MUS 301, Counterpoint

1. DESCRIPTION OF COURSE:

A study of contrapuntal concepts and techniques in music of the 16th through the 18th centuries. Prerequisite: Music 202. Spring, odd numbered years.

2. STUDENT OBJECTIVES:

a. Students will develop a sense of the scope and importance of counterpoint through exposure to a wide variety of representative examples, and through discussions detailing the importance of an understanding of counterpoint by performers, teachers, and scholars.

b. Students will learn a body of important terms and concepts regarding contrapuntal analysis and composition.

c. Students will refine their analytical and compositional skills first developed in Music Theory I through IV.

d. Students will develop a positive attitude toward the analysis and composition of contrapuntal music.

3. COURSE OUTLINE:

Unit 1 Introductory Concepts

The nature of polyphonic music

The single melodic line

The 5 traditional "species"

Two-voice works

Chromaticism

Unit 2 Pieces in two voices

Canon

Invention

Invertible counterpoint

Unit 3 Pieces in three voices

Imitation

Three-part invention

Trio sonata

Unit 4 Pieces in four or more voices

Fugue

Chorale prelude, chorale variations

Contrapuntal variations: Ground, Passacaglia, Chaconne

4 & 5. EVALUATION & REQUIREMENTS :

See attached Calendar of Assignments and Exams for details.

6. SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES:

Burkhart, Charles. Anthology for Musical Analysis, 6^th Ed., Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2004.

Crocker, Richard. A History of Musical Style, McGraw-Hill, 1966.

Fux, Johann J. The Study of Counterpoint (translated and edited from Gradus Ad Parnassum), Norton, 1965.

Gauldin, Robert. A Practical Approach to Sixteenth-Century Counterpoint, Prentice-Hall, 1984.

Gauldin, Robert. A Practical Approach to Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint, Prentice-Hall, 1988.

Hindemith, Paul. The Craft of Musical Composition, Schott, 1968.

Horsley, Imogene. Fugue: History and Practice, Free Press, 1966.

Mann, Alfred. The Study of Fugue, Norton, 1965.

Morley, Thomas. A Plain and Easy Introduction to Practical Music (modern edition of the 17th century text), Norton, 1966.

Salzer, Felix, and Carl Schachter. Counterpoint in Composition. McGraw-Hill, 1969.

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