Changes

'''Counterpoint''', from the [[Latin]]: “''against note''” is the combination of two separate musical lines to form an harmonic whole.  

'''Counterpoint''', from the [[Latin]]: “''against note''” is the combination of two separate musical lines to form an harmonic whole.  

It began in the 14th century and, as what is now termed [[polyphony]], reached heights in the music of [[Pallestrina]], [[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.

Composers in the subsequent [[Classical period (music)|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 (music)|Romantic]] period saw the importance of the theory decline, but not disappear. [[Felix Mendelssohn|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.

Composers in the subsequent [[Classical period (music)|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 (music)|Romantic]] period saw the importance of the theory decline, but not disappear. [[Felix Mendelssohn|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.

[[Category: Musical terms]]

[[Category: Musical terms]]