Counterpoint Hyperlinks clicked on this page open a new window, which may refer to demonstration features, such as buttons to play music, which are contained on another screen. Please refer to the menu sequence at the foot of that new window, if you wish to go to that other screen.

Counterpoint is the blending together of two or more melodies, which harmonize with each other. Unless  every note in one melody harmonizes with notes sounded simultaneously by every other melody, the result would be a discordant jumble. This can easily be illustrated by playing together two independent melodies chosen at random. For example, The Last Rose of Summer played against Oh My Darling Clementine. If in different keys, you can guarantee the result will be awful. If both in the same key, there is a reasonable chance that some chords, or even some whole bars, may harmonize, but only by luck!

Bach's two-part inventions are excellent examples of counterpoint, where the pianist plays one melody with his right hand, and another with his left hand. The example buttons on the left demonstrate Bach's Invention in Bb major. Try listening to each hand separately, then hear them played together.

A lot of modern music is purely chordal, that is, there is a single melody, accompanied by chords, and absolutely no counterpoint. Pop music, folk music, and a lot of the classical and romantic repertoire fall into this category.

Counterpoint was used extensively in the Baroque period, with Bach and Handel the acknowledged masters of the art. Its use became less in the Classical and subsequent periods. However, writing for a larger ensemble, especially a symphony orchestra, will usually involve writing counterpoint between some of the different instruments, even in the Romantic Style. Counterpoint makes the texture of orchestral scores much more interesting to listen to, and more fun for the orchestra to play!

Four-part hymn tunes, and many other choral works written for SATB (Soprano Alto, Tenor, Bass), use counterpoint, in which there are four melodies, one for each voice. However, when looked at vertically, every chord must be harmonious. As the main melody is usually on top, for the soprano voice, it often happens that the other parts are boring, awkward, or ugly for the singers. This happens when the composer or arranger has thought out the lower parts from a vertical, or harmonic, point of view, without giving much thought to the flow of melody in the lower parts. It takes considerable skill to write 4 parts in which all are fluent and interesting for the singer (or player), but which all blend perfectly from a harmonic point of view.


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