The Study of Counterpoint: From Johann Joseph Fux's Gradus AD Parnassum

This is a great introduction to species counterpoint. It has been in use for many years and was studied by many great composers. It still engages the modern person today because it is concise, imaginative and teaches concepts in a digestible and easy to follow manner. The form of the book is a relationship between a teacher and student. The student is not the brightest bulb on the tree, but the teacher shows him concept by concept how counterpoint works. This story format is entertaining, but also serves as a way to anchor concepts. If you are looking for something that is a quick, easy read with lots of good content and historical interest, you will enjoy this. I feel it is a must have for any serious student of music.

When most people think of species counterpoint they think of the method laid out by Johann Joseph Fux in this book. This is a late 17th, early 18th century document describing a theoretical practice of a hundred years earlier, but still used pedagogically in teaching composition students for another hundred years. You might say to the present day, but really this is used as a historical document in musicological studies. Some students might read it for themselves, but few actual courses on counterpoint would be taught at a music school from this book alone. It is set up as a dialogue between a master, Aloysius, and a conveniently doltish student named Josephus. Josephus is us and asks all kinds of questions to prompt the teacher to say what he was going to teach us anyway. He also provides comic relief. If you want to understand species counterpoint, this is a concise and historically important way to get at it.

This is an indispensable work for anyone with a serious interest in musical composition. It lays out the entire foundation of tonal composition (i.e.: counterpoint) in a lucid, organized systematic manner.The serious student of musical composition should have this book, work through it not once but regularly. I re-read it constantly and work through all the exercises again once or twice a year.It should also be used in conjunction with "Structural Hearing Tonal Coherence in Music" by Felix Salzer (Schenker's protégé).

The book has a nice pace. It is not a fat book. Content is presented succinctly. The platonic-type dialog is as charming as it is civilized and effective. There is something inspirational about reading a treatise previously studied by people like Bach, Haydn, Mozart, etc. I would say that even the most anti-traditional composer-person might benefit from the straightforward analytic of it all, even if one's harmonic sensibility differs from those presented in this text. All in all, a book to check out, if counterpoint intrigues you.

This book is written in the form of an imaginary dialogue between the author, who plays the part of a humble and eager student, and Palestrina. If you sit down and take the time to do the lessons, contrapunctual lines seem to write themselves for you. Useful for many styles of music, it really helped me write better bass lines and voice leading in general. Self-taught musicians! Don't be afraid of studying theory! This is a great book!