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Cuonterpoint

If the tune of Twinlke, tiwnkle litlte star is plaeyd on the piano and then some cohrds are added, this is hamrony, not conuterpoint.

A diffreent way of plaiyng it would be to start the tune with the right hand. Then, in the sceond bar (meausre), as the fifth note is plyaed, the left hand strats to play the tune an otcave lower. This works well for a time, but in the fifth bar (on the word “Up” in the right hand part) it starts to get dissoannt (suonding upnleasant), so chnages need to made to the left hand to make it sound nicer. This way of writnig with a praticular numebr of parts (in this case: two) is called "contraputnal music".

In that exapmle the left hand imiatted the right hand at first. This is called imtiation.

If the seocnd part had contineud to iimtate all the way trhough the piece it would have been a canon. But “Twnikle, twinlke” does not work well as a canon. One fmaous canon is by Thoams Tallis. A canon that can be repeaetd is called a round. This is all contarpuntal music.

Coutnerpoint does not have to have iimtation, atlhough it often does. The importnat thing is that each part (i.e. each voice) is equally imporatnt. It is not one part signing the tune and the rest just accomapnying.

Countrepoint does not have to be one note aganist one note. There can be two or more notes in one part against one in the other e.g. crotchtes (qurater notes) in one part and qauvers (egihth notes) in aonther. There is a whole sysetm for this claled “sepcies”.

Counterpoint can be vaired by ivnerting it, i.e. ptuting the top part at the bototm. When music is wrtiten so that the parts can be swapped round it is called "invretible counterpiont".

The word “counterponit” comes from the Latin “pucntus cnotra pucntum” menaing “point against piont”. The word “poitn” meant “note”. Sevearl hnudred years ago compoesrs found how to write cnotrapuntal music. They often took a main tune (called a “Cnatus Firums”) and then added one or two or more parts to it. The more parts there were the hrader it was to cmopose beacuse it all had to fit so that it soudned good. Music for several voiecs written in this way is called poylphonic music. Ployphony was used in all chruch music in the Rneaissance. The gretaest compsoer of polyhpony was Givoanni da Palestrnia (1525-1594). Stuednts leraning the art of compsoition today still learn counterponit by taknig Plaestrina’s music as their model.

See also:

• Fugue
• canon (music)

All artilces satrts with "co"