The Craft of Modal Counterpoint

"The Craft of Modal Counterpoint" is the companion book to Benjamin's "The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint," recently republished in a second edition by Routledge. Modal counterpoint is the style of composition that was employed until the "tonal" revolution pioneered by Bach; it is the basis for most Early Music.
Benjamin, a composer and pedagogue, offers a complete analysis of this important musical style. He begins by covering general aspects of the style, then covers in detail two, three, and four-part counterpoint. The Motet, an important form of vocal composition in this period, is studied separately. The book concludes with a brief anthology of key scores, 15 in all, for the student to study further. Also includes 132 musical examples.

"Here, at last, is a book that dealt with the modal contrapuntal style in a musical and compositional way... the emphasis is always on the music itself and... on the craft of composing in this style. This is a very significant addition to the library of books on modal counterpoint." Dr. Robert Nelson, Professor of Music Theory and Composition, University of Houston "The author is quite well-respected in the field, known as a composer but even more particularly as a teacher devoted to issues of effective pedagogy. This is a thoughtful and significant contribution to the study of Renaissance (or modal) counterpoint." Dr. Sharon G. Levy, Professor of Theory and Composition at Peabody Conservatory

Autorentext

Thomas Benjamin

Klappentext

"The Craft of Modal Counterpoint" is the companion book to Benjamin's "The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint," recently republished in a second edition by Routledge. Modal counterpoint is the style of composition that was employed until the "tonal" revolution pioneered by Bach; it is the basis for most Early Music. Benjamin, a composer and pedagogue, offers a complete analysis of this important musical style. He begins by covering general aspects of the style, then covers in detail two, three, and four-part counterpoint. The Motet, an important form of vocal composition in this period, is studied separately. The book concludes with a brief anthology of key scores, 15 in all, for the student to study further. Also includes 132 musical examples.

Inhalt

1. General Stylistic Aspects Texture Text Setting Notation and Performance Practice Rhythm and Meter Note Values Rests Dots and Ties Harmony General Observations Accidentals (Musica ficta) Cadences Chords Melody General Observations Intervals and Treatment of Leaps Other Aspects of Melody Typical Quarter-Note Idioms 2. Two-Voice Counterpoint General Observations Rhythm Texture Phrase and Form Motivic (Thematic) Organization Technical Details Motion Relationships Intervallic Relationships Cadential Idioms Comments on Two-Voice Composition Imitation in Two-Voice Texture General Observations Invertible Counterpoint at the Octave Invertible Counterpoint at the Twelfth 3. Three-Voice Counterpoint General Observations Texture and Rhythm Harmony Dissonance Treatment Cadential Idioms Imitation Comments on Imitation Comments on Three-Voice Composition 4. Counterpoint in Four Voices 5. The Motet General Observations Imitation Comments on Motet Writing Suggestions for Further Study Appendix: An Anthology of Complete Works Bibliography Discography Index