Counterpoint: melodies that fit together
Counterpoint is the art of combining two or more independent melodies so that they sound good together. The word comes from the Latin for note against note. It is the technique behind polyphony, canons and fugues.
Counterpoint comes from the Latin phrase punctus contra punctum, meaning point against point, or note against note. In older music a point was a note. Counterpoint is the skill of writing one melody against another, so that each line stands on its own and the two still fit together. Where polyphony names the sound of many melodies, counterpoint names the craft.
What makes a good counterpoint?
Good counterpoint balances independence and harmony. Each line should be a pleasing melody by itself, with its own rhythm and shape. Yet at every moment the notes that sound together should blend well, in agreed intervals. The traditional rules favor consonant intervals such as thirds, sixths and perfect fifths on strong beats, and allow brief dissonance on weak beats if it resolves. They discourage the lines from moving in parallel fifths or octaves, which makes them sound like one line rather than two.
What are the types of motion?
| Motion | What the voices do |
|---|---|
| Parallel | Both go the same direction by the same interval |
| Similar | Both go the same direction by different intervals |
| Contrary | They go in opposite directions |
| Oblique | One stays still while the other moves |
Contrary motion is the most valued, because it keeps the lines independent. The same ideas apply to intervals, the distances between notes sounding together.
What are the species of counterpoint?
In the early 1700s, Johann Joseph Fux wrote a famous teaching book, Gradus ad Parnassum, which described counterpoint in five stages called species. Students start by adding one note against each note of a given melody, then two notes, then four, then syncopated notes and finally a free mixture. The melody they are given is called the cantus firmus, Latin for fixed song. Many composers have studied counterpoint this way since.
- First species: One note against one.
- Second species: Two notes against one.
- Third species: Four notes against one.
- Fourth species: Syncopated notes, tied across the beat.
- Fifth species: A free mix of the other four.
What are the forms of counterpoint in music?
- Imitation: One voice copies another a moment later.
- Canon: Strict imitation of the whole melody, as in a round.
- Fugue: A piece built on a theme that enters in each voice in turn. Johann Sebastian Bach wrote many famous fugues.
- Invention: A short keyboard piece with two or three voices, also by Bach.
How does counterpoint differ from harmony?
Harmony looks at the chords made when notes sound together. Counterpoint looks at the lines that make them. Both describe the same music from a different angle: harmony is vertical, as in a column of notes, while counterpoint is horizontal, as in a line of melody. Good composers think in both ways at once.
Memory trick: Counterpoint means point against point. Think of one melody pushing against another.
How can you hear counterpoint?
Listen to a Bach fugue and try to follow each entry of the theme. When the second voice enters, notice that the first does not stop but moves on to something new. Then listen to a polyphony example such as a round. You will hear counterpoint as the way the parts fit together.
Check yourself
1. What does counterpoint literally mean?
Answer: Note against note. From Latin punctus contra punctum.
2. What is the fixed melody in species counterpoint called?
Answer: Cantus firmus. The Latin words mean fixed song, a melody that stays unchanged.
3. Which type of motion is most valued in counterpoint?
Answer: Contrary. It keeps the two lines independent.
4. Which composer is famous for fugues?
Answer: J. S. Bach. His fugues are the best known examples of counterpoint.