e T e xt

Throughou t this te x tbook h e n w e work wi thou t a can tus fi rm u s W

w e u se words Wi thou t words vocal polyphony in r e ali ty lacks its prope r
.

32 Vi ce n t n o i wr i te s co n ce rn n i g hi t s:
“
A n d it w l l be i n o t ce i d h t at w h en m o re t h an o ne or t wo

p art s ma k e a su s e n s o np i at t h e sam e t im h e, t e su s p i
e ns o n d o e s no t o ccu r in al l th e p arts , fo r t he

s us p i
en s o n w ll i no t be e vid ent ; p i
t h e su s e n s o n can be d i sce rn e d o nl y if at l e as t o ne p art i
s ng s o n

1 5 57 p
”
th e b e at (L A nti ca m usica
’
. .
,
 T WO -
PART CO UNTERPOINT 1 59

founda tio n F or th e s e re asons I should lik e to d evo te som e r e marks to

.
,

th e p lacing of th e t e x t b e for e we t urn t o th e prac t ical e x e rcis e s The .

rul e s for s e tting th e te x t as th e y we re formula te d in the six tee n th cen

,

t ury by V ic e n t ino and Z arl in o and as t h e y w e r e obs e rv e d b y th e com

,

os e rs of Pal e s t rina s day can b e summariz e d t hus :

’

p ,

1 E v e ry no te valu e gr e a te r than a quar te r no te can carry a syllab l e

.
.

2 A quar te r no te can b e ar a syllabl e only if it follows a do t te d half

.

no te and is follow e d by a half no te or a gre ate r note valu e F or e xampl e .

Ky ri e

In this cas e it is pr efe rab l e for e ach of th e three note s to carry a syllabl e .

3 A no te valu e which is l e ss than a quar te r can no t b e ar a syllab l e

.
.

4 S e v e ral quar te r no te s which s t and t oge th e r can carry a s ingl e syl

.

labl e of th e te x t F or e xampl e : .

s uf f ert
5 . far as prac ticab l e th e na tural u tte ranc e of th e te x t shall be
So ,

r e sp e c te d so tha t acc e n te d syllabl e s may fall upon acc e n te d no te valu e s ,

and vic e v e rsa .

6 I t is n o t good t o change syllabl e s of th e te x t af te r no te valu e s l e ss

.

than th e half no t e sinc e t his mak e s th e p e rformanc e mor e di ffi cul t

,
The .

following placing of th e tex t :

f ul ge t ec cl e si a

IS acc e p tabl e th e r efore only wh e n it is al te r e d in such a way that th e

, ,

syllabl e si falls u pon th e las t half no te of th e s e cond b ar Pr efe rably .

o n e should n o t shif t syllabl e s af te r do tt e d half no te s xc p in cas s

( e e t e

which fall in und e r T h e following

q ui an te De - um

is e n tirely sa ti sfac tory only if th e syllabl e um is plac ed und e r th e las t

11 0 16 .
160 T wo -
PART COU NTERPOINT
7 . It
is na tural tha t th e final syllabl e S hould coincid e wi th th e final
t on e in th e musical phras e O ut of r egard for this o ne will ofte n tol e ra te
.

\
forms such aS '

al though it go es agains t th e rul e se t up in numb e r 6 I t is howev e r .

, ,

e s e cially in th e cad e nc es tha t o n e can find th e s e and similar lic e ns e s in

p
th e com p os e rs of th e S ix tee n th c e n t ury .

8 . In imi ta tion th e s etting of th e tex t at th e firs t app e aranc e of th e

,

th e m e mus t b e main t ain e d wi thou t chang e in all su b s e qu e n t e n tri e s .

9 . R e p e t i tion of t on e s r e quir e s n e w syllab l e s of th e te x t wi th th e

,

e xc e p t ion of t onal e n t ri e s tha t hav e ornam e n t al charac te r as wi h h

( t t e

an ticipa tion ) .

P ract ical E xe rcise

Wri te som e shor t composi tions wi th two fre e voic e s to te x ts lik e : K yrie
e l e iso n A m e n A l l e l uia or similar on e s
’
, , Kyrie according to Pal e s t rina s
.
,

p rac t ic e may b e divid e d in t o t wo or thr e e sylla b l e s

,
T h e b.e s t r e sul t s will
ge n e rally b e ob tain e d if bo th voic e s are wri tte n Simul tan eously ; if o n e ,

voic e is Compos e d firs t and th e n th e o th e r th e ir m e ri t may e asily be

un e qual ( This advic e appli e s to all polyphonic composit ion ) U nison
. .

may be us e d fr e e ly of cours e but wi th cau tion R ep eti tion o f ton e s is

, ,
.

allowe d wh e n it is mo tiva te d b y th e te x t ( compare 9 ab ov e ) In th e .

“ ”
cas e of d e ad in te rvals ( in te rvals which are found b e tw ee n th e final
no te in o n e m e lodic phras e and th e initial ton e of th e n e x t and which
are mad e cl e ar by t e x t ual s e para t ion ) occasionally forbidd e n in te rvals
,

can b e us e d such as th e d e sce nding six th th e maj or Six th and s e v e n ths

, , ,
.

T h e f ollowing e xampl e is from th e C r e do of Pal e s trina s Marce l l us Mass

’

me n , A

I hav e cons truc te d th e following e xampl e s on motiv e s from Pal e s trina

sinc e it is di fficul t to find longe r two part e pisod e s wi thou t imi ta tion in
-

Pal e s trina or o th e r com pose rs from th e p e riod .

T WO - PA RT COU NTERPOIN T 161

$ 0 11 .

P hryg ian

S Ol l
'

.
 M ixo ly d ian

r ie e le i so n .

I o nian

le i so n .

33
I n f re e co un ter pi
o nt, w h e re h
t e re are so m an y pp
o o rt un ii
t es fo r v i i
ar at o n , i t is no t n e ce ssar y ,

i
es pe c all y id
in m d l e or l o we r v i
o ce s, to o b se r v e i i
th e cu l m n at o n n o te p i ipl
r nc e so i
s t r c tl y .
 TWO - PA RT COU NTERPOIN T 163

IM ITAT ION
Imi t a t ion in music m e ans a mann e r of wri t ing in which o n e voic e
imi ta te s or mimics th e o th e r t aking ov e r th e th e m e of th e o th e r so
, ,

that th e voic e s e n t e r in succ e ssion e ach having th e sam e m e lodic ma t e rial .

Imi t at ion is o n e of th e m e ans b e s t sui te d to th e polyphonic s tyl e T his .

may s ee m s trange S in c e it appe ars to b e con trary t o th e p rincipl e of

,

p oly p hony , i n t ha t t h e i nd e p e nd e nc e of t h e voic e s is appar e n t ly r e s t ric t e d ,

all th e voic e s b e ing limi te d to th e sam e th e m e O n e mus t t ak e in to .

“ ”
consid e ration how ev e r that m e lodic ind ep e nd enc e can b e ob t ain e d
, ,

only with consid e rabl e diffi cul t y wh e n th e rhy thmic mov e m e n t of th e

p ar t s is e qual .

O n th e o th e r hand imi t a t ion at l e as t in ev e ry cas e wh e n it is bas e d u pon

, ,

a charac te ris tic th e m e is always eff e c t iv e and giv e s th e imp re ssion of rich
,

musical life and vigorous m e n t al ac ti v i t y Through imit ation th e voic e s

.

in p olyphonic writ ing are wov e n togeth er so that composit ions in this
s t yl e a tt ain a s tronge r fe e ling of uni t y in spite of all individualit y and con
t ras t in t h e div e rs e voic e s F rom this fundam e n tal approach to th e un i
.

“
v e rsal ae s th et ic r e quir e m e n t of an tiquit y uni t y in vari et y imit a tiv e
, ,

s tyl e has gain e d its e normous vi t alit y and e nduring validi t y .

Imi t a tion may be divid e d in to s ev e ral di ff e r e n t kinds : s trict fre e t onal , , ,

and r e al S tric t imi t a tion m e ans an imi t ation in which th e in te rvals of

.

t h e th e m e are follow e d e xac t ly whil e fr ee imi t a t ion allows for e xam p l e

, , ,

a major in te rval to b e answe re d b y a minor o n e of th e sam e kind or per ,

mi ts o the r Sligh t modificat ions of th e th e m e Tonal imi ta tion m e ans .

imi tat ion in which p ar ticular a tte n ti on is giv e n to th e e s t ablishm en t and

main te nanc e of th e tonali t y ; for exampl e th e tonic is cl e arly answ e re d
,

wi th th e dominan t and vic e v e rsa If th e imi t a tion is n o t tonal it is

,
.
,

call e d r e al Tonal imi t a tion was e spe cially popular in th e s e v e n tee n th

.

and e igh teen th c en turi e s Wi th Bach and H and e l tonal imi t a tion was

H
.
,

th e usual proc e dur e .

In th e six teen th c e n tury on th e o th e r hand th e r e al answ e r to a sub

, ,

j ce t was pr eferred : for e xam pl e th e b e ginning of Pal e s trina s four par t

,
’
-

mo te t o die beata
1 64 TWO PART COU NTERPOIN T
-

H o di - e be a - ta v ir -
g o Ma - ri

This e xc e r pt is in th e Dorian mod e transp os e d to G O n e will ob .

se rv e t ha t t h e t h e m e as giv e n by t h e bass and al t o ski p s t onic t o domi

, ,

nan t G D whil e th e te nor and so prano an swe r wi th D A A tonal an

,
—
,
— .

sw e r would hav e r e quir e d : dominan t t onic D G

— -
A S h as b ee n said t h e
,
.
,

“ ”
re al answe r is th e mos t common in th e Pal e s trina pe riod ; o n e can ,

how ev e r occasionally com e upon t onal imi t ation ; for exampl e at th e

, ,

b e gi nning of Pal e st rina s four par t mo te t S urg e pro pe ra whos e th e m e

’
-
,

w as ci t e d e arli e r :
 T wo - PART COU NTERPOIN T 165

S ur ge , pro -
pe

In addi tion to th e mann e rs alre ady m e n tion e d imi t a tion can fur th e r
,
“ ”
more tak e plac e by inv e rsion . This m e an s tha t th e in te rval s of t h e
t h e m e are an sw e r e d in con trary mo t ion : Ski of t h fif t h u by ski of t h
p e
p p e

fifth down and so on F or e xam p l e :

, .

Ky rie e
166 TWO PA RT CO U NTERPOIN T
-

A nsw e rs may fur th e rmor e be form e d by augm e n t a tion or by dim

”
in ut io n wh e r e all th e following voic e s doubl e or halv e th e original
t im e valu e s of th e mo t iv e T h e following e xam pl e il l ustrate s an answe r
.

by augm en ta tion

Ky - rie e le i so n , Ky r ie e -
le i

n d th e n e x t an answ e r p
er d i m in utio n e m :

Ky r ie e le i
— Missa
’
A famous e xampl e of diminu ion is in Pal s rina s t e t four par t
Bre vis .

le i so n

A mong com os rs of Pal s rina s im a r la iv ly s aring

’

th e p e e t t e e t e
, p u se

w as mad e of i mi t a tion by i n v e rsion augm e n ta tion or diminu tion In

, ,
.
 TWO PART CO U NTERPOIN T
- 1 67

th e e arli e r p ar t of th e six tee n th c e n tury th e tim e of th e N e th e rland com ,

os e rs and also in th e following c e n t ury t h e s e p roc e dur e s w e r e us e d mor e

p , ,

fre qu en tly in polyphonic composi tion .

D uring th e h e igh t of th e p olyphonic p e riod a similar mor e ar tis t ic kind ,

“ ”
of imi t a t ion was commonly us e d : nam e ly th e st rett o T h e st re tt o , .

is a form of imi t a t ion in which th e following voic e s e n te r wi th th e t h e m e

b e fore th e pre c e ding voic e has r e ach e d th e e n d as in Pal e s trina s mo te t ,
’

F uit h o m o .

Fu it ho mo missus a De 0 , fu it ho

The mo tiv e ex te nds h e r e ov e r thr e e and thr ee quarte rs bars ; n e v e r th e l e ss -

th e u pp e r voic e e n t e rs af te r only o n e and a half bars of r e s t N o t e t ha t .

whil e ( as always in th e las t p art of th e six te en th c e n tury ) th e th e m e

b e gins wi th a full m e asure it is answ e r e d by th e following voic e on th e
,

third b e a t in th e bar S uch rhy thmic modifica t ions are e x t raordinarily

.

common in compos e rs of P al e strin a S t im e ev e n wh e n th e r e la t ion of ’

t h e acc e n t s in t h e t h e m e is t h e r e by so com p l e t e ly al t e r e d t ha t acc e n t e d no t e s

35
b e com e unacc e n te d and vic e v e rsa ,
.

Imi ta tion may occur in any in te rval r e la tionshi p wha tso ev e r Tha t .

is th e imi t a t ion can b e gin on any d e gr e e of th e scal e

, L ik e wis e o n e can .

b egin wi th any consonanc e p e rfe c t or imp e rfe c t or wi th any no te tha t

, ,

p roduc es a
p e rmissibl e synco e dissonanc e
p .

But in th e Pal e s trina s t yl e i t s e lf imi t a t ion in th e fif th is b y far t h e ,

mos t common A lso imi ta tions in th e unison and th e oc tav e are ofte n
.

use d e s e cially in chorus e s of th e sam e voic e s ; on t h e o th e r hand imi t a

p
, ,

t ions on o th e r in t e rvals occur only occasionally for th e mos t ar t in con

p ,

nect io n wi th ar t is t ic canonic d e v e lopm e n t s .

I t is im por tan t in imi t a t ion t o choos e mo tiv e s tha t are e ff e c tiv e E s pe .

c ial l wi t h long e r imi t a t ions it i s dang rous t mak m l d i t smoo t h

y e o e e o e s o o

wi th cons tan t use of s te pwis e mov e m e n t or v e ry small in te rval s ; in such

34
T he hidd e n o c ta v e is p l i d by h i m i i
ex a ne t e t at o n .

35
S ee the q i
uo t at o n f ro m Vi i pp 2 1 f
ce n t no , . .
168 TWO PA RT COU N TERPOIN T
-

cas e s th e imi ta tions e asily e lud e th e lis ten e r H e r e it would be d e sirabl e

.

t o hav e a Sligh t ly abru pt mov e m e n t a larg e s triking in te rval or th e

, , ,

lik e of cours e wi thin th e m e lodic rul e s of th e s tyl e N o tic e hOw b e au ti

,
.

ful and nobly e ff e c tiv e th e u pward ski p of th e oc tav e is in Pal e s trina s ’

mo t e t O q uant as l ue zas B e sid e s th e e x pre s siv e t re a tm en t of th e te x t

.
,

"
t h e s t rong e m phasis p lac e d o n th e word q uan t a s through th e oc t av e ski p

is doub tl e ss for e x p r e ssiv e pur p os e s

. T h e p ur e ly musical r e quir e m e n t s
are fulfill e d wi th e x traordinary mas t e ry .

t us ln etus ho
 TWO PART COU NTERPOIN T
- 1 69

T wo oth e r singularly b e au t iful exampl e s of imi t a tion from the works

of Pal e s trina follow

e st pa n is de

The u pp e r voic e in th e las t e xampl e has alre ady b e e n ci te d as a t y pe of

Pal e s trina m e lody in its mos t b e au tiful form I t may s e e m incr e dibl e
.

tha t i ts e ff e c t could b e e nhanc e d in any way N e v e r th e l e ss th e e ff e c t is

.

e nhanc e d in t h e t wo p ar t imi t a t iv e form

-
.In all po in ts th e low e r voic e
su pports and s tre ng th e ns th e e ff e c t I t is as though o n e m e t in th e s e t w
d
.
,

voic e s eye wi tn e ss e s to a divin e miracl e who now uni te in to o n e en tranc e

,
-

wi tn e ss This ins pire d e xam pl e re v e als t h e hand of a g enius in e v e ry

.

d e tail
.

P ract ical E xe rcise

Wri te som e two part K yri e s wi th imi ta tion S inc e such com pac t t wo
-
.

ar com osi ions b found in Pal s rina s com osi ions ( Pal
’

p t p t a re n o t t o e e t p t e s

t rina s e e ms n e v e r to hav e wri t te n for l e ss th an thr ee voic e s ) and sinc e

,
17 0 TWO -
PART COU NTERPOIN T
o th e r t wo p ar t com posi tions from th e time of Pal e s trina are ge n e rally
-

t o o e x tensiv e t o b e us e d as mod e ls h e r e I hav e p rovid e d e xam p l e s som e , ,

bas e d on Gre gorian mo tiv e s and som e on mo tiv e s tak en from Pal e s trina .

I t may b e r e mark e d tha t th e imi t a ting voic e is n o t oblig e d t o in trod uc e

more of th e th e m e than th e p r e c e ding voic e h as sung at th e e n tranc e of
th e imi t a t ion and tha t it is p e rmissibl e to l e t th e s e cond voic e b e gin wi th

an im pe rfe c t consonanc e .

E xam pl es

Do rian

Ph ryg ian

ri - e

36
It s h o ul d be o b se r vdh e e re h i
t at n the p l y ph i Ph yg i
o on c r an mo d e in i i i
m tat o n B ( no t C as ,

in th e G re g i
o r an m us i c ) is re g dd
ar e as th e d mi
o n an tS .h ee t e f o o tno t e , p . 71 .
 T WO - PART COUN TERPOI N T 17 1

Mixo l y d ian

le i so n .

A e o l ian

Ky r ie

so n .

In te rnary m e te rs e xac tly th e sam e rul e s a pply as in binary for e xam pl e

,

I o nian

rie e le i
17 2 T wo -
PA RT CO U NTERPOIN T

A valuabl e ex e rcis e is to a tte mp t to wri te imi ta tions to the sam e

th e m e at e v e ry in t e rval a p roc e dur e us e d b y com pos e rs in t h e tim e of
,

Pal e s trina wh e n th e y ap pli e d th e ms e lv e s to e s pe cially ar tis tic forms of

imi ta tion T h e following may s e rv e as mod e ls
.

I mitat io n at t h e uniso n , P h ry g ian

so n 0

I mit at io n se co nd D o rian

S OD .
T wo -
PART CO U NTERPOIN T 17 3

I mitat io n at t h e th ird , A e o lian

e -
le i so n .

I m it at io n at t h e f o urt h , Do rian

S O T)

I mitat io n f if th A e olian
,

I mitatio n at th e S ixth , I o n ian

8 0 11 .
17 4 T WO - PART CO UNTERPOIN T
I mitat io n at th e s e ve n t h Mixo l y d ian
,

S O Y]
Ch apt e r I V

THRE E PART - CO U NTE RPO I NT

F IR ST S PECI ES
N THR EE PART coun te rpoin t f or th e firs t tim e it is possibl e to use a chord
I
-
,

consis ting of roo t third and fi f th a f undam en t al conc ept which in

—
, ,

harmony is call e d a triad In this and th e following probl e ms we should

.
,

s ee k to in troduc e as many compl e te t riads as may b e com p a t ibl e wi th

good voic e l e ading which in th e las t analysis is mor e impor t an t F ur
,
.

“ ”
t h e rm o re in thr e e p ar t coun t e r p oin t which is l e ss t rans p ar e n t t han t wo
,
-
,

ar t w e can t ak e c e r t ain lib e r t i e s wi th r e gard t o th e rul e s giv e n in t wo

p ,

p ar t coun t e r oin t
p
1 .P e rfe c t and augm e n te d four ths diminish e d fifths and ( more ,
“

e xc e ptionally ) diminish e d fourths can b e consid e red and t r e a te d as

consonan t combina tions b ut only wh e n th e y do n o t occur in r e la tion to
,

th e bass A ll dissonanc e s are h e ard mos t cl e arly in r e la t ion to th e bass

.

and h enc e w e ak e r dissonanc e s lik e thos e m e n tion e d abov e are allow e d

'

, ,

wh e n th e y are p ut b e twee n th e u ppe r and middl e voic e s or b e twee n two

middl e voic e s In o th e r words in three—par t wri ting we can use triads
.
,

in roo t posi tion and chords of th e six th for e xampl e : ,

O n the o th e r h and , six- four chords mus t be handl e d as dissonan t

fié
z
chord s sinc e th e y involv e a four th re la tion to the bass 1
g

H
'

,
z .

1
T ranslato r s '
n o te . Fo r a m o re co m p re h i v di
e ns e i f
scus s o n o t he
'

i
s x fo u r c h d or , se e yd
a o n,

G le n : T h e E vo l utio n o f the S ix-Fo ur C h o r d. B k l y

er e e , Un iv i y
e rs t o i
f C al fo rn i a P re ss , 19 3 3 .

17 5
 l
17 6 THREE PART COUNTERPOIN T
-

can lik e wis e p e rmi t th e fr e e use of th e diminish e d triad as a chord of

th e six th ( b ut only as such ) for e xam pl e ,

and ind ee d

also th e augm en te d triad in firs t inv e rsion which al though rar e do e s , , ,

occur in Pal e s trina for e xampl e in th e mass S al vum fac

,
’

sur re c ti

2 . The
rul e tha t no o n e of two V o i c e s tha t skip in Similar mo tion may
mak e a Skip gr e a te r than a four th ( n o t coun ting th e oc tav e ) is valid
W
,

in co un t e rpO I nf i n thr e e an d mor e p ar ts

,

' —

, m con

@
c e rn e d and ev e n th e n only wh e re ally o ice s mov e in i mi lar mo t io n w
e .

3 . C on ceal ed fif t h s or oc t av e s a
m
sp
e gg m it t e d b e t w e e n an voic e

and a i nn er voic e t h e r e are mor e than

t hr e e par t s ) Be t w
. n b e us e d wi th good
e f f e c t b ut i t his cas e t h e u pp e r p ar t should mov e in co njunc t mo t ion
, n ,
.

Hi o e t ave s b e t w e e n ou t r v o ifiz
S ( t l as t in l e ss t han four ar t s )
-

e a e p
-

ough t to b e avoid e d Th e y may occur in cad enc e s at th e progre ssion

.

from th e n ex t to th e las t to th e las t m e asur e ; but o th e rwis e th e y mus t

b e us e d wi t h cau t ion .

4 U nisons can b e us e d fr ee ly b e t w e e n t w o voic e s b ut all thr e e voic e s

.
,

can s trik e th e unison only in th e firs t or las t bar of th e ex e rcis e .

5 O n e can b e gin and e n d wi th th e com p l e t e triad b ut only wi th th e

.
,

t onic t riad In such a cas e th e b e ginning chord ough t to hav e a major

.

third ; ye t onl y if as in firs t s pe ci e s all voic e s b e gin t og e th e r

, ,
If on .
,
 THREE PART CO U NTERPOIN T
- 17 7

th e o th e r hand th e thirds e n te r afte r t h e Can tus fi rm us t he y can v e ry

, ,

we ll be minor In th e final chord th e third should und e r all circum

.
,

s tanc e s be maj or B e sid e s closing wi th th e com pl e te t riad o n e can en d

.
,

“ ”
with a triad wi th omi tte d third or fifth But on th e o th e r hand o n e
.
, ,
“
can b e gin only wi th a comp l e te or e mp t y triad ( wi th third omi tte d )
6 Le
. ading t on e s may n o t b e dou b l e d : C Sharp in Dorian F in P h ry
—
,

gian F—Sharp in Mixolydian G sharp in A e olian and B in Ionian

, ,
-
,
.

P rac tical E xe rcise

S e t two parts I n whol e no te s to th e can t us fi rm us T h e can tus

. fi rm us
can be t r e a t e d in thr ee ways : as upp e r l o w e r o r middl e p ar t
, ,
'

Do rian 4
“

Mixo l y d ian
17 8 T H R E E —P A R T C O U N T E R P O I N T
A e o l ian

I o nian

S ECOND S PEC I ES

In th e se ex e rcis e s o n e p ar t in half no te s and o ne in whol e n o te s are

,

add e d to th e can tus fi rm us T h e rul e s are th e sam e h e r e as in th e two

.

ar t coun t e r oin t s e cond s e ci e s wi t h th e e xc e t ion of th e e x t e nsions

p p , p , p
giv e n in th e p re c e ding s e c tion Cad enc e s may be in troduc e d wi th syn
.

co pe dissonanc e s in t h e s tyl e of four th s pe ci e s ; if t h e synco pe is in t h e

lowe r voic e it may be r e solv e d in to a diminish e d triad b ut always in ,

clos e p o si tion for e xamp l e

,

T he can tus fi rm us may b e tr e a te d in six di ff e re n t ways for th e can tus

,

can be in troduc e d in any o n e of th e thre e v oic e s and th e par ts in firs t and

,

s e cond s pe ci e s can e xchange plac e s in a corr e s ponding mann e r .

P ract ical E xe rcise

C ombin e th e can t us fi rm u s wi th o n e voic e in firs t and o n e in s e cond

sp e ci e s t ha t all th e various combina tions are prac t ic e d in t urn :
‘

so
T H R E E P A R T C OU N T E R P O I N T
- 17 9

D o rian
180 T H R E E P A R T C O UN T E R P O I N T
-

TH IR D S PEC I E S
In th e s e e x e rcis e s o nevoic e is S e t t o th ecan tus fi rm us in quar te rs and
o n e in whol e no t e s . N o thing is t o be add e d t o th e rul e s alr e ady giv en
.

P ractical E xe rcise
i

The can t us fi rm us is combin e d wi th o n e voic e in third sp e ci e s and o n e

in firs t so tha t th e six possibl e combina tions are run through o n e after
,
.

th e o th e r .

Do rian
THREE PART CO UNTERPOINT
-
181

D o r ian

P h ry g ian
1 82 THREE PART CO UN TERPOIN T
-

Mixo lyd ian

A e o lian
T HREE PA RT CO U N TER POI N T
-
183

I o nian
1 84 THREE PART COUNTERPOINT
-

I o nian

A profi t abl e but di ff icul t e x e rcis e is to t ry t o se t t h e can tus fi rm us wi th

a p ar t in s e cond s pe ci e s and a p ar t in third s pe c i e s T h e diffi cul ti e s con
.

sis t e s pe cially in making th e s e co n d s pe ci e s logical and fl owing Wh en .

it com e s agains t a p ar t in quar te rs o n e lis t e ns i n t e rms of th e four quar

,

te rs and
,
t h e s e cond half no t e
( t hird quar t e r ) i s f e l t,
t h e r e for e ,as acc e n t e d
and canno t dissona te T h e probl e m is e s pe cially diffi cul t wh en th e sec
.
-

ond s p e ci e s li e s in th e lowe r voic e If on th e o th e r hand it lie s in th e

’

.
, ,

middl e or u pp e r voic e o n e may use fourths ( na t urally l e gi timiz e d by

,

having th e third or fifth b e low ) and possibili ti e s for s tepwis e mov e m e n t

,

h
are t e e r by incr e as e d. A t t h e cad e nc e i t is p e rmissibl e t o l e t t h e par t in
 THREE PART COUNTERPOINT
-
18 5

s e cond spe cie s in t roduc e a dissonan t suspe nsion according to th e rul e s of

fourth speci e s In such cas e s such fre e r forms as th e following may b e
.

us e d :

To be sure th e upp e r voic e skips to th e dissonanc e and l e av e s it wi th a

,

skip ; but o n e is inclin e d to ov e rlook irre gulari t i e s b e caus e th e U pp e r p art

Skips down to th e E in th e middl e voic e ( which is corr e c tly tr e a te d in
r ela t ion to th e dissonanc e ) and imm e dia te ly skip s back to th e ton e from
which it cam e and to consid er it as if it w e re :
,

S uch dissonanc e s occur wh e n a par t ac tually incorr e c t in i ts e lf in On e ,

or more poin ts coincid e s wi th and hid e s b e hind a more corr e c tly tre a te d
,
“ ” “ ”
voic e which is more promin e n t Th e s e parasi tic or cov ere d dis .

sonanc e s are n o t rare among six te e n th c en tury compos e rs T h e follow .

2

ing charac te ris tic cas e is t ak e n from Pal e s trina s can ticum N unc dim ittis ’
.

H e r e th e Ski p in th e firs t tenor from D to G which is ac tually incorre c t ,

( d isso n at in g wi th C in t h e u pp e r voic e
) i s mad e possibl e by t h e fac t t ha t ,

th e G of th e te nor is in unison wi th t h e G of th e bass and thus is corr e c t ,

2 Co m p are T h e S t yl e o f P al e st ri na ,
p . 1 56 .
186 THREE PART COUNTERPOIN T
-

Te n 1
.

Te n 11
.

in r e la tion t o th e upp e r voic e s ; as a ma tte r of fac t all th e l as t three ton e r

in t h e te nor are found in th e o th e r voic e s .

E xam pl e s

D o rian
THREE PART CO U NTERPOIN T
-
1 87

A e o l ian
 FO U RTH S PE C I E S

In this spe ci e s a par t in th e four th and a p ar t in firs t sp e ci es are add e d

,
to th e can t us fi rm us H er e th e rul e s are th e sam e as for th e two —par t
.

“ ”
four th sp e ci e s b
, c e r tain ex te nsions Thus bad dis ,

p e n sio n t h e dm i
sg rfl ice or ,

{p in th s in th e upp v i d if in an y such cas e a

er p
ce s ,
i

e nsion i r oduc e d at th e sam e t im e i n r e la t ion t o ano th e r ar t

p s p p
( b) (d )

In ( a ) a four th susp e ns is irr eproachab l e sinc e ,

th e voic e at t h e sam e t im e forms a dissonanc e of th e s e cond wi t h th e B in

th e middl e voic e In ( b ) a s e v e n th susp e nsion is acc ep t ab l e in th e lowe r

.

voic e for th e sam e r e ason L ik e wis e ( c ) and ( d ) con t a in a s e v e n th and

.

a four th suspe nsion r e sp e c tiv e ly making th e susp e nd e d nin th b e tw e e n

, ,

th e u pp e r voic e s acc e pt abl e .

P ract ical E xe rcise

S et ach can tus fi rm us in th e various comb inations T h e consonan t

e .

”
four th us e d in th e A e olian e xampl e is discuss e d pp 193 ff . .

Do r ian
THREE PA RT CO U N TERPOIN T
-
1 89

D o rian

P h r y g ian

M ixo l y dian

A e o lian
19 0 THREE PART COUNTERPOIN T
-

I o n ian

A valuabl e e x e rcis e is to combin e third and four th s pe ci e s

Do rian

Co m p are the rul e s , p . 15 8 .

THREE PART CO U NTERPOIN T
- 19 1

Do r ian
19 2 T H R E E PA RT CO U N TERPOIN T
-

Mixo ly d ian

A e o l ian
 T H R E E P AR T C O U N T E R P O I N T
- 19 3

I o nian

F I FT HS PE C I E S

sam e rul e s apply h e r e as in two par t wri ting in th e sam e sp e ci e s

T he ,
-
,

as w e ll as th e mi tigat ing qualifica tion s jus t s ta te d as applyin g gen e rally

in three par t writing
-
.

H e r e th e conc ep t consonan t four th mus t b e m e n t ion e d T h e so .

“
call e d consonan t four th is a four th brough t in s tep wis e upon th e th e sis
w k b e a t ) ov e r a s t a t ionary bass t on e Th e r e af t e r it is t i e d ov e r t o
( e a .

th e n e x t following arsis ( s t rong b e a t ) wh e r e it is change d in to a s t rong e r

,

dissonanc e ; b ut finally manage s to mak e its r e gular r e solu t ion upon th e

n e x t th e sis ( w e ak b e a t ) for e xam pl e :,

4 T he D o f t he m idd l p
e art is co v d by i
e re v i p
t s o ct a e re l at o n to th e up e r p ar t .
194 THREE PART COUNTERPOIN T
-

Thus a susp ension is in troduc e d prepare d by a dissonanc e logically in

, ,

viola tion of th e rul e s of four th s pe ci e s T h e four th is howe v e r such a

.
, ,

mild dissonanc e tha t wh e n in troduc ed smoo thly and in j ux taposi tion

,
{
wi th such sharp dissonanc e s as s e conds and s ev e n ths it almos t s e e ms
,
“ ”
lik e a consonanc e Wi th th e s e provisions th e consonan t four th is
.
,

us e d v ery of te n by the com pos e rs of Pal e s trina s tim e

’
.

Pal e s trina Mass : L h o m m e arm e

’ ’

E xam pl e s

This idiom was us e d in th e coun te rpoin t wri tte n agains t th e fifth and
sixth no te s of th e A e olian can t us fi rm us at th e b o ttom of page 189 .

Do rian
TH REE - PART CO U NTERPOIN T 19 5

Do rian
196 THREE -
PART COU NTERPOINT

Mixo l y dian

A e o l ian
 —
TH REE PA RT CO UNTERPOIN T 197

I o nian

Fr e e wri ting wi thou t imi t a tion is unusual b ut wor th trying

19 8 TH REE PA RT COUNTERPOIN T
-

I M ITAT ION
Two par t imi ta tion is wri tte n to th e can tus fi rm us E x e rcis e s of t his
-
.

t y p e are mos t
p rofi t a b l e and are th e r e for e e sp e cially r e comm e nd e d for ,

e xampl e

D o rian

Conc e rning imi t a tion in thr e e fre e p arts no thing is to b e add e d to th e

,

rul e s alr e ady giv e n .

O n e should t ry to u se th e mos t com pl e te harmoni e s possibl e . An

e s e cially b e au t iful e ff e c t is ob t ain e d if th e t hird voic e e n t e rs in such a
p
way tha t it suppl e m e n t s th e o th e r voic e s to produc e a comp l e te triad If .

th e t hird p ar t e n t e rs at a sus pe nsion dissonanc e as in bar 7 of t h e following

B e n e dic tus from Pal e s trina s Missa Bre vis th e charm of th e e ff e c t is e n

’

hanc e d e v e n mor e I should lik e to giv e this B e n e dic tus h e re in its e n

.

tire t y as an e sp e cially b e au t iful mod e l for thr ee p ar t imi t a t iv e wri t ing

,
- .

O n e should s t udy th e p e rf e c t sui t abili t y of b o th th e s e t h e m e s for this form

of t r e a tm e n t a thing which is v e ry rar e
— .
THREE PART CO U N TERPOINT
- 199

ct us qui n it , q ui

n it , qui ve
200 TH REE PA RT CO UN TERPOIN T
-

no - mi - ne

no -
mi ne
T H
RE E ~
P A RT COU NTERPOINT

no -
mi me Do

no -
mi - ne
Ch apte r V

FOUR -
PA RT CO UNTE RPO I NT

T
H E F OL L OW ING rul e is to
F I R ST S PEC I E S
add e d to th e on e s alr e ady giv e n : Cov e r e d
be
oc tav e s b e twe e n ou te r voic e s are admissibl e but th e y had b e s t b e us e d
,

wh e n th e u ppe r par t mov e s b y s te p .

E xam pl e s

Do rian

Mixo l y dian
2 04 FOUR PA RT CO UNTERPOIN T
-

I o nian

S E COND S PE C I E S
N o addi t ional rul e s are n e c e ssary .

E xampl es
D o rian
 FOUR PART CO UNTERPOINT
-
20 5

Mixo l y dian

TH I R D S P E C I ES
E xa m pl e s

Do rian
206 FOU R PART CO U NTERPOIN T
-

Do rian
FOUR PA RT CO U NTERPOIN T
-
207

A e o l ian
208 FOUR PART COUNTERPOIN T
-

A v e ry diffi cul t e x e rcis e b ut o n e tha t is mos t ins truc tiv e is to add o n e

p ar t e ach in th e firs t s e cond and third Spe ci e s to th e can tus fi rm us
, , .

F or exampl e
Do rian

N o tic e tha t th e unacc e n te d half n o te s a re all consonan t agains t th e

H
m oving quar te rs . S e e th e comm en t on page 1 84
.

FOU RT S PE C I E S

O n e p ar tis add e d to th e can tus fi rm us in syncop e s and ,

th e t wo oth e r
add e d par ts are in whol e no te s F or exampl e :
.
 FO U R PA RT CO U NTERPOIN T
- 2 09

Do rian

The a tte mp t to wri te o n e par t e ach in th e four th s e cond and firs t

, ,

s pe ci e s agains t th e giv e n can tus fi rm us is a v e ry us eful e x e rcis e T h e.

unacc e n t e d half no te s of th e coun te rpo i n t I n th e s e cond sp e ci e s may be

assing dissonanc es ; and of cours e th e acc e n t e d half no t e s of th e par t in
p
four th sp e cie s may b e dissonanc e s F or e xampl e
.

But proba b ly th e mos t di fficul t e x e rcis e of all in th e s tudy of coun t e r

poin t i s t o add t o t h e can tus fi rm u s o n e p ar t e ach in t h e s e cond ,

t hird ,

an d fourth s pe ci e s so tha t e ach of th e four s tric t s peci e s is repre s en te d in

,

th e sam e e x e rcis e . I t may s ee m almos t im possibl e t o obs e rv e simul

t an e o usl y all th e r e quir e m e n t s bo th m e lodic and harmonic ; e t wi t h a
, y
l i ttl e prac t ic e it can be don e and t im e d e vo te d t o e x e rcis e s of t his t y pe
,

will b e mos t profi tably s pe n t Th e s e ex e rcis e s are e xc e ll en t for te aching

.
2 10 FO U R PA RT COU NTERPOIN T
-

t h e art of th e individualiza tion of th e s epara te par ts und e r ev en th e mos t

diffi cul t circums tanc e s S ev e ral exampl e s follow
.

D o rian

Do rian
FO R PART CO U NTERPO INT
U -
211

Mixo l y d ian
2 12 F O U R PA RT CO U N T ERP OI N T
-

I o nian

O ne ,
FI FTH S P E CIE S

fr e e part according to th e rul e s f o i fifth spe ci e s and

,
t wo p ar t s in
firs t sp e ci e s are wri tte n agains t th e can tus fi rm uS
°

Do rian
FOUR PA RT CO U NTERPOIN T
- 213

I o nian
2 14 FO U R PA RT CO U N TE RPOIN T
-

C omposi t ions wi th four fr e e par ts wi thou t imi ta tion are rare among
’

Pal e s trina s own works A b e au tiful e xampl e may be ci te d howev e r

.
, ,

from th e works of th e R oman comp os e r Cos tanzo F e s ta who die d in ,

1545 . But e v e n h e r e th e re is som e imi t a tion in th e s e cond par t O th e r .

wis e th e pi e c e is cons truc te d on a G regorian m e lody ; tha t is th e uppe r ,

p ar t in t roduc e s a G r e gorian m e lody almos t no te for no te though th e ,

o th e r par ts Show no re la tion to this can tus fi rm us In th e fourth m e asure .

from th e e nd an incorre c tly tre a te d cam biata is no tic e ab l e This e arly .

form was no longe r in use in th e r e al Pal e s trina p e riod .

1

z
Co stanzo Fe sta

0 di ca mus

1
S e e T h e S ty l e o f P al e stri na, p . 195 .

3
T hi s co m p o s i t i o n is g iv en h e re in dance w
acco r ih
t co de x 2 1 o f th e V i
at can c h ape l arc hiv es .
FO U R P A R T CO U N TE R P O I N T
-
2 16 FO U R PA RT CO U N TE RPOIN T
-

I M ITATION
A n ex ercis e which is n o t e asy but n ev e r th e l e ss ins truc tiv e is th e addi tion
of thr ee par ts in imi ta tion for e xampl e
,

D o rian

D o rian

F our p ar t comp osi tions wi th imi t a tion in all voice s are mos t common
-

in th e Six te e n th c e n tury F rom a coun tl e ss numb e r of e xampl e s I hav e

.

s e l e c te d o n e of th e mos t b e au tiful th e b eginning of the four part mote t

,
-

E g o s um pan is b y Pal e s trina . This composi t ion is in th e Ionian mod e

t ranspos e d t o F. T h e soprano b e gins wi th th e dominan t of th e scal e and
th e o th e r part s follow e n te ring al te rnate ly on th e tonic and dominan t
,

wi th s tric t re gulari t y More ov e r th e e ff e c tiv e en tranc e of th e par ts is

.
,

r e markab l e ; o n e n e v e r fee ls that th e en tranc e of a v o ic e is su pe rfluous or

.
 F OU R -
P ART CO U N TERPOIN T 2 17

poin tl e ss T h e en tranc e of th e t enor is par ticularly eff e c t iv e coming as

.
,

it do e s on a susp e nd e d dissonanc e in accordanc e wi th a favori te proc e dur e

of Pal e s trina and his con te mporari e s T h e te nor s ee ms to ga th e r all th e
.

re ins in to his hand f or wi th th e e n tranc e of th e t enor voic e o n e re aliz e s

,

at onc e tha t th e som e wha t ind e fini t e vagu e ly undula t ing b e ginning is
,

m er e ly th e gen tl e in troduc tion of a musical s truc ture of unusual s t re ngth

and solidi t y :

s um pa
Ch apter VI

C O U NTE R P O I NT I N MO R E TH AN F O U R P A R T S

N GER M AN a composi tion which has more than four par ts is call e d
I “
vie l st i mm ig
”
Though abou t 1500 mos t musical composi tions w e r e
.
1

wri tte n for four voic e s in th e cours e of th e six te e n th c en t ury th e si tuation

,

gradually change d so tha t by th e tim e of Pal e s trina composi tions in more

than four par t s gr e a t ly p r e domina te d A di ff e r e nc e b e tw ee n th e normal .

s t yl e of polyphonic wri ting in th e six te e n th c en tury and that in th e

s e v e n te e n th and e igh te en th c en turi e s is tha t th e ind e p end e nc e of th e
s e v e ral voic e s s tric tly main tain e d in th e e arli er p e riod fr e qu e n tly giv e s
way t o th e doubling of o n e p ar t wi th ano th e r in th e late r p e riod so tha t ,

th e polyphony of th e composi t ion is som e wha t illusory A s Be l le rm ann .

says
T he g re at co m po se rs o f t h e sixte e n t h ce nt u ry al way s pro ce e d ve r y st rict l y in t h is
m atte r I n t h e ir po l y p h o n ic w o rk s e ve ry sin g le v o ice , re g ard l e ss
. of h o w m an y t h e re
m ay b e in al l, w as co n side re d an in d e pe n de n t be in g wh o se i n d iv id ual it y sh o u l d n o t
an d co u l d n o t b e co n f u se d w i t h an o t h e r B
y carry in g o ut the prin ciple o f po l y p h o n ic
.

co m o s it io n i n t h i s l o g ical m an n e r, t h e y att ain e d t h at re m ark ab l e h arm o n y o f so u n d ,

p
t h at m ig h t y d e ve l o pm e n t o f t h e t o n al m ass w h ich o b t ain s w h e n t h e vario u s v o ice s

e n te r o n e by o n e , i n a w o rd t h o se t o n al e ff e ct s w h i ch t h e co m o se rs o f l at e r t im e s
p
see k in v ain .

T he r a m en t of coun te rpoin t in more than four p ar ts f o llqws e ss e n

t e t

t iall y th e rul e s for four p ar t wri t ing b u t na turally t h e mor e v oic e s th e

-
,

composi tion con t ains th e gre a te r th e r e quire m en t for compl e te harmoni e s

, .

O n th e o th e r hand th e mul ti p ar t tr e a t m e n t a ff ords gr e a te r free dom in

,
-

th e u se of hidd e n p arall e ls in tha t cov e r e d oc t av e s are p e rmi t te d b e t w ee n

ou te r parts e v en if th e upp e r par t mov e s b y skip In wri ting in fi ve or .

1
Translato r s '
n o te . T he t ran sl ato r
"
k
d o e s no t n o w o f an E n l gi h w
s
"
d in
o r curre nt use t h at is t h e
e xact e q ui v al e n t o f
”
vie l st i m mig . Li te ral l y , it m e an s v i d
m an y o ce .

2 Der K o ntrapun kt , F o urt h E di i t o n, p 420

. .
22 0 CO U N TE RPOIN T I N M ORE T
mor e par ts it is n e c e ssary to dou b l e o n e or mor e of th e voic e t yp e s ; that
H AN FOU R PARTS

is th e r e will b e t wo al tos two tenors and so on

, , T h e mor e th e par ts
, .

in a composi tion th e gre a te r th e diffi cul ti e s in workin g o ut a tonally

,

rich th em e Thus we obs e rv e tha t compos e rs of the S ix tee n th c en tury

.

mak e cons t an tly incr e asin g use of tonal r epe ti tion in th e ir works e sp e ,

ciall y in s e v e n and e igh t p ar t wri ting A nd th e voic e l e ading t o o

-
.
, ,

b e com e s incr e asingly di ffi cul t as th e num b e r of voic e s grows In S ix .

t ee n th c e n tury com p osi t ions of six or mor e par t s th e Simul t an e ous use

of all th e voic e s is as a rul e only for p e riods of short dura tion

, , .

T h e following e xam p l e of fi ve par t wri ting is b y th e B e lgian compos e r

-

Jacob de Kerl e a con te mporary of Pal e s trina ( ca 1531

, who spe n t .

a large par t of his lif e in I taly T h e composi tion is re fin e d and shows

.

abili t y e v en if as an e arly work of this mas te r it may now and th e n s ee m

, ,

som e wha t old fashion e d as compare d wi th th e mature works of Pal e s

-

3
t rin a :

J aco b de Ke rle

3
p k
Th e co m o s iti o n is ta e n f ro m O tto Ursp run g ’
i
s e d ti o n o f th e se l ecte d wo rk s of I . de K erl e , in
De n kmfil er d ef T o n kun st i n Bay er n 2 6th y e ar
, .
COU NTERPOIN T IN M ORE THAN FOU R PARTS 22 1

num tu
COU NTERPOIN T I N M O RE T H A N FO U R P A RTS

n -t e s
g e
 COUNTERPOINT I N MORE TH AN FO U R PARTS 22 3

f un de-
ram ,

ui vi de -ant p te n
o -
ti

4
hi
A rc a c fo rm o f t h e ca m biat a . C mp
o are pp . 146 f .
224 CO U N T ERP O IN T I N M O RE T H A N FO U R P A RT S

am tu

In six p ar t composi t ions th e choir is often divid e d in to two three par t

- -

groups or in to o n e four par t and o n e two par t tonal group and th e l ike
- -
, .

Th e s e choirs th e n answ e r e ach o th e r at t ime s and at t im e s unite

, ,
.

A mong o th e rs Pal e s trina s S ix part mo tet Viri Gal il aei a ff ords an e xc el

’
-
,

l e n t mod e l for this te chniqu e T h e composition is wri tten for two

.

sopranos o n e al to two te nors and a b ass T h e firs t soprano and th e

, , ,
.

“ ”
al to b egi n wi th th e e xclamation Viri Galil aei which is th en r ep e ate d

H
,

by a fi ve par t choir consis ting of sopranos tenors and th e b ass T h e al to

-
, , .

“ ”
and th e m e n s voic e s con t inu e with q uid statis th e wome n s ( more
’

,
’

accurate ly th e boys ) voic e s wi th th e s e cond tenor r ep e a t this and only

,
’

,
“
at th e significan t words ie l cs us do all th e par t s e n te r t oge th e r :
 CO U N TE RP OI N T I N M H
ORE T AN FO UR PARTS 22 5

l st S o prano

2nd S o prano

l st Te no r

zud Te no r
226 CO U NTERPOIN T I N M ORE T HA N FO U R PART S

qud
i sta

sta tis a - s pi - ci
COUNTERPOINT I N MO RE T H
AN FO U R P ARTS 2 27

en te s in
22 8 CO U N TERPOIN T I N M ORE T H A N FO U R P A RTS
Pal e s trina us e s a v ery di ff e ren t te chniqu e o n e bas e d l e ss upon tonal
,

e ff e c t s in his s e v e n — ar t mo t e t T u es P e t rus H r al t o t nor and bass

, p . e e ,
e ,

are dou b l e d and th e th e m e s which are n o t par ticularly adap te d t o

,

p olyphonic t r e a t m e n t are work e d o ut b e a ut ifully and wi th ap p ar e n t case.

It is wor th no ting tha t th e composi tion do e s n o t ac tually b e com e s ev e n

So p rano

l st A lto

2nd A l to

1 s t Te no r

2nd Te no r

l st Bass

2nd Bass
 CO U N TERPOINT I N M ORE TH AN FO U R PA RT S 229

p ar t un t il t oward th e e n d ( n o t includ e d in th e
p or t ion giv en h er e ) . By
havin g at l e ast o n e par t always at r e s t th e t re at m e n t is su ffi ci e n tly fl e xibl e
,

for th e imi t at iv e charac te r of th e writ ing to be main t ain e d withou t t he

sligh te s t dimcul ty .

Et su pe r h anc pe
2 30 CO UNTERPOIN T I N M ORE T H A N FO U R PA RT S

E igh t par t wri ting in th e six te e n th c e n tury is almos t alway s tr e a te d

-

lik e dual four p ar t com posi tion tha t is in doub l e chorus s t yl e This
-
, ,
.

y
t p e of composi t ion which
,
s e e ms t o hav e com e originally from V e nic e,

during th e c e n tury spre ad to th e Roman school and gradually b e cam e

common throughou t all E urop e A S a rul e howe v e r th e individualit y
'

.
, ,

of th e tw o chorus e s is n o t s tric tly main t ain e d Thus th e high e r voic e s

'

of o n e choir are ofte n combin e d wi th low e r v oic e s of ano th e r and in ,

g en e ral n e arly e v e ry tonal possibili t y is e mp loye d wi th a ge nuin e ly re

—
fin e d f ee ling for th e color eff e c t E v e n e igh t p ar t wri ting r e quire s in
.
-

ge n e ral at l e as t— a more harmonic homophonic s tyl e of tre a tm e n t ; wi th

-

s till mor e part s th e working o ut of th e m e s tha t are large ly St e pwis e in

h
t e ir m e lodic s t ruc t ur e b e com e s almos t im p ossi b l e T h e voic
. e l e ading
is lik e wis e e asily w e ak e n e d b y th e fr e qu e n t e xchange of t on e s to which
“ ”
o n e mus t h e r e t urn as a las t r sor
. e t ( xchang of on s m ans ha
. E e t e e t t

t wo or mor e voic e s in te rchange ton e s for e xampl e ,

Pal e s trina is ab l e howe v e r e v e n in e igh art wri ting to pre s e rv e th e

, ,
t-p

basic p olyphonic charac te r of th e s t yl e H is su p e rior mas te ry of this

.

y
t pe of com p osi t ion may b e illus t ra t e d by t h e b e ginning of his mo t e t

L audat e Do m inum :
 COU NTERPOINT I N M O RE T H A N FO U R P A RT S 23 1

C h o rus I

So p rano

Te no r

mi- num

mne s g e n

So p ra no

da - te e
2 32 COU NTERPOIN T I N M O RE T H A N FO U R P A RTS

da te

da - te
CO U N TERPOIN T I N M ORE T HA N F OU R PARTS 233

ui am co n

am CO H
 C ANON Is A C OM POS ITION bas e d on imi t a tion in which all voic e s hav e
T H
Ch apte r VI I

E CA NON

xac tly th e sam e m e lodic con te n t so tha t th e p ar t which b egins th e

e
,

composi tion is copi e d or imi t a te d no te for no te in e ach of th e o th e r p arts .

A di ff e r e nc e b e t w ee n ordinary imi t a t ion and th e canon is tha t in th e

form e r only th e b e ginning ( th e th e m e ) is t ak e n from th e voic e which
imm e dia te ly pre c e d e s wh e re as i n th e la tte r th e whol e m e lodic s truc tur e
,

of this voic e is t ak e n ov e r e i th e r by Sim pl e r e pe ti tion or by trans posit ion

t o ano th e r pi t ch .

T h e can on is th e Old e s t of all imi t a t iv e forms I t is to b e found as .

e arly as th e thir t e e n th c e n t ury and in th e music of th e four te e n t h c e n t ury

, ,

th e so call e d ars n o va it was fr e qu e n t l y us e d by F r e nch and e v e n mor e

-
,

often by I talian compos e rs In I t aly it w as giv e n th e charac te ris tic nam e

.

cac cia ( hun t ) but in th e fiftee n t h and six t e e n th c e n t uri e s it was ge n e r

,

ally call e d f ug a ( fligh t ) R e lat iv e ly e arly how ev e r th e l at te r te rm was

.
, ,

us e d for anoth e r con trap un t al form and th e canon was giv e n its p re s e n t
,

nam e T owards th e en d of th e fifte en th c e n t ury and th e b e ginning of

.

th e Six t ee n th th e canon form had it s p e riod of fl o re sce n ce e s p e cially

H
, ,
“
among th e N e th erland comp os e rs H e re it app e are d as a rul e as a riddl e
.

”
canon ; th e comp os e r no te d only th e p rincip al voic e and add e d som e
s e n tenc e from which o n e can p uzzl e o ut th e na tur e and charac te r of th e
voic e s t o b e d e riv e d from it F or e xamp l e th e s t ate m e n t
. e who
,
”
follows m e will n o t walk in darkn e ss m e ans tha t in th e e x e cu tion of
th e canonic par t th e black no t e s of th e wri t t e n p ar t are Simp ly t o b e

skippe d In th e firs t half of th e Six te en th c e n t ury p e op l e b e gan to tire

.

of th e s e often art is tically spe cious tricks and wi th th e music of Pal e s

,

t rina t h e mos t brillian t p e riod of th e canon w as p ass e d Pal e s trina him .

s e lf did wri te o n e four p art Missa ad fug am in which only t wo p ar ts are

-
,

2 34
 T

wri tte n
HE

o ut
CANON
th e
o th e r t wo par t s Sim p ly imi t a t e th e firs t t wo canonically
235

;
and are th e r efor e n o t wri tte n o ut But this composi tion is a work of his
.

you th and la te r Pal e s trina s ee ms n o t to hav e wri tte n any e xclusiv e ly

,

canonic comp osi tion O n th e o th e r hand h e us e d canonic wri t ing f re

.
,

qu en tly in combina tion wi th o th e r voic e s us ing fre e imi t at ion e sp e cially

,

in th e K yri e and in th e A gnus De i of a numb e r of mass e s .

T h e p roc e dur e in wri t ing a canon is qui te Simp l e . O n e voic e b e gins ,

and th e n th e sam e succ e ssion of in te rvals is t ak e n up b y o n e or more

voic e s in succ e ssion whil e th e firs t voic e or th e pre c e ding voic e s con tinu e
wi th coun te rpoin t This coun te rp oin t is th e n in troduc e d in th e follow
.

ing voic e or voic e s and so on If a canon is to b e conclud e d in po ly

,
.

p honic s t yl e i
,
t mus t b e brok e n o f f wi t h a cad e nc e
. T h e following canon
is in te rru pte d in n ex t to th e las t m e asure

me n .

In th e fo re going canon th e imi ta tion is in th e fifth b ut j us t as in

, ,

ordinary imit ation it can t ak e plac e at any d e sir e d in te rval Cancri

,
.

zans is t h e nam e giv e n t o a t y pe of canon in which th e m e lodic s truc t ur e

of th e ini tial voic e is imita te d by r e trogre ssion : th e following voic e re

p e ats th e m e lody backwards
“
C anon by augm e n t a tion ( pe r aug m e nt atio n e m ) is th e nam e giv e n a
t yp e of canon in which t h e no te valu e s of th e l e ading voic e are doubl e d
“
in th e following voic e as oppos e d to th e canon b y diminu tion ( pe r
dimi n utio n e m ) in which th e corr e s ponding no te valu e s are r educ e d by
,

o n e half . Wi th th e exc e ption of th e las t t wo forms non e of th e s e t ype s

,

of canons howev er has any gre a t musical valu e

, , .
236 THE CANON
A canon com b in e d wi th fr e e imi ta tiv e voic e s is giv e n b e low— a Kyri e
from Pal e s trina s fi ve par t mass Repl eat ur o s m e um l aude A ll voic e s
’
-
.

b egin wi th th e sam e th e m e but a canonical r e lation d ev e lops only be

,

t w e e n th e s e cond sop rano and th e t e nor wh e n th e high e r par t mak e s a

,

canon in th e oc tav e to th e lowe r

l st S o prano

2nd S o prano

Te no r
THE CAN ON 2 37

s o n, Ky ri
238 THE CANON

- ri
T H
E CANON 39
T HH
Ch apt e r VI I I

E MO T E T

E S I DE S T ESS th e mo tet is th e chi ef form in th e r e ligious music of

MA
E
,

th e sixte e n th c e n t ury T h e te rm m o t et of which th e origin is un

.
,

c e rtain da tes from th e t we lfth and thir teen th c en turi e s wh e n it refe rre d
, ,

t o o n e of th e con trapun t al voic e s add e d t o t h e can t us fi rm us of a poly

’

p honic composi t ion L a t e.r t h e nam e was t ransf e rr e d t o t h e composi t ion

i ts e lf at firs t if a sacr e d tex t was us e d but la te r also if th e tex t was s e cular
, ,

or ev e n if o n e voic e sang a sacre d te x t whil e ano th e r sang a s e cular t e x t .

That is in th e middl e age s th e conc ep t of th e mo tet impli e d that th e

,

di ff er en t voic e s should S imul tan e ously sing diff e ren t text s In th e fi f .

t ee n th and six te e n th c e n t uri e s mo te t s m e an t e xclusiv e ly composi t ions

wi th th e sacre d L a tin tex t s which th e n, as a rul e we r e us e d for all voic e s ,

.

T h e words in mos t cas e s are t ak e n from th e L a tin t ranslat ion of t h e

, ,

Bib l e ( th e V ulga te ) b ut occasionally ind e p e nd e n t re ligious po e ms w e re

,

us ed .

Charac te ris tic of th e musical t r e a t m e n t of th e mo te t is that e ach lin e or

division of the te x t has its ind e pende n t th e m e ge n e rally imi t a te d more ,

or l e ss s tric tly in all voic e s b efore th e n e x t port ion of th e te x t and th e

corr e sponding th em e are in troduc e d T h e mo te t th e reby b e com e s an
.

aggre ga tion of diff e ren t imit ations or of more homophonic e pisod e s .

O n e of th e chi ef diffi cul ti e s in th e formal t r e a t m e n t of this t yp e of com

p osi t ion t h,
e r e for e is t o pr e v e n t all th e s e fragm e n t s from m e r e ly forming
,

a mosaic lik e s truc ture mad e up of a disjoin te d s e ri e s of s e c tions and to

-
,
’
uni te th e m in to an organic whol e Pal e s trina s N eth e rland pred e c e ssors
.

ofte n s ee m som e wha t angular and in e las tic in this r e sp e c t ; Pal e s trina
hims e lf and his con tem porari e s on th e o th e r hand und e rs tood to a rare
, ,

d e gree th e art of cons truc ting t ransitions .

T h e Pal e s trina four par t mo te t Die s sanct ificat us will s e rv e as an e x

-

241
242 T H E M OTET
ampl e of this form of composi tion I t is in tend e d for th e Chris tmas mass
.

and is fill e d wi th e xul tan t pious j oy T h e mod e is Mixolydian :

,
.

et i ii ca 11 l n - xit
T H
E M OTET 24 3

xit no

ve - ui te g e n

te g e n
T H
E MOTET
THE MOTET 24 5

see n dit ,

de see n dit ma g na in te r
2 46 T H
E MOTET

quam cit Do
 THE M OTET 2 47

ii ] te - m us et l ae - te mur in e ex -
ul te - mus

et l ae te m ur in
- -
e a, e x - ul te m us-
et l ae - te - mur in e a .

F rom th e
vi e wpoin t of te chnical musical cons truc tion th e composi tion
,

falls in to fi ve small e r s e c tions :

1 . Di e s sa n c t i fi il l uxit n o bis
cat us ,

2 . v e n it e,
g e n te s e t ad o rat e D o m i n u m
, ,

3 .
q u i a h o d i e d e sce n dit l ux m a n a i n t e rri s;
g
4 . h ae c die s q uam fe ci t D o mi n us :
5 . e xu l t e m us et l ae t e m ur i n ea .

A li te ral transla tio n would r e ad as follows

1 . A h o ly day h as d awn e d upo n u s ,

2 . Co m e y pe o ple an d w o rsh ip t he
c L o rd ,
243

3 . Fo r y
t o da
g a l i h
re at
g t h as de sce n de d upo n t h e e art h;
T H E MOTET

4 . T h is is t he d ay w h ich t he L o rd h at h m ade ;
5 . L e t u s re j o ice an d be g l ad i n it .

The firs t th e m e consis ts of two p ar ts : ( a) Dies san ctificat us and ( b ) ,

ill uxit n o bis and b e gins in th e soprano

, In th e s e cond m e asure of th e
.

th e m e how e v e r th e al to e n te rs wi th an e xac t imi t a tion i n th e fifth b e low

, , .

A S of te n in h is o th e r composi tions Pal e s trina h e r e mak e s th e firs t and

,

in troduc tory p eriod a canonic du e t in accordanc e wi th N e th e rlandian

mod e ls In th e e igh th m e asur e th e tenor e n te rs wi th th e th e m e a b ar
.

la te r th e b ass en te rs on th e fifth b e low and th e two low e r voic e s re p e a t

,

e xac t ly th e duc t of th e upp er voic e s at t h e in te rval of t h e oc t av e Me an .

whil e th e soprano and al to con tinu e in fre e coun te rpoin t to th e lowe r

p ar t s . This principl e of cons truc tion t o o is d e cid e dly Ne th e rlandian
, , .

In b ar 12 th e s e cond par t of th e th e m e is s epara te d from th e firs t and

d ev e lop e d ind ep end e n tly and at bar 17 th e firs t par t of th e mo te t com e s
,

t o an e n d N ow follows a n e w par t of th e t ex t ( ve nite g e ntes ) and wi th

.

it a n e w th e m e tha t aft e r two and a half m e asur e s is imi t a te d firs t in

, ,

th e al t o ( in th e unison ) th e n in th e t e nor ( in th e unison in st rett o and

, ) ,

finally afte r two mor e m e asure s in th e soprano and b ass th e form e r in ,

t h e oc t av e and th e la tt e r I n t h e fif t h b e low wi th th e up b e a t l e ng th e n e d -
,

and this d e v e lop m e n t i s th e reb y b rough t to an e n d T h e work con tinu e s .

wi th th e words et ad o rate Do m in um T h e th e m e 2b which i s sung

.
_ ,

b y th e soprano has no r e ally ind epe nd e n t charac te r but is d e v e lo pe d o ut

, ,

of and in conn e c tion wi th th e coun terpoin t which is in troduc e d in th e

“ ”
al t o imm e dia te ly b e for e ov e r th e las t ve nite of th e tenor :

te gen

This th e m e is imi t a te d e xac tly only onc e in the te nor ( in th e oc tav e ) ,

b e ginning at th e e n d of th e following m e asure T h e re maining imi ta .

t iv e e n t ranc e s m e r e ly sugg e s t t h e t h e m e som e wha t vagu e ly chi e fly ,

t hrough rhy thmic similari t y T h e t e chnical s t ruc tur e of this e p isod e

.

can be though t of only as a sort of hyb rid b e tw e e n polyphonic and homo

p honic wri t ing C hordal consid
. e ra t ions p r e domina t e I t i s prima rily a .

d e sc ending s e ri e s of chords of th e six th A S has b e e n s t ate d th e t re a t

.
,

m en t is chi e fly homo phonic Wh e re th e re is an oppor tuni t y for imit a

.
t
T H E M O TE T
ion Pal e s trina mak e s use of it but only in p assing and wi thou t troubling
2 49

,
“
to carry o ut th e imi t a t ions in d e t ail T h e n e x t s e c t ion .
q uia h o d i e , ,

b egins in pur e homophonic s tyl e wi th th e so call e d S t aba t Mate r triads

“
-

( as Pal e s t rina us e s t his chordal p rogr e ssion in a p ar t icularly e x r e ssiv e

p
mann e r at th e b e ginning of his famous S tabat Mate r it has com e to b e ,

d e signa te d in this way ) .

“ ”
A t desce ndit a fr e e ly t r e a te d imi t a t iv e s e c t ion b e gins T h e al t o in .

tro duce s th e th e m e ; th e t e nor and sop rano follow in st re tt o ( in t h e unison

and oc tav e re sp e c tiv e ly ) T h e bass is Sil e n t during this d e v e lopm en t

.
,

but t o comp ensa te for Sil e nc e it t ak e s th e l e ad in th e n e x t s e c t ion wh e r e

,

it is follow e d b y th e t e nor sop rano and al to in succ e ssion ( lik e wis e in

, ,

st re t t o ) . Th e s e diff e r en t e n tranc e s how e v e r hav e in common only th e

, ,

d e sc e nding skip of th e fifth which is us e d as a s e tt ing for th e word

,
“
de sce n dit ; afte r t his skip e a
”
ch voic e go e s its own way ; th e so prano in ,

fac t drop s o ut e n tire ly A s a whol e th e charac te r of this s e c tion th e re

H
, .
, ,

for e is halfway p olyphonic T h e four th and n e x t t o th e las t p ar t on

, .
,

th e o th e r hand is e n t ir e ly s t ric t and r e gular

,
In th e th e m e o n e will .

r e cogniz e wi thou t diffi cul t y th e b e ginning of th e Gre gorian gradual

ae c die s :

A canonic du e t b e t w ee n th e soprano and al to cons t i t u t e th e in tro duc

t ion A S in th e b e ginning of th e firs t s e c tion th e imi ta tion t ak e s plac e
.
,

in th e fifth th e only diff e r enc e b e ing tha t now th e al to com e s firs t and
,

th e so p rano answ e rs T h e t e nor ( wi th th e ini t ial no t e l e ng th e n e d ) and

.

t h e bass ( in t h e fif th b e low e n t e r aft e r fi v e m e asur e s b ut wi t h a t r e a t

) ,

m en t which di ff e rs from tha t in th e U ppe r voic e s A final en tranc e of .

th e th e m e ( in t h e so p rano ) clos e s t his s e c t ion T h e n e x t and l aSt e p isod e .

,

finally com pris e s o n e of thos e wond e rful danc e lik e por tions in dac tylic
, ,
-

rhy thms which Pal e s trina and h is con te m porari e s at tim e s use to ex pr e ss
ar tl e ss joy Wi th th e e xc e ption of a sin gl e imi ta tion b e tw e e n th e soprano
.

and tenor th e s tyl e is e n tire ly homophonic In bars 7 1 and 82 on t h e

, .

t hird half no t e s o n e will no t ic e dissonanc e s which s e e m t o b e t r e a t e d con

t rary t o rul e H e r e how ev e r a modifica tion of t h e rhy thm t ak e s plac e

.
, , ,

which is no t a ppare n t in th e no ta tion Me asure s 7 1 to 7 2 and 82 to 83 .

2 50 THE MOTET
r e ally change to th e larg e m e te r and the disson anc e s re fe rr e d
, to are

th e r efor e ac tually l e gi t ima te susp e nsion dissonanc e s :

S uch chang e s from small e r m e te rs to large r are n o t unusual in ternary

rhy thm in th e fifteen th and six tee n th c e n turi e s and for tha t ma tte r th e y
,

can be found e v e n in H and e l and Mozar t .

F inally a r é sum é of th e diff e r en t kinds of s tyl e s found in th e various

,

s e c tions of th e mo te t giv e s th e following r e sul t °

1 .
( )
a s t ric t p oly p honic
,
b
( ) s t ric t p oly p honic ;
2 .
( )
a s t ric t polyphonic
, ( )
b fr e e polyphonic ;
h o m O h o n ic ( b ) fr e e poly phonic ;
3 .
( )
a p,

4 s tric t polyphonic ;
.

5 homophonic
. .

This r é sum é indica te s how o n e s t yl e giv e s way to th e o th e r h Ow pro

,

vision is cons t an t ly mad e for change and re lief so tha t no thing t ire s th e
lis te n e r A void e d abov e all is th e cons tan t e xac t imi ta tion which ofte n
.
, , , ,
’
roduc e s such a p e dan t ic and t rivial e ff e c t in Pal e s t rina s N e th e rland
p
p r e d e c e ssors
.
T H
Chapt e r I X

HHH
H
E

E
MA S S

C AT OL I C IG MA SS consis ts of fi ve principal musical li t urgical

p ar t s
1 . K yrie e l e iso n .

2 . Gl o ria .

3 . Cre do .

4 . S anct us-Be n edict us .

5 . A g n us De i .

Th e s e x s ( or songs ) which toge th e r cons ti tu te th e o rdinari um

te t ,

m issae are fix e d in th e s e ns e tha f e xc e p t for c e r t ain s e rvic e s which hav e

, ,

re main e d in an old e r arrange m en t th e y are us e d wi th exac tly the same ,

words and in th e sam e s e qu enc e in ev e ry mass .

T h e pro pri um de te m po re th e o t h e r principal group of te x t s ( or songs )

,

in th e mass c e l eb ra tions of th e C atholic Church lik e wis e t ak e s a re gular ,

p lac e in th e li t urgy ; e v e ry mass and e v e ry sung high mass has an i n t ro i

t us a g rad ual e and so on b ut th e t e x t s or songs which b e long to th e

, , ,

diff e ren t forms vary from s e rvic e to s e rvic e T h e principal portions of .

t h e pro pri um are t h e following

:

1 .I n tro it us ( in troduc t ory b e for e th e K yri e ) ,

.

2 .
( )
a G r ad ual e
( )
b A ll e l uia or,T r act us ( af t e r t h e E pis t l e ) .

3 .O fl e rt o ri um ( for th e t aking of th e o ff e ring )

4 Co m m unio ( for t h e communion )
. .

T h e polyphonic musical forms associa te d wi th th e s e te x ts of th e

p pr o ri u m ar e call e d mo te t s whil e t h e music t
,
o t h e fi v e par t s of t h e

o rdinari um is always d e signa te d as th e mass wh e th e r it is olyphonic or

p
for a singl e voic e .

T h e compl e te t e x t of th e C a tholic mass tha t is th e ordinary of th e , ,

mass is as follows :
,
 2 52 THE M ASS
1 . K yri e e l é is o n
l eis o n K yri e e lé iso n C h ris t e e , .

Gl o ria i n e xce l sis De o E t i n t e rm pax h o m i n ib us b o n ae vo l un tatis L audii m us

’

2 . .
’

te . B e n e d ici m us t e A d o ra m us t e Gl o rifica m us t e . Gratias agi m us tibi pro pte r

’

.
'

.
’ ’

m ag n a m g l o ria m t n a m Do m i n e De us R e x c o e l é s tis De us P ate r o m nipo te n s

’ '

.
, , .

Do m i n e Fil i u n ig en i te [e s u C h riste Do m i n e De us A g n us De i Fil i us P at ris

' ’

Q u i .
, , .

t o l lis e ccti t a m u n d i m i é b i i
p s e r r e n o s Q ui t o l l s
pe ccei ta m u n di
, S ti sc i pe d e
pre c a .
,

t i o n e m n o s t ra m
'

O ui s e de s ad d é xt e ra m P at ris m ise ré re n o bis Q i

’
.
u o n am t u s o l us , .

Tu s o l us Do m i n us
’

s a n ct us . . Tu s o l us A l t issi m us , Ics a C h rist e . Cu m san ct o

S pi ri t u i n g l o ria De i P at ris
'

, A men . .

3 C re d o i n u n u m De u m P at re m m n ipo tent e m
’
. . o
l acto re m co e li e t te rrae visi
, ,

bil i a m o nzn i u m ,
'

i n visi bil i u m E t in u n um Do m i n u m Ie su m C h rist u m Fil i u m

’
et .
,

D e i u n ig é n i t u m E t e x P atre D e u m d e De o l u m e n d e m n ia
'
o
. n at a m an t e o scie c ul a .
,

l um i n e De u m ve r u m d e D e o Gé nit u m n o n fact u m co ns ubstan tial e m P atri :

’
, ve ro .
, ,
'

m o m n i a facta s u n t
Q p pte r n o s h o m i ne s e t pro pte r n o strum sal ute m
i
’

p er
q u e u r o .
,

d escen d i t de co e l is E t i n car nat us e st d e S pirit u san ct o e x Maria V irgi n e : E t h o m o

’
.

f C i fi e ia m pro n o bis : s ub P o nti o P ileit o pass us e t se ptil t us e st

’
a c t u s e s t r u c x us t .
Et , .

r e s u rré xi t t e rtia d i e s e cti n d u m S cri t u

’

p ras E t as cé,n d i t i n co e l u m : se de z ad dé xte ram .

Patris E t i te ru m ve n t urus est cu m g l o ria j udicare vi vo s e t m o rt uo s : cuj us reg n i

’ ’ ’
.
,

n o n e ri t fi n is E t i n S pirit u m san ct u m D o m i n u m e t vi vifictin te m : q ui e x P atre

’
.
, , ,

Fili o q ue pro cé dit Qui cum P atre e t F il i o si m ul ad o reit ur e t co ng l o rificat ur : q ui

’ ’
.
, ,

l o cti t us e st pe r P r o ph é tas E t u nam san ctum cat h o l icam e t apo st o l icam E ccl é siam
’

H
'

H
. .

’
C o nfzte o r u n u m baptis m a i n re m issi o ne m pe ccat o ru m
’

E t e xspé ct o res urrectio n e m

’ ’
.

m o rt uo ru m
’
E t vi ta m ve n t ziri sae cul i A men
’
. . .

S an ct us S an ct us S an ct us D o m in us De us S abao t h Pl e ni s un t co el i e t t e rra
’ ’
4 .
, , , .

g o ia t ua
— Be n e dict us q u i ve nit i n n o m i ne Do m i ni
’
l o sa n n a i n e xcel sis
’ ' ’ '
r . o san n a . .

i n e xce l sis
'
.

5 A g n us D e i q ui t o ll is pe cccita m un di : m ise re re n o bis A g n us De i q ui t o l l is

’
. .
, ,

e cca ta m u n di : m is e rere no bi s D a i e ccat a m un di : d o na n o bis

'
l
’

p A g n us e i ui t o l s p .
,

ace m
p .

In th e music of th e fiftee n th c en tury th e mass is usually tre ate d as a

can tus fi rm us composi tion ; that is it is cons truc te d on a sacre d or s e cular ,

m e lody which is plac e d in th e t enor and only rare ly e x e rcis e s a m elodic

influ e nc e on th e o th e r voic e s But as imit ation gradually com e s t o be .
,

more import an t in th e t e chniqu e of composi tion li ttl e b y littl e th e can tus ,

fi rm u s mass disapp e ars and from th e s e cond quar te r of th e six tee n th ,

c en tury on th e pur e ly imi t ativ e t re at m e n t of th e mass pre domina te s To .

b e sur e can t us fi rm i are oft e n us e d in this p e riod but a par ticular basic
, ,

m e lody do e s n o t app e ar e xclusiv e ly in o n e voic e though portions of it at , ,

l e as t appe ar in all voic e s E spe cially charac te rist ic of th e mass e s o f th e

,
.

“ ”
Six te e n th c en tury is a form which migh t b e call e d transcription mass ;
‘

t ranscri pt ion mass e s are mad e of o th e r small e r p olyphonic composi t ions

 THE MASS 53

( mo t e t s chansons ,
madrigals or songs ) in such
,
a way t ha t t h e y t ra n scrib e ,

or p araphras e th e m .
1

T h e t ranscri p t ion mass which migh t th e r e for e in various circum , , ,

st anc e s b e call e d a mo t e t madrigal chanson or L ie d mass was ofte n , , , ,

bas e d u pon an e arli e r work of th e p articular compos e r ; and ye t Ofte n th e

composi tion of ano th e r mas te r was us e d as th e basis for th e musical con

H
s truc t ion of th e mass Today wh e n id e as re garding musical p rope r t y .
,

righ ts are s tric t such a p roc e dur e migh t s e e m irr e gular ; in th e six te e n th
,

c e n tury it S ee m e d e n tire ly l e gi tima te and p rope r Pal e s trina hims e lf for .

,

e xam l e us e d for h is mass e s mo t e t s and madrigals of I e rit ie r H ilair e

’

p , ,

Pe n e t L u pus F e rab o sco V e rd e lo t l e an R ich af o rt Josquin de S Pr e z and

, , , , , ,

O n th e o th e r hand o th e r compos e rs wro t e mass e s on Pal e s trina s

’
so on .
,

mo t t s and madrigals A bri e f e xaminat ion of Pal e s trina s four part

e .
— ’

mass Dies san ctificat us may s e rv e t o e xplain th e transcrip tion te chniqu e 2

as we ll as th e mass composi tion of Pal e s trina s tim e in ge n e ral ’

.

This mass is compos e d on th e Pal e s trina four p ar t mo te t of th e sam e -

nam e which was ci te d in th e p re c e ding chapte r Wi th th e e xc ep tion of .

th e las t fi ve par t A gnus it is also wri tt e n in four p ar t s for mix e d chorus

-
,
.

In accordanc e wi th th e usual p rac t ic e th e firs t par t th e K yri e falls in to , , ,

thr ee dis tinc t su b divisions : K yri e I C hri s te and K yri e II , ,

.

T h e firs t K yri e b e gins e xac t ly in th e sam e mann e r as th e mo t e t of ,

which th e two p ar t in troduc tory th e m e incid e n t ally cons ti tu te s th e sol e

-

th e ma t ic ma t e rial of this firs t subdivision .

T h e Chris te is cons truc te d on th e s e cond t h e m e which is also in t wo ,

“ ” “
p ar t s : ( )a V e nit e g e n t e s b
( ) e t ad o rat e D o m i n um , .

A s may b e s ee n this s e c t ion lik e wis e vari e s only sligh t ly from t h e

,

corre s ponding episod e in th e mo te t ( m e asure T h e K yri e II on th e ,

o th e r hand is more fre e in r e la tion to th e mo te t H e r e th e th e m e is

,
.

1
Ge rm an m u s i co l o p d y m ) i hi
gy u se s i b hi
th e t e rm P ar o d ie m e sse ( aro ass n t s co n n e ct o n , ut t s

te rm b
can n o t g d d p i l l y pp p i
e re ar i h p y h l g i l d hi i — yl i i l
e as art cu ar a ro r at e s n ce t e s c o o ca an st o r c s t e -cr t ca

l m
e e i h
e n ts i n hi h i q
e re n tb d l i
n t hip h h h f i m i i
s te c n A u e are
y ase o n a re at o n s o t er t an t at o tat o n . t an

rat e , h tp i p d y h m i l di g i m p li i
e e x re ss o n d I h
aro f p f h mj
”
as a s ea n c at o n , an t e re o re re e r t e te r
‘
t ran

scr ip i m t on b h
ass ,
”
m uti m 1 h ld l ik m ph iz
at t h I e sa ip i i e t e S ou e to e as e t at u se
“
t ran scr t on
”
n

its b d ro a Li z f
se n se m pl d i
as ppl y hi pi
s t, mp i i
or b de xa h e, u se t to a to s ano co os t o ns ase on t e

g fSh b

H
u e rt

H
so n s o c .

2
A b id g d p d i f hi wh l m i f
n una r e re ro ly im p i bl b
uc t o n o f h p t s o e ass s u n o rt u n ate o ss e e cau se o t e s ace

re q i d A y d ii g
u re . dy i i g
n o ne d i l wi ll fi d i i V l m X V f h m p l
es r n to stu t n re at e r e ta n t n o u e o t e co e te

w k f P l i d i P k M i di i A 1 Bd 1 (T I m y h
'

l
'
o r s o a e st r n a an n ro s e s us ca v na, nn us , . . ran s ato r s no t e : t a e

fo un d l i h di i f m Béi l B i k p f d a ] L ipzi g )
a so n t e e t on o er an n ue r e , re t o un rte , e .
2 54 T H
E MA S S

s te e

so n , e

id en tical wi th th e form in which it is pre s e n te d i n th e al to in m e asure s

“ ”
3 1 to 34 ( 2b ) wi th th e words e t ad o rate :

Ky rie e le i

Whil e th e firs t t ripar ti te division of th e mass is imi t a tiv e and pol y

,
“
honic in charac t e r throughou t t h e n e x t ar t t h e Gl o ria i n e xcel sis b e
p p , , ,

‘ e
S e pp . 27 5 ff , w h e re th e i pi e
e n t re ce is giv en .
 THE MASS 2 55

gi n s wi th a syllabic chordal t re a tm e n t of th e in t roduc t ory th e m e of

,
th e
4
mo te t wh ich is h e r e p lac e d in t h e soprano
,

mi ni bus bo
’

te r -
ra pax ho - -

l un ta t is . L au - da - mus te .

T he bulk of th e t e t
x in th e p ar ts of th e ma ss which hav e many word s ,

such as th e Gloria and C re do do e s n o t pe rmi t th e sam e musical tr ea t ,

m en t us e d in th e s ec tions such as th e K yri e S anc tus and A gnus De i

, , , ,
“ ”
wh e r e th e te x ts are shor t If o n e w e re to wri te th e large par ts in imi
.

t at ive S t yl e throughou t th e y would b e dis ro or t iona t e ly long and t h e

p p , ,

t e x ts would no longe r b e dir e c t ly com r e h e nsibl e B sid s t h rform

p e e e p e .
,

anc e would re quir e mor e tim e than could normally be d e vo ted to th e s e

4
In t hi i
s co nn e ct o n , n o te t h at t i d
h e G l o r a an d C re o i n t h e C at o l c h i Ch h u rc a re i n to ne d by t he

pi
r e st ( in G g i
re o r an c h an t ) , SO h hi
t a t t h e c o r e n te rs w t
“
ih
E t in t e rm par h o m i n ib us a nd
“
P atr e m o m ni po t e nt e m , re spe ct iv yel .
2 56 THE M A SS

p ar t s in th e s e rvic e T h e G loria and.C r e do are th e r efor e usually tre a te d , ,

in homophonic s tyl e wi th imi ta tions in te rmix e d Th e se imi ta tions

, .
,

how ev e r are n e arly all of a sligh te r and more transi e n t charac te r and of
,

shor t e r dura t ion than t h e imi t a t ions in t h e o th e r por t ions of th e mass .

T h e Gloria in t h e Pal e s trina pe riod is divid e d in to t wo par t s of which ,

“ ”
th e s e cond b e gins wi th Q ui t o l l is Whil e t h e firs t s e c t ion borrows only
.

th e m e s l a l b 2a 3 b and 4 from th e mo t e t th e s e cond s e c t ion us e s all

, , , , ,

e igh t th e m e s of th e mo t e t T h e firs t and las t th e m e s h e r e occur in th e

.

sam e corr e s ponding p osi tions ; th e o th e r th em e s app e ar in ano th e r ord e r .

T h e Cr e do is divid e d in t o thr e e grou p s in th e Pal e s trina p e riod : P at re m ,

Cr ucifi xus and E t i n S pirit um

, T h e firs t p ar t b e gins wi th th e in tro
.

ducto ry th e m e of t h e m o t e t ; t h e t r e a t m e n t how e v e r is h e r e com pl e te ly

'

, ,

di ff e r e n t

P a tre m o mni po te n te rm,

5 h
T h e f act t at in sus p i di
en s o n sso n an c e s t h e n o te o fp p re i
arat o n an d t he di sso n an ce s h ld
ou so m e

t im y p
e s carr se arat e s yll b l
a es o f the te xt , m ust b e att rib d u te to t e xt ual re q u i re m e n t s .
 THE M A SS 2 57

bi li urn mui - um

Th e rul e tha t e v e ry r e turn of th e th e m e should use th e sam e t e x t as in

th e firs t e n t ranc e is h e r e disr e gard e d in favor of a has t e ning of th e te x t ual

t r e a tm en t
. T h e sop rano at it s e n tranc e con t inu e s wi th th e t e x t of th e
te nor ins t e ad of firs t r e e a t ing t h e words which hav e j us t b e e n sung
p .

“ ”
A t De sce n dit d c cae l is th e sam e th e m e wi th th e d e sc e nding skip of th e
“ ” “
fifth is us e d tha t app e ar e d in th e mo te t at desce n dit ; th e wo rds de
’

”
sc e nding from h e av e n are ge n e rally u se d for ton e p ain ting in th e music
-

of Pal e s trina T h e e pisod e E t in carn at us e st which is accomp ani e d in

.
,

th e li t urgy by inclina t ion bowing h h ad or kn ling is almos

( t e e ee
) t
,

always call e d t o sp e cial a tte n tion th e six t e e n th c e n t ury b y broad ,

sol e mn chords

Et ih - car na tus de S pi ri t u
-
s an- cto

T h e C rucifi xus shows only a sligh t re la tion to th e mo te t ; of its th em e s

only 2b is ac tually to be found ( at c um g l o ria j udicarc in th e same
2 58

form as in th e Chris te of th e mass A t asce ndit in

T

coc l um
H
E M A SS

asc nd d
.
( e e

in to h e av en ) we find th e tradi tional ton e pain ting :

-

et a sce n dit in co e l um
L i k e w i s e th e “ "
h i rd part of th e Cre do E t i n S pirit um and so on do e s
t
, ,

n o t follow t h e mo te t to o clos e ly
; and ye t four th e m e s are us e d : nam e ly ,

2b 3 a 3 5 and 5
, , , .

T h e S an c t us b egins wi th th e in troduc tory th e m e of th e mo te t b ut

,

Pal e s trina us e s an e n tire ly n ew tr e a tm en t T h e th e m e is in troduc e d in

.

th e soprano whil e t h e al t o b rings in a con trapun t al t h e m e which is t h e n

,

imi t a te d in th e te nor and b ass

 T H
‘

E MA SS

In addi tion to th e in troduc tory th e m e l b 3 5 4 and 25 are also us e d

2 59

, , , ,

in th e S anc tus T h e B e n e dic tus which lik e th e S anc tus is ge n e rally

.
, , ,

cons truc te d with broad th e m e s and compl ete imi t a t ions is bas e d e xclu
,

sive l u
y p on 2a and 3 5 whil e t h e
, following H osanna d e p e nds e n t ir e ly on
25 .

T h e A gnus I b egins wi th th e th e m e l a in th e soprano and this is acco m

,

an ie d in th e al t o wi th a coun te rpoin t which th e t e nor imi t a t e s and

p
afte rwards th e sop rano t ak e s up whil e at th e sam e t im e th e b ass sings I n .

F or th e r e s t this som e wha t bri ef pi e c e i s r e s tric te d to th e use of th e

,

t h e m e s l a and 4 T h e fi ve p ar t A gnus II which conclud e s th e mass and

.
-
,
260 T H
E M

in which th e s e cond al to is a canon in th e four th abov e in r e la tion

A SS

to t h e

te nor b e gins wi th t h e th e m e 2a work e d o u t s t ric tly

,

S o prano

l st A l to

2nd A l to

Te no r

g nus De
 THE MASS 26 1

A f te r this th e m e 3 b is tr e a te d and th e mass clos e s wi th a kind of

, ,

ara hras e on th e dac t ylic e pisod e at th e e n d of th e mo t e t

p p .

A comp arison b e t w e e n th e mass and th e work u p on which it is bas e d

mus t obviously r e v e al th e rich e r and mor e vari e d t e chniqu e of th e e x
p an d e d form T
. h e mass in t h e six t e e n t h c e n t ury was g e n e rally r e gard e d

as t he ar ena for te chnical skill ; h e r e a musician could firs t of all d e mon

st ra t e h is d e x t e ri t y h e r e h e was a ff ord e d an o por t uni t y t o r e v e al all sid e s
, p
of h is abili t y in comp osi t ion T h e t ranscript ion te chniqu e which Pal e s
.

t rina us e s in t h e mass j us t discuss e d b e ars a consid e rabl e r e s e mblanc e t o

th e varia t ion t e chniqu e . T h e com p osi t ion h e r e is clos e ly r e la te d to th e

original ma te rial upon which it is bas e d ; and this is n o t unlik e th e r e la
t ion of th e varia t ion to it s th e m e . Mor e ov e r in th e mass th e fr e e p lay
,

of ar tis t ic fan tasy is som e wha t r e s train e d by li turgical and prac tical con
sid e ra tions Transcri ption is accordingly th e m
. ost appropria te t e rm for
this t y pe of work .
 H
APPE NDIX

SECTION DEAL S wi th c e rt ain forms which al though th e y did no t

T
IS ,

a tt ain th e ir full d ev e lopm en t in vocal polyphony n e v er th e l e ss gre w ,

H
o ut of it .

T E V O CA L F U GU E

In th e six teen th c e n tury f ug a ( L a tin for fligh t m e an t wha t we t o

“
day call canon L a te r th e t e rm was appli e d t o a form which al t hough
.
,

occasionally found in Pal e s trina s tim e did n o t att ain its full d e v e lo p
’

m e n t un til th e t im e of Bach and H and e l in th e e igh tee n th c e n t ury This .

form is imi ta tiv e but n o t canonic I t b e gins wi th th e in troduc tio nof t h e

.

“ ” ‘
th e m e in o n e voic e ( d ux l e ad e r or J subj e ct ) in e i th e r th e t onic or
,

“ ”
dominan t Th e n th e th e me is answe re d by a s e cond voic e ( co m es
.
,

“ “ ”
comp anion or ans we r ) b y havin g it b e gin on th e dominan t if th e ,

subj e c t b e gins in th e t onic and vic e v e rsa Whil e th e s e cond voic e has
,
.

th e th e m e th e fi rs t voic e con t inu e s wi th a con t rapun t al p ar t

,
If th e .

fugu e is in three four or mor e parts e ach voic e e n t e rs in succ e ssion

, , , ,

ge n e rally al te rnating on th e tonic and dominan t ; th e voic e s which hav e

al re ady en te re d con tinu e wi th coun te rpoin t as e ach n e w voic e t ak e s up
th e th e m e Wh e n all voic e s hav e pr e s e n t e d th e th e m e th e firs t p or tion
.
,

of th e fugu e which is known as th e e xposi t ion is e nd e d O fte n a short

, ,
.

t ransi t ion follows ( in t h e ins t rum e n t al fugu e t —

his so call e d episod e is
e x te nd e d consid e rably som e tim e s in t roducing mo t iv e s from th e t h e m e )
,

and th e n th e coun te r e xposi tion b e gins A s in th e e xposi tion th e th e m e

- .
,

app e ars in all voic es b ut th e ord e r of th e voic e s and arrang e m en t of th e

,

e n t ranc e s of subj e c t and answ e r

( p ) r f rably chang ed
'

re e rc ur szo a re
p e e .

In th e fugu e s of th e six tee n th c e n tury thr ee s e ts of en trie s of th e subj ec t

,

and answe r are usually th e maximum ; ind ee d e v e n in th e e igh te e n th

c en tury o ne ofte n finds fugu e s wi th three such s e t s of e n tri e s Bach to .
,

b e sur e ofte n exc ee ds this numb e r or l e av e s o ut t h e t ransi tions b e tw e e n

,

26 5
266 A PPEN DIX
th e di ff e r en t s e ts of e n tranc e s so th a t it is hard to te ll wh ere o n e s e c tion
,

e nds and th e n e x t b e gins In th e following ex e rcis e s we shall r e s tric t

.

ours e lv es to th e normal maximum numb e r of three s e ts of e n tranc e s ,

which is mos t appropria te for th e l eng th of th e fugu e In th e third and .

las t group of e n tri e s th e imi ta tion of ten tak e s plac e in stre tt o H e re t o o .

, ,

th e use of ing e nious d e vic e s such as imi t a tion in con t rary mo t ion by ,

augm e n ta tion or b y diminu tion is sui tabl e and na tural In th e s e c tion

, .

on imi ta tion m e n t ion was mad e ( p 163 ) of th e fac t tha t th e compos e rs

.

of th e six te e n th c e n tury at tim e s us e d th e tonal answ e r but tha t th e y , ,

as a rul e pre fe rr e d th e r e al form L ik e wis e in th e ma tte r of th e corre c t

,
.

answ ering of th e s e qu e nc e of whol e and half ton e s and so on th e e arli e r

, ,

p e riod was l e ss s tric t than th e la te r .

If o n e would r e main s tric tly in th e tonali ty and n o t in troduc e any ch t o

ma tic change s an e xac t answe r to th e th e m e in imi ta tion in th e fifth
,

abov e or fourth b e low ( as us e d in th e fugu e ) can b e carrie d o ut only if

th e th e m e b e gin s wi th th e t onic and t ak e s i t s t onal ma te rial from th e

so - call e d tonic h exachord ( C maj or and A minor ,

in A major and F sharp minor : A F sh arp

- -
,
sinc e this h exachord
repre s e n ts th e longe s t s e ri e s of ton e s which is r e p e a te d exac tly wi thin th e
scal e :
To n ic h e xach o rd D o minant h e xach o rd

1 1

C ons e qu e n tly if a th e m e in C maj or which b e gins on th e t onic us e s

a B for exampl e
,

it cannot b e imi t a te d e xac tly wi thou t th e in troduc tion of a sharp b e fore

F sinc e th e answe r o th e rwis e would hav e half ton e s teps from th e s e cond
,
-

t o t h e third and from t h e t hird t o th e four th no te s wh e r e th e subj e c t,

has maj or s e conds

 THE VO CA L F UGUE 267

S uch a consid e ra t ion did n o t as a rul e,

t roubl e t h e
,
compos e rs of the

Pal e s trina p e riod ; in Bach s t im e such a th e m e would usually b e

’
an

sw e re d t hus

Tha t is this th e m e li e s wi thin th e dominan t h exachord and can logi

,

cally b e answe re d only in th e fifth b e low or th e four th ab ov e :

S inc e th e th em e how ev e r is in C major and th e su b j e c t b e gins on th e

, ,

tonic t h e answ e r mus t n e c e ssarily b e gin on t h e dominan t G and o n e

, ,

th e r e for e r ep lac e s t h e firs t t on e in t h e corr e c t answ e r ( d ) wi th G whil e ,

th e o th e r t on e s r e main unchang e d In this way th e form ( c ) is ob tain e d

. .

If th e th e me on th e o th e r hand b e gins on th e dominan t and in t roduc e s

, ,

an F for e xampl e :
,

/2 1
/2 1

it th e n falls wi thin th e scop e of th e t onic h e xachord and th e r e for e can

b e corr e c t ly imi t a te d in th e fifth abov e or th e four th b e low °

S inc e th e C is th e pro pe r ini tial ton e of th e answ e r , we g e t th e follow

ing form
26 8 APPEN DIX
Th e s e rul e s may be summariz e d as follows
I
. If a th em e b egins wi th th e tonic and th e n go e s b e yond th e tonic
h e xachord th e answe r in th e fifth ab ov e or four th b e low mus t b e lowe re d
,

a s e cond from th e s e cond ton e on .

2 If a th e m e comm e nc e s on th e dominan t and e xc e e ds th e range of

.

th e dominan t h e xachord th e answ e r in th e four th a b ov e or in th e fifth

,

b e low mus t b e rais e d a s e cond from th e s e cond ton e on .

A s h as b ee n said th e s e rul e s did n o t hold in th e six t e e n th c e n t ury and

, ,

e v e n in th e t im e of Bach th e y w e r e occas i onally disr e gard e d e sp e cially

,

wh e re a tr e a tm e n t in s tric t accordanc e wi th th e rul e would so change th e

th e m e tha t it could n o t b e r e cogniz e d e asily E s pe cially i n th e m e s which
.

b e gin wi th an oc t av e skip or wi th tonal r epe ti tion o n e mus t guard agains t

,

change s T h e following th e m e ( Ionian )

.

should s tric tly s pe aking

, ,
be imi t a te d as follows

But th echarac te r of th e th e m e would th e r eb y be so change d that o ne

would always p r efe r th e following :

L ik e wis e, a Dorian t h e m e such as

would of cours e no t be answ e re d in this way

b ut would be lowe re d a s e cond af te r th e charac te ris tic oc tav e skip

 THE V O CA L FUGUE 2 69

In th e choic e of a fugu e th e m e th e p rincip l e s e mphasiz e d in th e s e c t ion

,

on imi t a t ion are of th e gr e a te s t imp or tanc e : th e th e m e mus t b e s triking ,

h e nc e ra th e r som e wha t angular than t o o smoo th sinc e angulari t y h e l p s ,

t o mak e i t mor e r e cognizabl e Mor e ov e r th e rhythm of th e th e m e as

.

we ll as tha t of th e coun te rpoin t which accomp anie s it mus t n o t b e t o o

uniform and e v e n or th e valuabl e e ff e c t of con t ras t i n th e rhy thm which
, ,

is mos t d e sirabl e b e t w e e n th e di ff e r e n t voic e s is w e ak e n e d,

T h e th e m e .

mus t always b e so in troduc e d tha t it can b e r e cogniz e d imm e dia t e ly I t .

is th e r e for e b e s t if i t e n t e rs afte r a r e s t or aft e r a cl e ar cut m e lodic s e c t ion

-
.

F or e xampl e it would n o t b e good if th e firs t no te of th e th e m e should

,

at th e sam e tim e b e th e closing t on e of th e pr e c e ding phras e :

T h e me

He re would unqu e s tionably misund e rs t and th e si tua tion and t ak e

o ne

th e F ins te ad of th e D as th e ini t ial t on e of th e th e m e T h e e n t ranc e is .

cl e ar e s t if it com e s afte r a r e s t ; and yet in this cas e o n e mus t t ak e care

tha t th e voic e conc e rn e d dro s o ut b e for e th e r e s t in an a ro ria man
p pp p t e

n er .
F or e xampl e it should n o t cl os e on a no te valu e l e ss than a half
,

no te and it is b e s t for it to com e to an e n d wi th som e cad e n tial figur e

, .

In stre tti sligh t rhy thmic or m e lodic change s in th e th e m e may b e me c e s

sary b ut th e e ss e n tial charac te r of th e th e m e mus t n o t be imp air e d in any
,

way I t is th er e for e advisabl e tha t in th e s e l e c tion of a fugu e th e m e o n e

.
, ,

firs t mak e s sur e tha t th e p ar ticular th e m e l ends i ts e lf to stre tt o tre a tm en t .

If th e answe r e n te rs in strett o it is mor e ov e r n o t limi te d to th e tonic and

, ,

dominan t as ini t ial ton e s but can also b e gin on o th e r ton e s A s in imi ta .

tion e ach voic e n e e ds to r e roduc e only as much of t h e th e m e as t h e

, p p re

c e ding voic e h as sung at th e tim e of its e n tranc e .

L e t us now t ry to wri t e a fugu e for t w o voic es S inc e it is b e s t for e ach

.

voic e to en te r aft e r a re s t th e composi tion mus t con tinu e at c e r tain plac e s

,

in o n e p ar t S uch episod e s should n ev e r th e l e ss b e k ept as shor t as possi

.
, ,

b le
.
Ind e e d th e transi tion from th e ex posi tion to th e cou nte r ex posi tion
, -

mus t n o t b e to o no tic e abl e A to o no tic e abl e transi tio n can be avoid ed by

.

a chain of small no te valu e s O n th e o th e r hand b e fore t h e st re tto a s to p

.
,

( of t e n a g e n eral paus e ) is e n tire ly in plac e :

27 0 APPEN DIX
E xpo s itio n

Ky r ie e le i

Co unte r e xpo s itio n

S OD .

S tre tto

so n . Ky rie e

S OD .

Be - ne ( ll ea
 THE V O CA L FUGUE 27 1

Co un te r e xpo s it io n

mus . Do mi Be -
ne -
di

mus Do

S tre tto

Be -
me di

mus Do mi no .

L ik e thr p ar t imi ta tion th e thr e e p ar t fugu e also r e quir e s th e mo st

e e- ,
-

com pl e te chords possibl e I t is e spe cially impor tan t to hav e th e e n tranc e

.

of th e third voic e produc e a com pl e te triad A mos t e ffe c tiv e en tranc e is

.

a ttain e d if th e en te ring voic e mak e s a sus pend e d dissonanc e o ut of a ti e d

no te ( compare p .
If th e en tranc e of th e pr e c e ding voic e is on th e
tonic t h e third voic e normally b e gins on th e dominan t and so on b ut
,
, ;
it som e tim e s ha ppe n s— e s pe cially wh e n th e mi ddl e voic e h as t h e subj e c t
fi rst th at th e s e cond and third voic e s e n te r on th e sam e ton e
—
.
27 2 APPENDIX
A s in t h e t wo -p
ar t fugu e o n e mus t also tak e car e tha t th e t ransi tion
,

from th e ex posi tion to th e coun te r e xposi tion is as smoo th as possibl e

-
,

though o n e of t e n s e t s o ff th e coun te r— e xposi tion from th e stre tt o wi th th e

aid of a cad enc e S inc e a clos e of th e sam e kind at th e e n d of th e s e cond

.

and third s e ts of e n tri e s migh t e asily produc e an unvari e d mono tonous ,

e ff e c t o n e of t e n modula te s in th e s e cond se t of e n t ri e s to a k e y r e la te d to
,

th e chi e f k e y ( com p ar e p 82) or ends wi t h a half or d e c e p t iv e cad e nc e

.
, ,

for exampl e ( A e olian )

T h e following thr e e p ar t fugu e tr e a t s an Ionian th e m e thr ee t im e s wi th

-

t h e las t in st re tt o ; b ut t h e r e th e imi t a t ion do e s n o t com e on t h e t onic and

dominan t as usual b u t on th e s e cond and six th of th e scal e

,
.

E xpo s it io n

me n ,
A me n ,

Co unte r e xpo s it io n
 THE V O CA L FUGUE 27 3

me n ,

S tre tto

me n , A me n , me n ,

me n , me n .

Two e xamp l e s of four p ar t fugu e s are now pr es e n ted o n e in th e

-
,

Dorian th e o th e r in th e Mixolydian mod e T h e la tte r fugu e is t ak e n

, .

from t h e mass Die s sanctzficat us by Pal e s tr ina which h as alre ady b een
’

m en tion e d It may s ee m re markabl e tha t this Mixolydian com posi tion

.
27 4 A P PE N D IX
should beg in with an A e olian imi ta tion on A and E and tha t it b rings
in th e principal mod e of th e mass only at th e en d But this is pro babl y
.

b e caus e the th em e which is tak en from the mo te t Dies sanctificat us ( se e

,

p . b e gins t h e r e wi th .A In th e e x p osi t,
ion soprano and t e nor e ach
in troduc e th e th e m e t wic e in a sligh tly change d form ; more ov e r Pal e s ,

trina us e s st re tt o e v e n h e r e
. T h e e n tranc e s follow e ach o th e r v e ry clos e ly
only in th e third se t of e n tri e s .

E xpo s it io n

Co unte r e xpo sitio n

me n ,
THE V OCA L F U GUE 27 5

me n ,

me n .

E xpo s it io n P al estrina
27 6 A PPEN DIX

e le i so n ,

Co unte r e x po sitio n

i so n ,

Ky r ie
 THE V O CA L FUGUE 27 7

S tre tto

Ky rie

e le i so n .

F ugu e s on t wo h e m e s are call e d doubl e fugu e s ; on thr e e th e m e s

t ,

t ri p l e fugu e s and so on
, S uch forms how e v e r did n o t occur in th e
.
, ,

six tee n th c e n tury b ut b e long e xclusiv e ly to th e tim e of Bach To illus

, .

t ra te this t y p e of fugu e in bri e f a doubl e fugu e by I I P ux i s giv e n

,
. .

b e low a com posi tion which is t o a c e r tain e x te n t in te rm edia te b e t w e e n

,

t h e Pal e s trina s tyl e and t h e e igh t e e n th c e n tury Thi s Dorian fugu e is

.

cons truc te d on t wo th e m es A fte r th e bass in tro duc e s th e firs t th e m e

.
,

t h e te nor imi t a t e s it in t h e fift h abov e whil e t h e ba ss as coun te r oin t

, p
agains t th e tenor bring s in th e s e cond th e m e Thi s proc e dure is f t c
, .

qu e n tly us e d in doubl e fugu e s A nd ye t o n e can mak e use of ano th e r

.

form in which e ach th em e is first in troduc e d se para te ly and th e n bo th

are in troduc e d t og e th e r In th e fugu e b e fore us bo th th e m e s w and e r
.
,
27 8 A P P E N D IX
in e xac t succ e ssion from th e b ass on up through all four voic e s Wi th .

th e t e n th m e asur e this wand e ring of th e voic e s com e s to an e n d and wi th

,

it th e ex p osi t ion . B e fore th e upp e r par t has finish e d singing th e s e cond

th e m e t h e t e nor b egins th e coun t e r e xposi tion in which bo th th e m e s
,
-

occur in all four voic e s T h e third se t of e n tri e s b e gins wi th th e te nor

.

an d is tr e a te d mor e fr e e ly in tha t th e m e I app e ars only in th e t e nor and

soprano whil e th e m e II ( in som e wha t modifi e d form ) go e s through all

,

voic e s ( th e bass ind e e d sings it twic e ) and it is tre a te d in strett o :

, ,
THE V O CA L FUGUE 27 9
 80 APPENDIX

DO UB LE, TR I PLE AND QU ADR U P LE

,
C O UNTERPO I NT

Dou b l e coun te rpoin t m e ans a kind of wri ting which wi thou t viola ting ,

th e rul e s of s t ric t coun t e rpoin t provid e s t o th e m e lody a co u

,
n te rpoin t
t ha t may be us e d e i t h e r as an up p e r or low e r p ar t This
. t e chniqu e w a s

known in th e polyphony of th e six te e n th c e n tury but it firs t achi e v e d ,

gre a t significanc e in th e ins trum e n t al f ugu e of th e e igh te e n th c e n t ury .

D oubl e coun t e r p oin t in t h e oc t av e is mos t fr e qu e n t ly us e d ; h e r e o n e

t ranspos e s e i t h e r th e u pp e r voic e an oc t av e low e r or t h e low e r voic e an

oc t av e high e r By this inv e rsion it is w e ll known tha t th e prim e b e com e s

.
,

an oc tav e th e s e cond a se v e n th and so on

, ,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A s may be s e e n all in te rvals r e t ain th e ir charac te r

,
consonanc e s or
as

dissonanc e s with th e exc e ption of th e fourth which b e com e s a fifth and

, , ,

V ic e v e rsa The
.
wri t ing of doubl e coun t e r p oin t in t h e oc t av e o ff e rs no
diffi cul t i e s th e r efore and it is don e in accordanc e wi th th e usual rul e s
, ,

conc e rning th e t re a tm e n t of th e in te rval combina tions wi th o ne e xce p

t ion : t ha t th e fif t h also is to b e r e gard e d a s a dissonanc e If o n e wish
. e s

to avoid crossing th e t w o voic e s t h e in,

t e rval b e t w e e n t h e m mus t n o t

e xc e e d th e oc t av e .

A n e xampl e of doubl e coun te rpoin t in th e oc tav e

 D OUB L E TRIPLE A ND
, , Q U A DR U P L E C O U N T E R P O I N T 28 1

A s imila r e xam pl e from C r e do of mass 15 1 6 Co nfe sso r by Pal e s

t rina °

eta s unt .
pro
-
pt e r no m
s tra

If in doubl e coun te rpoin t in th e oc t av e o n e avoids all similar mo tion

, ,

and all sus pe nd e d dissonanc e s o n e can add to e ach p ar t a p arall e l par t in

,

t h e third or t e n th abov e and in this way t a four ar t com osi t ion

g e
p p
-
:
282 A PPEN DIX

O u tsid e of coun te rpoin t in th e oc t av e coun te rpoin t in th e

,
n th and
te

twe lfth are among th e more common forms . T he inv e rsion in th e te n th

change s th e in te rvals as follows :
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Thus all consonanc e s r e t ain th e ir consonan t characte r j us t as all dis ,

sonanc e s r e main dissonan t u p on inv e rs i on But th e p e rfe c t consonanc e s

.

b e com e imp e rfe c t th e impe rf e c t p erf e c t ; p arall e l thirds and six ths as
, ,

w e ll as progre ssions in sim ilar mo tion to thirds or six ths are th e refore n o t ,

usabl e In o th e r words only obliqu e and con tr ary mo tions are possibl e
.
,

in th e s e ex e rcis e s Disso n an t susp en sio n s cannot b e us e d sinc e corr e c tly

.
'

t r e a t e d four ths s e v e n ths and s e conds mus t r e solv e as follows u p on inv e r

, ,

sion : s e v e n ths in to oc tav e s fourths in to fifths and nin ths in to oc t av e s

, ,
.
 DO U B L E TRIPLE AND A DR U P L E CO U N T ERPO I N T
QU 283
, ,

x
E e rcis e s such as t hos e a b ov e may b e incr e as e d b y o n e par t if o n e adds
i h
e t e r a parall e l par t in th e t e n t h b e low t o t h e up p e r voic e or o n e in t h e

t en t h abov e t o th e low e r par t

inv e rsion in t we lfth th e in te rvals are al te r e d follows

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

T he chi e f poin t to Obs e rv e h e r e is t ha t t h e six th u p on inv e rsion,

b e ,

com e s a s ev en th and tha t cons e qu e n tly it mus t b e t re a te d as a diss o

, ,

nanc e
2 84 A PPEN DIX
If o n e avoids susp e nsions and progr e ssions in similar mo tion o ne can ,

mak e th e ex ercis e three or four par t by adding parall e l voic e s in thirds

-

or te n ths ov e r th e low e r voic e or und e r th e upp e r voic e

Inv e r tib l e coun te rpoin t in mor e than two p ar ts is call e d tripl e coun te r
p oin t if t h e r e are thr ee p ar ts quadrupl e if t h e r e are four par t s
,
and ,
so

on I t is n e c e ssary for e v e ry singl e voic e to mov e corre c tly in r e lation to

.

all th e o th e r voic e s in accordanc e wi th th e rul e s giv en in this b ook In this

.

t yp e of coun t e rpoin t wh e n i t is in t h e oc t av e all fif ths mus t b e t r e a t e d as

, ,

dissonanc e s r e gardl e ss of th e voic e s in which th ey occur It mus t b e no te d

,
.

t ha t four ths canno t b e cov e r e d b y placing consonanc e s b e low th e m as in ,

simp l e coun te rpoin t T h e following e xampl e illus tra te s quadrupl e coun

.

t e rpo in t in t h e oc t av e
 A P P E ND I X 28 5

Through th e s tudy of th e e x e rcis e s in thi s te x tbook th e p up il should

n o w b e in a osi t ion com arabl t t ha t a t t ain e d in th e r e alm of languag e s
p p e o

if h e has mas te r e d a basic language For e xampl e o n e who has mad e

.
,

hims elf thoroughly familiar wi th th e L a t in language finds th e way ope n

t o a nobl e world li t e ra t ur e . Y e t mor e im p or t an t h e h as assimila te d n o t
,

only a singl e language b ut such a fundam e n t al knowl e dge of languag e

in gen e ral tha t it will b e e asi e r for him to und e rs t and all mod e rn w e s t e rn
E urop e an languag e s and th e ir li te ra tur e s .

I t is e xac t ly th e sam e wi th th e Pal e s t rina s t yl e wh e r e th e chi e f p rob

,

l e ms of all musical te chniqu e app e ar cl e arly and p las tically as p e rhap s

in no o th e r s t yl e sp e ci e s and wh e r e th e s e probl e ms are tr e a t e d wi th almos t
ma tchl e ss c e rt ain t y and na turaln e ss If o n e could imagin e a music which
.

do e s n o t subordina te i ts e lf to th e e xpre ssiv e will of an ar tis tic p e rsonali t y

or of a his toric ep och but follows only its own p ur e ly musical laws and
urge s o n e may ask wh e th e r such a music would n o t com e clos e r to th e
,

P al e s trina s t yl e than to any o th e r .

“
To pr e s en t this p ur e music wi th th e Pal e s trina s t yl e as th e m e dium
—

—1 3 th e ul t ima te aim of this book . A t b e s t th e p u p il may l e arn from it

,

som e thing abou t th e inmos t na tur of music ; at wors t al though it is to

e .
—

b e hop e d no o n e will com e o ff so badly h e may acquir e som e skill in a

—

kind of musical pasticcio through a vain a tte mp t to imi t a te a gre a t his

t o rical s t yl e .

T h e classical s t yl e is pr e s e n te d h e r e n o t to b e su pe rficially imi t a t e d b u t

,

so tha t I ts frui tful and e t e rnally valid fundam e n t al p rinci l e s may b e

p
und e rs tood .
 S U MM A R Y H
O F T E M O S T I MP O R T A N T
CO NTRAPUNTAL L AW S A ND RU L E S

ME LODY

I n t e rval s

A llaugm e n te d and diminish e d in te rvals are forbidd e n ( p The .

maj or and minor s e cond and third pe rfe c t four th fifth and oc t av e
, , ,

can b e us e d in bo th dire c t ions ; th e minor six th is allowe d b ut in ,

asc ending mo tion only ( p .

S ucce ssio n o f I n t e r val s

In asc e nding mo t ion it is b e s t for th e large in te rvals to pre c e d e th e

small e r ; in d e sc ending for small e r in te rvals to com e firs t ( p
, T his .

rul e is l e ss s tric t wi th th e longe r no te valu e s but wi th quarte rs it is ,

rigid ( p . F ur th e rmor e in quar te r no te mov e m en t th e succ e s

,
-

sion of s tep wis e progre ssions and skip s is r e s tric te d to two possib ilit ie s
a third follow e d by a s e cond in asc e nding mo tion a s e cond followe d
by a third in th e o pposi te dire c tion ( pp 1 19 .

S l( i ps

S kip s are to be
fill e d in as much as possibl e ( pp S ki ps .

u pward from th e acc e n te d quar te r no te are forb idd en ( p T wo .

or mor e ski ps in th e sam e dire c tion are n o t allow e d in quarte r no te -

p rogr e ssions (
p S ki p s.of a t hird downward from an unacc e n te d

quar te r are always to b e com pensa te d by a succ ee ding s te p of th e

s e cond u pward ( p .

S tepwise P r o g re ssio n

U nacc e n t e d quar te rs approach e d by s tep from b e low mus t ,

as a

rul e ,
be con t inu e d upward by s tep ( p ,
.

286
 S UM M ARY OF CO NTRAPU N TA L LA WS A N D RULE S 287

R h yt /i m

E igh th no te s may b e us e d only two at a t im e m us t occur in th e ,

lac e of an unacc e n t e d quar t e r and mus t be a pproach e d and qui tt e d

p ,

by s tep ( p . Two quarte r no te s may n o t occur alon e in th e plac e

of an acc en te d half in th e m e asure ; e ith e r a quarte r note mus t pre
c e d e or follow th e m or th e firs t of th e two quarte rs mus t form par t
,

of a su sp e nsion or a sus pe nd e d half no te mus t follow th e s e cond

,

quart e r ( p . T h e small e s t no te valu e which may b e us e d in a

susp ension wi th a note of e qual valu e is th e half ( p In th e .

sus pe nsion the only plac e wh e re th e small e r note valu e may pre c e d e
th e gr e a t e r is in th e cad e nc e ( p .

CON SONANT COM B I NATI ONS

Co nso n an e e s

In chordal combina tions o n e r e gards as consonanc e s th e pe rfe c t unison ,

fifth oc tav e tw e lfth and so on which are call e d pe rfe c t consonanc e s

, , , , ,

and lik e wis e th e major and minor forms of th e third six th te n th , , ,

and so on which are call e d imp e rfe c t consonanc e s ( p 98 )

,
.

Parall e l fifths and oc tav e s are forb idd en ( pp 98 .

H idd e n fifths and oc t av e s are forb idd e n in firs t s e cond and third , ,

s pe ci e s in two p art s O n th e o th e r hand in fourth sp e ci e s in two

.
,

p ar t s wh e r e th e y are d e lay e d by susp e nsions t h e y are p e rmi tt e d

,
and ,

t h e y may b e us e d in a similar mann e r in fif th s p e ci e s in t wo p ar t s .

In fre e two p art wri ting th e y can also be us e d in o th e r ways b ut only

- -

with th e gre ate s t care ( pp 100 .In thre e par t writ ing hidd e n fifths
-

and oc tav e s are pe rmissibl e b e t w ee n ou te r and inn e r voic e s H idd e n .

fifths may also occur b e twe e n ou te r p ar ts b ut in such cas e s it is b e s t

,

for th e u ppe r part to mov e by s tep H idd e n oc tav e s on th e o th e r

.
,

hand are to be avoid e d so far as possibl e b e tw ee n ou te r par ts ( p 17 6 )

, .

In four or more par ts hidd e n oc tav e s can b e us e d b e tw ee n th e ou te r

,

parts b ut h e re to o it is b e s t for th e up pe r par t to mov e by s te p ( p 203 )

, .

A cce nt ed F ift hs and O cte t/ es

Th es e ( a ) mus t be us e d wi th care in s e cond sp e ci e s ( p 1 17 ) and .

( )
b may b e t ol e ra t e d in third s p e ci e s in e xc e p t ional cas e s b e t w e e n t w o

quarte rs on acc e n ts which are in imm edia te succ e ssion ; b ut oc tav e s

28 8 APPEN DIX
of this sor t are n o t so good ( p ( )
c Th e y are
p e.rmi t t e d in s us

e nsions four h S ci s and d r a d accordanc wi h

p ( t p e e
) ( ) are t e t e i n e t th e

sam e rul e s in fif th Sp e ci e s and in free wri ting .

P arall el T /zirds and S ixt h s

In whol e no te s if po ssibl e n o t more than four parall e l thirds and

, ,

six ths Should occur in succ e ssion

(p In half no t e s o n e should
.

n o t go to o far b e yond this numb e r b ut in quar te rs o n e may use th e m

,

more fr ee ly ( p .

Th e Uniso n

( )
a Theunison may occur in par t firs t sp e ci e s
t wo - only in t h e firs t and
las t m e asur e s ( p 1 12) ( b ) I t may e n te r in two par t s e cond s pe ci e s ( in
.
-

addi tion to th e firs t and las t m e asure s ) only on th e unacc e n te d por tion
of th e m e asur e and th e skip b y which it n e c e ssarily e n te rs is to be coun te r
,

balanc e d so far as possib l e b y s te pwis e mov e m e n t in th e opposite dire c

t ion ( pp 116 c h e unison is for b idd e n in two par t thir d s e ci e s
.
( ) T p
-

a ar from h e firs t and las t m e asur e s ) on th e firs t quar te r of th e m e asur e

( p t t ,

b ut o th e rwis e may b e fr e e ly us e d ( pp 1 25 d
( ) I t can
. b e us e d fr ee ly
in t wo p ar t four th s pe ci e s ( p
-
( )
e I t.may b e us e d in t wo
p ar t fr e e -

coun te rpoin t b ut mus t be tr e a te d wi th c are ( p

,
f
( ). I t can b e e m
loy e d fr e e ly in thr e e and mor e pa r t s b e t w ee n t wo or mor e voic e s b u t
p ,

only on th e firs t or las t ton e may all voic e s occur in unison ( p 176 ) .

T h e Be g inn ing

a Th e r e Should b e a p e rfe c t con sonanc e at th e b e g i nn i ng I n t wo p ar t

( ) -

firs t S e cond and four th Spe ci e s b ut th e fifth b e low th e can tus fi rm us is

, , ,

forbidd e n ( p . b
( ) T h e b e ginning may occasionally h av e an imp e r

fe e t consonanc e in tw o par t third spe ci e s if th e coun te rpoin t b e gins wi th

-

an u pb e a t ( p and ( c ) it may hav e th e full triad in thre e or more

.

ar t s b ut in such cas e s th e t hird mus t always b e major If th e third e n te rs

p ,
.

as an u pb e a t it may b e minor ; h e re o n e can b e gin only wi th a full or e mpty

t riad t ha t is o n e in which th e third is missing ( pp 176
, ,
.

T h e Cl o se

a T h clos e mus t always b e mad e wi th a pe rfe c t consonanc e in t wo

( ) e

p ar t wri t ing ; if th e coun t e rpoin t is in t h e low e r p ar t only t h e unison ,

 SUMMARY OF CONTRA PU N TA L L AW S A N D RU LE S 2 89

and oc t av e may be us e d ( p . b
( ) I t may consis t of a p e rf e c t t riad
“ ”
or of a triad wi th fifth or third missing in thre e and m o re part writ ing .

T h e third h e r e mus t b e maj or ( pp 17 6 .

DI S S ONANT COM B I NAT IONS

Disso nances

augm e n te d and diminish e d in te rvals th e p e rfe c t four th major and

A ll , ,

minor s e cond s e v e n th nin th and so on are dissonanc e s ( p

, , , ,
.

I n th e F irst S pecies

D issonanc e s canno t be us e d ( p b ut in thr e e or more part s th e

.
,

four th b e twe e n an upp e r and a middl e par t or b e twee n t wo inn e r par t s

may b e us e d as a consonanc e ( p This rul e lik e wis e applie s to th e
.

re maining sp e ci e s.

I n t h e S eco nd S pecies

Dissonanc e s may occur , but only as passing no te s ( p

I n th e Third S pecies

T he dissonanc e can be us e d as a p assing no te as we ll as a lowe r auxiliary

or re turning note but it mus t alw aysb e approach e d and qui tte d b y s tep
, .

T h e sol e e xc e p t ion to this rul e is th e so —

call e d cam biata in which an un ,

acc e n te d dissonan t quarte r in troduc e d b y s tep from ab ov e is qui tte d by a

skip of th e third downward followe d b y a s te p of th e s e cond upward ( p .

I n th e F o urth S pecies

The dissonanc e may occur on th e acc e n te d par t of th e m e asure but in ,

such a cas e it mus t b e tie d ov e r from th e p re c e ding unacc e n te d b e a t ( wh e re

it mus t be a consonanc e ) and it mus t b e l e d s te pwis e downward to a con
,

sonanc e on th e following unacc e n te d b e at ( p T h e sol e e xc e p tion is

.

th e so —call ed consonan t fourth a four th which is in troduc e d at th e plac e

,

of th e unacc en te d half no te ov e r a s ta tionary ton e in th e b ass to be t i e d ,

ov e r to th e succ eeding s trong b e a t and finally to be re gularly re solv e d on

th e following unacc e n te d b e a t ( pp 193 If in two par t wri ting th e
.
,
-
,

coun te rpoin t is in th e u ppe r par t only th e pe rfe c t four th and th e major

,

or minor s ev e n th can be us e d as susp e nsion dissonanc e s if th e coun te rpoin t

 29 0 A PPE N D IX
is in th e
low r par e can ( in w
t, o n e
t o par t wri t
useing ) only t h e major and
-

minor s econds as sus pension dissonanc e s A ugm e n te d and diminish e d .

in te rvals canno t b e us e d h e re ( p In thre e or more parts howev e r

.
, ,
“ ”
o th e r dissonanc e s may be us e d wh e n th e y occur simul tan e ously wi th good
sus pensions ( p .

I n t h e F ift h S pecie s

An unacc e n te d half which com e s afte r a suspe nsion or a whol e no te

’ —
can b e a dissonanc e if th e disso n an ce is tre a te d in accordanc e wi th th e
.

t b e di sso n an t if pr e c ed ed b y quar t rs
'

L ik e wis e quar te rs can b e dissonan t if t e y occur a te r sus pe ns ions or

do tte d halv e s ( pp 143 Q .uar t e rs which a re t i e d ov e r from unacc en te d
halv e s may be dissonan t only rare ly O n th e o th e r hand sus pend e d quar .
,

t e rs can b e dissonan t if t h e y occur at th e p lac e of an unacc e n te d half no te

( p . If t w o quar t e rs d e sc e nding b y s te p follow an acc e n te d half th e ,

firs t of th e two quar te rs may be dissonan t ; such irre gular dissonanc e s ,

how ev e r are pe rmi tte d only in d e sc e nding mo tion ( pp 143

, Dis .

sonan t uppe r auxiliary no te s are p e rmissib l e in quarte rs if th e y pre c e d e

a half or a whol e no te ( p T h e firs t no te of th e cam biata can be a
.

do tte d half and th e third no te can th e n be e i th e r a quarte r or a half O n

, .

th e o th e r hand if th e firs t ton e of th e cam biata is a quar te r th e third t on e

, ,

mus t th enn e c e ssarily be a quar ter T h e dissonan t ton e i ts e lf ( th e s e cond

.

t on e of th e cam biat a) may in all cas e s b e only of th e dura t ion of a quar te r

(p . A n t icipa t ion dissonanc e s may b e us e d but only as quar te r no te s , ,

and if approach e d b y s te p from ab ov e ( pp 148 E igh th no te s may

.

b e dissonan t only if t h e y are corre c tly handl e d in accordanc e with th e

ge n e ral r hy thmic m e lodic laws ( p - .

I n Fre e Co unt e rpo int

a
( ) In t w o par t wri-
t ing o n e quar te r can form a dissonanc e wi th ano th e r
,

quarte r ( no te agains t no te ) if th e dissonanc e is corre c tly tre ate d in e ach

voic e This appli e s lik e wis e to writing in thre e or more p art s in which
.

all voic e s mov e in quarte rs ; but if in thr ee or more parts s t at ionary tOn e s
occur in o n e or more voic e s whil e at th e sam e t ime two or more voic e s
progre ss in quarte rs th e s e more liv e ly voic e s may form dissonanc e s with
,

e ach o th e r fr e e ly p rovid e d t h e r e la t ion of e ach voic e is corr e c t wi th r e sp e c t

,

t o th e s t a t ionary voic e s ( p 1 54) b T h hird of four quar e rs of w h ic h

( ) . e t t ,
 S UM M A RY OF C ONTRA PU N TA L L A WS A N D RULE S 29 1

th e firs t is on th e s trong acc e n t can b e a dissonanc e if all four quar te rs

,
'

occur in s te pwis e d e sc e nding mot ion and if th e fourth quar te r mov e s

upward by s te p whil e t he oth e r par t forms a corr e c t syncop at ion dissonanc e
t o th e mo t ion in quar t e rs ( pp 154 . c
( ) Whil e th e susp e nsion dis

sonanc e proc e e ds to its re solu tion th e oth e r part may simul t an e ously mov e
“ ”
t o ano th e r t on e ; in such cas e s b ad susp e nsions such as th e nin t h in t h e
,

u ppe r p art are lik e wis e usab l e since th e y can in this cas e be r e solv e d
, ,

upon irnpe rf ect consonanc e s ( p . d

( ) In susp e nsion dissonanc e s th e

o th e r part may mov e on afte r th e durat ion of a quar te r if only two s tep s
of th e s e cond follow th e firs t ( acc e n te d ) quarte r in this voic e whil e th e
susp ension is o th e rwis e corr e c t ly tre ate d ( pp 156
.
( )
e dissonanc e s in

half no te s cannot be us e d at all if th er e is quar te r no te mov e m e n t in

-

anoth e r voic e at th e sam e t im e ( p .

I NDE X

A Magyar N é pz e n e 68 B h J h
ac o an n S e bast ian x ff xv , 3 8 , 43 ,

H
.
, , , ,
“
A cce n t , re m in i sce n t , 96 45 f .
,
48 , 5 0, 85 , 148 , 163 , 265 , 26 7 ,
A cce n t e d fi fth s an d o ct av e s, 1 1 7 , 126 27 7
A cce n te d q uarte rs, 8 7 ( se e al s o Quart e r B h P h ilipp E m
ac ,
an u e l , 48
n o te s
) Ba lue r e ,m er an n , 25 3
A cci de n tal s, u se o f , 71 f .
,
1 17 B hi i A d i
an c er ,
r an o , 40
A d o ra rn us te Ch ris t e 7 2 ,
Bar l i n e s, n o t u se d , 1 17
A d rian , 35 B q
aro ue p ai n t i n
g ,
un it y in , X II
A e o l ian ( se e Mo de s ) B t
as o n , 35
A g n us D e i , 25 1 ff . B th
ee o ve n , 48
A g rico l a, J o h an n F rie drich ,
48 Be l le rm an n , x, X III ,
3 8 , 52, 55 , 1 19 , 124
A l b e r t i, L e o n e B atti sta ,
83 2 19
A l b i n o n i, 48 Be n e d i ct u s ,
25 1 ff .

A lb re ch t sb e rge r, x B di
e rar ,
A n g e lo , 32, 3 4 f .
,
41 , 43 , 9 1 f .

A l e s s i, G i o va n n i d
’

,
v ii Bi h i
nc o s, 8 , 9 , 15
A ll e l uia 25 1, B th i
oe u s, 9
A n sw e r i n t he f ug ue , 266 ff . B ci
o no n n i, 43
A n t h o l o g ia S e xt a V o calis Lit urgica , V ii B u sn o i s, 8, 9 , 1 1 , 1 5
A n t i ca m us ica rid o t t a L 19 ’

, ,
29 ,
15 8
A n t icipat io n , 9 4 f .
,
148 f .

A rch it as, 9 Caccia 23 4 ,

A rist o t le , 9 C ade n ce :
A ri st o xe n us, 9 d is so n an ce i n , 1 7 8
A ro n , P ie t ro ,
30 i n te rm e d iate , v iii
“
6, 7 , 15 l y h e ccl e siast ica l

HH
A rs a n ti u i x, xii, in th e o n ic
q a,
p o
p
A rsis, 1 1 6, 193 m o de s , 82
A rs n o va, 15 , 23 4 le ad in g to n e , 71
'
A rt e de l c o n t ra
p o nto , L ,
29 l
p ga al , 7 5

A rt o f C o u n t e rpo i n t T h e , , 147 se ve n t h d e g re e ra se i d in , 7 1 .
,
1l 0 f .

A rt usi, 28 , 29 , 3 2, 3 6, 9 7 e n sio n o f h d i n , 13 3

H
sus se v e n t o r seco n
p
A sce n d i ng m o ve m e n t , n o te v a ue s l in , C am b iata, 1 5 , 3 2, 40, 88 , 1 2 1, 125 , 144 .
,

13 8 ff . 223
A u g m e n te d t riad , 17 6 Ca n cri z a n s , 23 5
A u xil iary n o te s , 1 1, 92, 121 , 141 f . C an o n , 23 4 .
,
265
A ve Maria ,
8 4, 10 1 ff . Ca n t us fig at us ,
u r 11
29 6 I N DE X
C an t us fi rm u s, 3 6 f .
, 10 7 f . C o u n te rpo i n t : ( C o nt .
)
Ca n t us pl a n us 1 1 , in t h e te n t h ,
28 2
C a ro n F i rm in us, 9
. i n t h e t w e l ft h , 28 3
Cart e l l a m us ical e ,
40 fl o rid , 45
C asim i ri, R aph .
,
V ii K u rt h
’

s de fi n it io n o f , x, xi

Ca u d a 5 6 f , . o ri
g i n o f t e rm , 3
C e ro ne , X , 30 f . T in ct o ris de
’
fi n it i o n o f, 9
C h e r u b i n i, X ,
52 t ripl e an d q u ad ru
p l e , 28 4

C hiav e t t e 5 8 C o u rs d e c o n t re o in t, 52
, p
C h ia vi t raspo rt at e , 58 C o u sse m ak e r, 6 , 8
C h o irs, u se o f d iv ide d, 224 C re d o , 25 1 ff .

C h o p in , X C re q u il lo n , 3 5
C h o rd s f t h e sixt h paralle l , 99
o ,
C re sce n do , r h y t h m ic ,
13 7
“ ”
C h ro m at ic h al f ste p av o ide d , 8 5 C ro ssi ng p art s, 1 13
C h ro m at ic S ig n s in t ro d uCe d , 7 1 C u l m in at io n n o te , 8 5 , 9 5 , 1 22, 13 6 f .
,

C h ro m at ic ism s avo ide d , 83 1 61

C ice ro , 9
C le m e n s P apa 35

H
no n ,

C o cl icu s, 24
C o m e s 265 ,
De ad i n t e rv al s 1 60 ,
C o m m un i o , 25 1 De c o n t ra
pu n ct o , 8
C o m po s iti o ns re g e l n e rr n M .
[
o h an De prae ce ptis artis m us ice
P e t e rsse n S we e l i n g ,
30 De h n S W ,, . . x

C o n d u ci m e n t o 9 1 ,
De sce n d in g m o v e m e n t , n o te val u e s in ,
C o n so n an ce ( se e Disso n an ce ) 13 8 f .

C o n so n an ce s, 9 8 , 28 7 Di al o g o del Do n P i e t ro P o nti o P ar
“
C o n so n an t f o urt h , 193 f . m ig ian o ,
28
C o n t rapun ct us Di e s s a n cti fi cat us , 241 , 242 ff .
,
253 , 27 3 ff .

di m i n u t us l l , 40, 45 ,
D i m in i s h e d t ri ad

fl o ri d us , 1 1 , 40 as c h o rd o f the si xt h ,
17 6
si m pl ex 1 1 ,
in ca de n ce , 1 7 8
C o n t rapu n t al T e ch n i q ue in the 1 6t h D iru ta, G i ro lam o , 40
C e n t ury 52 ,
D isso nan ce :
Co n t rapu nt o : a n t i ci
p at i o n , 3 2, 148 f .

al l a z o
pp a, 41 as a m e an s o f po e tical ex
p re ssio n , 17
f ug at o , 40, 41 3 4, 47
in sal t are l l o , 41 as o rn a m e n t fo r co n so n an ce , 28
o s t i n at o , 40, 41 au xil iar y ,
125 , l 41 f .
,
144
se m
p l i ce 3 9 , cam biata 125 , 144 ff. .

“
C o n t rary m o t io n p re f e rre d , 1 12 co v e re d, 1 85
C o u n te r e xpo sitio n , 265
-
e s se n t ia l , 44
C o u n t e rpo in t f o u rt h as, 5
“
an d h arm o n y co n t rast e d, 3 F ran co n ian l aw re g ar di n g , i x
t re at m e n t o f , 39 f
’

as a e da i cal o t e rm , 36 F ux s
p g g .

d o uble , 2 80 f f . in co m bi n e d se co n d an d t h ird s ecie s ,

p
in th e o ct ave , 28 0 f . 1 84
 I N DEX 29 7

Disso n an ce : ( C o nt .
) Do m in an t, in po l y p h o n ic e ccle siastical
in e ig t hh
n o t e s, 148 m o d e s, 7 1, 109
“
i n n o t e ag ain st n o t e , 15 2 f .
,
15 4 D o m i n e q uan d o ve n e ris 15 7 ,

on t h e se co n d an d f o urt h q uart e rs, 1 24 D o rian ( s e e Mo de s )

on t h ird q uar t e r, 3 1 , 123 f , 1 54 ff. . D re h n o te n 3 1 ,

”
p arasit ic, 1 85 D u f ay , 8 , 9 , 1 5 , 146
p assi n g , 20 D un stabl e , 8 , 9
q uart e r n o te D ux 265
,

f
a te r acce n te d h alf ,
143 f .

by s k ip ,
1 85
si xt h as, 7
-

s us
p e n s io n , 7 E go s um
p an i s , 142, 21 6 f .

av o ide d i n t w o part s sim u l tan e o usl y , E ig h t h n o t e s, u se o f , 9 3 , 148

158 E l e m e n t e de s Gre g o rianisch e n Ge san ge s ,

e n t ran ce o n , 27 1 62
G u il e l m u s
’
s ru e s l co n ce rn in
g ,
16 E spag n e , Fran z , 72
in f o u rt h s
p e cie s, 1 3 0 ff . E st e , E rco le , 23
“
no t re so ve l d on e m pt y fi fth or E v o l ut i o n .
o f the S i x F o u r C h o rd
-
,
T he ,

o ct ave , 13 1 17 5
o f f o urt h o r se ve n t h i n lo we r v o ice , E xc h an g e o f t o n e s, 230
13 2, 1 88 E xpo sitio n , 265
o f se co n d or n int h i n l o we r vo i ce ,

13 1 f .

O f se co n d or n int h in u
pp er v o ice ,

132, 15 6, 1 8 8 Fati g ue s G uile lm u s 9

, ,

o f se co n d or se v e n t h in ca de n ce , F e rabo sco , 253

13 3 F e sta C o stan z o
, ,
2 1 4 ff .

p p re are d by disso n an ce 19 4 Fi f t h s
re so l ve d ag ain st m o v in g uart e rs, acce n t e d , 1 1 7 , 126, 28 7
q
1 56 ff . co n ce a e l d ( F i f
se e t h s h i d d en
) ,

re so l ve d im pe rfe ct d e e Fi f t h s h
to co n so n an ce s, co ve re
( s i dd e n
) ,

13 1 em
p t y ,
14
l
’
V ice n t in o s r u e s co n ce rn in
g 21,
as r e so u t o n l i disso n an ce , 13 1
w it h se
parat e s y llable s of t he t e xt , h idde n 1 00 f ; , . 1 12, 1 7 6
256 aralle l , i x, 9 8 , 1 12
p
t h ird as ,
7 a vo ide d b y cro ssi n
g p art s, 99
T i n ct o ris an d t he, 11 F o urt h
t re at m e n t o f , i n 15 t h ce n t u r y ,
14 as s u s
p e n sio n be l o w can t us fi rm u s, 13 2,
u n e s se n t ial , 44 18 8
u se d in h arm o n y ,
98 aug m e n te d , in co n so n an t co m bin at io n s,
use o f , in se co nd spe cie s, l 16 f . 17 5
Diss o n an z e sci o l t e 20 , co n si de re d as d isso n an ce , 1 1 1
“
Do ct o r b o n us 15 7 , co n so n an t , 193 f .

Do cu m e n ti ar m o nici 41 , d im in ish e d , in co n so n an t co m b in a
Do d e cach o rd o n 27 , ti o n s, 17 5
Do m arto , P e trus de , 1 1 p e rf ect , in co n so n an t co mb in at io n s, 17 5
29 8

Franco 7
F ran co n ian
Fr o t t o l a 8
,

, ,
law , i x, 6
14, 1 7 ff .
H
H Ha nd e l

arm o n

o f 15 t h
( se e

y , 3 , 9 7—103
an d
an de l )

1 6t h i
I N DEX

ce n t ur e s co n t rast e d ,

F ug a 23 4, 265
, 14
F ug ue l
re at io n m e lo d y i n P ale st rina y le

H
to st

HH
d o u ble an d t ri le , 277 83

H
p
h em e f , 269 in Do rian d D m in o r co m

H
t o re so u rce s an

v o ca l , 265 ff .
p are d , 81
F ui t ho mo 167 y dn 48

H
, a ,

F u x, J o h ann J o se ph x, xiii 32, 3 8 f ay d o n G le n 175

H
.
, .
, , , ,

40, 42 f 49 , 5 1 f 95 , 107 , 1 1 1 , pt ac h o r d u m Danicu m 30

H
.
,
.
,
e ,

1 22 ff 1 48, 277 l 147

H
.
,
e rcu e s ,

e ri t ie r, 253

H
h o ny 3 6

H
e te ro
p ,

e xach o rd 26 6

H
,

H
die b e ata 1 63

H
o
Garlan d ia, J o h ann e s ,
6 ,

hn 52

H
o
Ge dan k e n ti be r di e ve rschi e d e n e n Le h r ,

m o ph o n y , 3

H
o
art e n 39
ucbal d , 5

H
G e rbe r e i n ri c h N ik o laus, 48
y pe rdo rian ( s e e Mo d e s )
,

H
G e rbe rt , 6
ypo ae o l ian ( se e Mo d e s )

H
G ian 23
Gi o co
,

91
y po io n ian ( se e Mo d e s )
ypo l y dian ( se e Mo d e s )
,

Giran d o l e tta 9 1
y po m ixo l y dian ( se e Mo de s )
,

G lare an , 27
ypo ph ry g ian ( se e Mo d e s )

H
Gl o ria 25 1 ff , .

G o n zaga G uile lm o 24 , ,

G rab n e r 5 1 ,

Grad ual e 25 1 , I m itat io n °

Grad us ad P arnass u m , xii i f .

,
32, 3 8 f .
, an d t he can o n , 234 .

48 f . by au
g m e n tat io n or d im in ut io n , 1 66
G ratiano T o m asso 25 , ,
b y in ve rsio n , 41 , 1 65
G raun 46 ,
by re t ro
g re ss o n , i 23 5
G re go rian ch an t m e lo dic l in e in 85 , , f re e , 1 63
G re go ry th e G re at 60 ,
i n f o ur-part co u n t e r
p o in t , 2 16
Grun dg e dan k e n ub er die ve rsch ie de n e n '

in 1 5 t h an d 1 6t h i
ce n t u r e s co n t raste d
L e h rarte n 43 14
Gru n dlage n de s li n e are n K o ntrapun k ts , in m ass, 25 5
X ,
51 in S t re tto 1 67 ,

G u id o ,
5 in t h re e part s ,
198 ff .

G u il e l m u s Mo n ach us 15 f in two p art s , 163 ff

H
. .
,

p er co n t rar o , i 41

H
p er dire t t o 4 1

H
,

re a l , 1 63
an del ,
46 , 148 , 1 63 , 25 0, 26 5 st rict , 1 63
all e r, x, 3 8 , 52, 1 19 , 124 t o nal , 1 63
di scuss io n f, 21
’

a n d b uch de r N o tati o n s/( un d e 5 5 ,

V ice n t in o s o
 I N DE X 299

I m itazi o n e pe r c o n t rari o 4 1 ,

I m i t ati o n e pe r di re t t o 41 ,

I n die b us il l is 10 1 ,
Lass u s O rlan dus V III
, , ,
13
In te D o m i n e s pe ravi 9 9 ,
L att re J e an de 3 5
, ,

I n te rval s La uda S i o n 100 ,

au
g m e n te d an d d im i n i she d l
e xc u de d , L a u d at e D o m i n u m , 1 5 7 , 23 0
85 L aud at e P ue ri ,
V ii

de ad , 1 60 Laude 19 ,

su cce ssio n o f large an d sm a ll, 86, L e ad in g to n e 17 7 ( s e e also C ade n ce )

,

286 L e h r b u ch d e r P h o n e t i k 9 6 ,

in h al ve s ,
1 14 f . L e h rb uch de s e i nfach e n u n d do ppe l te n
in q u arte rs, 1 19 if . K o n t rapu n kts 48 ,

in w h o le n o te s, 109 Le h rb uch des K o n trapun k ts ( J adasso h n ) ,

tab le o f m e lo dic, 85 49 ( R ie m an n ) 5 0
, ,

use o f , in P ale strin a st y le ,

85 Ligat ura :
I n t ro it u s, 25 1 cu m o
pp o s it a
p ro
p ri e t at e , 56 f .

I n ve rt ib l e co u n te r
p o in t , 28 4 o bli
q ua; 5 6 ff .

I o n ian ( see Mo des ) re cta, 5 5 ff .

I saac, 23 L igatu re 55 ff ,
.

I sido r, 9 Li n e are S atz de r 5 1 , ,

I sti t ut i o ni h arm o nich e , L ’

, 27 , 9 7 L isz t 253
,

L o re n te s A n d re as 8 8
, ,

L upus 253 ,

L u scin iu s, O tt m ar, 24
J aco bst h al ,
55
L y d ian ( se e Mo d es )
J adasso h n ,
x, 49
Jan l u ys 35 ,
M
Jann e q u i n 3 5 ,

[e n e d e m an d e 145 ,

J e spe rse n O tto 9 6 Macro bi us ,

9
, ,

J o sq ui n ( se e P re z J o sq uin Mag n u m h ae re d itatis m ysteri u m

,
d es
) ,

147
Maj o r t h i rd

H
K
i n be g in n in g ch o rd , 1 7 6
Ke rle , J aco b de ,
220 fi
i n n al ch o rd , 1 7 7
Kirn be rg e r, x, xv , 39 , 43 If ,
48 f . Maj o r t h ird s paralle l , ,
100
K it so n , C . .
,
X ,
147 Marce l l us Mass 13 6 f , 1 5 3 , 1 60
Ko d zi l y, Z o l tan , 6 8 Marce ll us 11 P o pe 19 , ,

K o m po sit i o n sl e h re 48 , 124 ,
Mare n z io L uca 3 4 , ,

Ko n trapun kt ( Be lle rm an n ), Mart in i 5 2 ,

2 19 , ( K re h l , 50
) Marx A B 48
,
. .
,

Kre h l , 49 ff . Mass 25 1 ff
,
.

K ro h n , I l m ari , 5 1 p aro d y ,
25 3
K u n st d e s i
re n e n S at z e s 44 , t e xt o f , 25 2
Ku n stg e schich tl i ch e Grun dbe g rifi e , xiii t ran script io n , 253 , 26 1
K u rt h , E rn st , xf .
,
51 u se o f im it at io n i n , 255 f .

Kyri e l i
e e so n, 25 1 ff . Me lo d ie s , p sa lm , 64 ff .
300 I N DEX
Me lo dy N ig h t W atch ,
R e m b randt s ’

,
X II
cu l m in at io n n o te in , 9 5 N in t h
G re go rian 5 9 , a s su s
pe n sio n be l o w can t us fi rm us
in fi f t h spe cie s 13 5 ,
ff .
p e rm it t e d in pp u e r vo ice , 156
i n h al f n o t e s 1 14 f , . s us
p e n s io n o f , 13 2, 18 8

i n q uarte r n o t es, 122 N o ta fi nalis ,

56
i n st re t t o , 269 N o ta i ni tial is 5 6 ,

in t e rval s ucce ssio n i n , 8 6 , 28 6 N o tat io n , 54 ff .

in the P ale st rin a st y le , 83 ff . N u n c di m it tis 1 8 5 ,

i n w h o le n o t e s, 1 09 ff .

Me l o pe o E l 3 1 , ,
O
Me n de lsso h n 48 ,

Me n s ural n o t e ns ch rift d e s 1 2 u n d 1 3 . .
O q uan t a s l uct us 16 8 ,
,

D i 5 5 O b re ch t , J aco b , x, 145
] ah r h u n d ert s e , ,

Me n s ural n o te n u n d T akt z e ich e n d e s 1 5 O ck e g h e m , 8 f 15

H
.

.
,

u n d 1 6 Iah rh un d e rts D ie 5 5
O ct ave s
.
, ,

acce n te d , 1 17 , 126, 28 7 f
Me te rs te rn ary 1 19 129 1 52 1 7 1 f 250
, , , , ,
.
,
.

Mis ce l l an e a m usical e 3 4 9 1 , ,
co n ce a e l d ( se e O ct aves , h idde n )
Misit e ro des 145 ,
co ve re d ( se e O ctave s, h idd e n )
Missa ad fugam 23 4 ,
em
p t y ,
14
as re so l u t io n o f su s e n sio n , 13 1
Missa Bre vis 153 166 19 8 ff , , ,
.
p
Missa si n e tit ul o 140 ,
h idde n ,
1 00 f .
,
1 12, 1 7 6 , 203 , 219
ll e l , 9 8, 1 12
Mo de d iff e re n ce be t w e e n scale an d 63
, ,
p ara

O fi e rt o ri u m 25 1
Mo de s e ccle siast ical 5 9 ff
, , .
,

O ht o e ch o s 5 9
Mo dulat io n 8 1 ,
,

O rd i nari u m m iss ae 25 1 f
Mo n te ve rd i 3 4 ,
, .

O rgan um , paralle l , 4 f
Mo rale s 13 ,
.

Mo rris R O x 5 2
,
. .
, ,
P
Mo te t viii 7 241 ff
, , ,
.

Mo t ive s f o r im it atio n 167

, ,
P aralle l c h o rds o f t h e s ixt h 99
,

Mo zart xiii 25 0, ,
P aralle l fi f t h s ix 9 8 , 1 12
, ,

Musica co m m un a l a 23 f 3 3 , , .
,
avo ide d b y cro ssin g part s, 99
Musica d i vi na 253 ,
P aralle l m aj o r t h irds, 100
Musica e n chiriadis 5 P arall e l o ct ave s 9 8 1 12

H
,
, ,
Musica rese rvata l a 23 , ,
P aralle l t h ird s an d sixt h s 1 12,
,

P arm ig ian o P ie t ro P o n t io , ,
28
Paro die m e sse 25 3 ,

Pe ne t il aire 253
, ,

N an in i ,
B e rn ard in o , an d G io van n i Maria ,
P e n tat o n ic 68 f ,
.

26 P er aug m e n t ati o n e m , 23 5
N e k e s, Fran z 124 P e r d i m i n u ti o n e m , 1 66, 23 5
,

N e n n a, P o m peo 3 4
,
P e rch e m usical e l l 9 1 , ,

N e u e m usi kal is ch e T h e o rie n und P h an P e t it 3 5

,

t asi e n , 148 P h ry g ian ( s e e Mo de s )

N ich o m ach u s, 9 P lato 9 3 4, ,

N ie l se n , C arl , V , 69 P ar q ue de l a m usica E l 8 8 , ,
 H
I N DEX 30 1

P o rta C o st an zo , 24 f . R o re C iprian o
,
de , 3 4
P o rt a m e n t o d iss o n an z 32 ,
R o st ag n o J , . .
,
V ii
P rat tica di m usica 24, 40 ,
R o th x ,

P re z J o s q uin
,
de s, 13 , 1 5 , 23 , R ube n s xii ,

147 , 253 R ul e s o f C o u n t e rpo i n t ,

Th e
Pr o pri u m de t e m po re , 25 1
P ro ske 253 ,

P r o t us ( se e Mo d e s )
P ro ut x S ag g i o o n d a m e n t al e i
,
f p r at co di c o n t ra
p
P to le m ae u s 9 nto , 52
p u
,

H
P y t h ag o ras 9 S al v u m 17 6
,
fac ,

S a n ct us 25 1 ff , .

Q S cale s, an c ie n t G re e k , 61 f .

S c h e n k e r, e i n ric h x , ,
1 48
Quarte r n o te s , 8 7 ff ,
1 19 ff .
S c h ube rt , 25 3
as acce n t e d di sso n an ce s, 1 23 f 143 f S e co n d , sus e ns o n i f
,
p o
.
.
,

154 ff .
in lo we r i
v o ce , 13 1
in m ixe d n o t e v al ue s , 1 35 ff .
in u ppe r v o ice , 132, 18 8
Q ui n ta V o cal i s Lit urgica , V ii S e la face a /

y p l 1 46 a e,

S e q u e n ce , 83 , 1 1 5
S e ve n t h , sus
p e ns o n i o f , in lo we r i
v o ce

R am e au 48 ,
S e ve n t h d e g re e , rai se d in ca d e n ce ,
1 10 f .

R an ge o f v o ice s ,
1 10 S i b e l i u s, 6 9
Rav n , 29 f . S ix-f o u r c h o rd ,
17 5
R e al an swe r, 1 64 S ixt h s, parall e l , 1 1 2, 1 5 8

H
R e d icta 12 ,
S k ip s :
R e g is J o h an n es 9
, ,
co m e n sat io n o
p f , 85 , 120
R e m b ran dt xii ,
di ssOn an t , 8 3
R e nai ssan ce in fl ue n ce ,
on P ale st rin a ,
i n h al f n o t e s, 1 14 f .

R e percussi o ,
265 i n q uarte r n o t e s, 8 7 f 1 19 .
,
286
Re pe tit io n o f to n e s, 1 14, 1 60, 220 s im u l t an eo u s, 1 12, 1 7 6

R e pl e at ur os m e u m l aude 23 6 ,
S pe cie s, xv

Res facta , 11 f . can t us fi rm u s an d t h e , 36

R h y th m : P ux an d t h e , 38
in fi f th specie s, 13 5 ff . Z acco n i
’
s use o f t h e , 40 f .

in l
re at io n t o c u l m in at io n n o te , 96 S pe m i n al i u m 15 8 ,

i n 1 6t h ce n t u r y ,
83 S p it ta, P h .
,
48
in s t re t t o ,
269 S pr u ngg e se t z de s P al e st ri n a S tils -

of f ug ue t h e m e , 269 B us 8 7 ,

R ic h af o rt , J e an , 253 S tOh r, x

H
R ich te r x 48 f , , . S tre t t o , 1 6 7 , 248 f .
,
266
R ico urt 3 5 , S t yl e o f P al e s t ri n a an d the Diss o nance ,

R iddle can o n 23 4 , T h e i x, 8 6, 9 3 , 144, 1 5 4, 1 55 , 1 8 5 ,

,

R ie m ann ug o x , , ,
xii i , 17 , 49 , 5 1 214
R o ck st ro , W . C .
,
x, 154 S upe r l i br u m can tare , 11
302 I N DEX
S u rg e pro pe ra 9 6 ,
U n iso n
S uspe n sio n i n fo u rt h s
p ecie s, 13 3
i n f o u rt h S pe cie s , 130 ff . i n f ree co u n te r
p o in t , 160
q uarte r n o te , 1 41 in se co n d s e c ie s, 1 1 6 f
p .

S w ee l in ck ,
29 in th ird s
pe c e s, i 125
S y n co pat io n ( se e al so S u spe n sio n ) in t h re e -
p art co u n te r
po i n t , 17 6
u se o f in fi ft h s ecie s,
p 1 4 1 ff . U n it o f m e asu re , h al f n o t e as , 1 16
U rspru n g , O tto , 220

T e xt , placi n g o f , 1 5 9 f , 256

H
.

T h e m e , e n t ran ce o f in f ug ue , 269 V al d e h o n o ran d us e st , 13 7

T h e s is, 1 16 , 193 V er de lo t , 3 5, 25 3
T h ird : V e rwe re , J o h an n e s de , 8

H
m i n o r, o m it t e d in cade n ce , 72 Vi i
ce n t n o 19 29 , 32,
,
.
,

t wo sk ip s o f a, 1 13 1 67
T h i rds, paral le l , 1 12, 15 8 V i t i 13
c o r a, 73
,

T ig ri n i, 29, 30 Vi l t i m m i g
e s 2 19
,

T i n ct o ris, 8 .
,
13 ff .
Vi i G lil i
r a ae 156, 224
,

T o n al an swe r, 1 64
T o n e pain tin g , 25 8
-

T o scan e ll a i n m usica 30 ,

T o v e y , D o n al d F ran cis v ii, v iii

,
W ag n e r P e te r 62
, ,
T ract us 25 1 ,
W ag n e r R ich ard 69
, ,
T rait é d e l h ar m o n ie 48
'

,
W e rt G iache s de 3 4
, ,
T ran sil van o l l 40
, ,
Wh o le n o te in n e xt to last m e asu re
T ran sit io n , 265
i n f o urt h spe cie s 13 3

H
,
T riad
in se co n d spe cie s 1 14
d im i n ish e d , in d e n ce 17 8
,
ca
t h i rd spe cie s, 1 19
,
” in
m pt y , 17 7
e

h re e o in t , 1 7 5 ff
Will ae rt , A d rian , 20
in t p art co u n t e r
p WOlffl in
-

h X II
.

e in ric
T r i pl e t im e ( se e a so l Me te rs te rn ar y) , ,
, ,
W o lf J o h an n e s
, ,
55
1 19
Tu es P e trus , 224

Zacco n i , 24, 40 f .

Ue b e r e i n e n Brie f P al e st ri n as , 10 1 Z arl in o , 16, 20 , 25 ff . 3 6, 52, 9 7 , 159