Difference between revisions of "Counterpoint"
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| − | '''Counterpoint''', from the [[Latin]]: | + | '''Counterpoint''', from the [[Latin]]: is the combination of two or more separate musical lines to form a harmonic whole. It also refers to the academic discipline used throughout history to teach composers how best to combine voices in a musical texture. |
It began in the 14th century and, as what is now termed [[polyphony]], reached heights in the music of [[Palestrina]], [[William Byrd|Byrd]], [[Lassus]] and others during the 15th and 16th centuries. It continued to develop and by the time of [[Bach]] and [[Handel]] it had been “codified” into various forms; the most notable being the “''fugue''”. This high [[Baroque]] period (generally considered to be the first half of the 18th century) is the high point of contrapuntal writing. | It began in the 14th century and, as what is now termed [[polyphony]], reached heights in the music of [[Palestrina]], [[William Byrd|Byrd]], [[Lassus]] and others during the 15th and 16th centuries. It continued to develop and by the time of [[Bach]] and [[Handel]] it had been “codified” into various forms; the most notable being the “''fugue''”. This high [[Baroque]] period (generally considered to be the first half of the 18th century) is the high point of contrapuntal writing. | ||
Revision as of 19:15, March 17, 2009
Counterpoint, from the Latin: is the combination of two or more separate musical lines to form a harmonic whole. It also refers to the academic discipline used throughout history to teach composers how best to combine voices in a musical texture.
It began in the 14th century and, as what is now termed polyphony, reached heights in the music of Palestrina, Byrd, Lassus and others during the 15th and 16th centuries. It continued to develop and by the time of Bach and Handel it had been “codified” into various forms; the most notable being the “fugue”. This high Baroque period (generally considered to be the first half of the 18th century) is the high point of contrapuntal writing.
Composers in the subsequent Classical period, notably Joseph Haydn and W.A. Mozart studied it, and used it extensively in the development of sonata-form movements within their works. The Romantic period saw the importance of the theory decline, but not disappear. Mendelssohn and Brahms both found musical inspiration in its forms. (Brahms would “doodle” with counterpoint as a cure for “writer’s block”.) The rise of “neo-classicism” in many of the works of Igor Stravinsky in the 20th century gave it new impetus. It is still a part of the study of composition.