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

The book is in a great state; it's a wonderful 70's copy! Super excited about this acquisition.

This book is essentially the easiest way to learn modal species counterpoint, but it suffers a bit in that it isn't as in depth as other counterpoint books, even in the modal space.For any aspiring composers reading, I would recommend you pick up a tonal counterpoint method as well, since modal species counterpoint serves only to teach you melodic contour and is essentially useless outside of itself. Tonal counterpoint is where you put to use the melodic contour skills you've learned because it will be habitual to you by that point which allows you to focus on creating a convincing harmonic movement that will be actually useful in composing real music.Consider picking up Melodia: A Course in Sight-Singing as well and practice that as much or more so than you practice counterpoint, as being able to sing properly gives you hands-on experience with the means by which counterpoint should be expressed and elucidates the reasoning behind the rules and the concepts of melodic contour.If you are considering Paul Hindemith's method, skip this book as melody construction, and thus, contour is directly addressed at the very beginning of the book, but I would similarly recommend Melodia and getting serious practice listening to as well as composing harmonies and lines in chromatic space before approaching it.

A great way to learn counterpoint. It is very hands on as you follow the examples given in the story line between teacher and pupil. I find it a very fun way to learn. I was quite surprised at the format. Always heard of this book from music theory text books, but didn’t realize how much of a story this book was.

This is a short book and a keyboard student probably won't need to study all of it.One method of playing keyboard is right hand plays melody, left plays chords. This is different!Here, right hand plays melody. Left hand plays, note for note, a counterpoint melody. The examples given are short. e.g. 11 note melody and eleven note counterpoint melody. You play both at the same time.The Reason: If you come up with a melody you like, that's 'catchy', the counterpoint melody adds a new dimension. Not a second dimension, like you'd think. IMHO, this is like skipping to 'The Fifth Dimension.' Not 1 plus 1 = 2, more like 1 plus 1 = 127! Very cool.Try the short example on page 36 or 37 and see if you're not completely astounded.The book explains the rules and methods for deriving the counterpoint from the melody. The remainder of the book explains 2 notes against one, 3 against one, etc. The first 40 or so pages are worth the price of the book.Unlike some keyboard practice materials, this is fun. Also, learning the very first example (page 36?) which takes 10 minutes, makes a newbie sound _profound_

A knowledge of counterpoint ---that is---how notes "maneuver " with and around each other , is essential for good composition and arranging. Your "writing" will sound and play so much better if you "get the notes in the right places " and this is what counterpoint is about. This book will show you how to do this from the ground up, from the simple to the more complex and does it in a clearly illustrated logical way---one of the best on the subject. Whether involved in writing jazz or classical music , you need to understand counterpoint and your music will show it. One last point, if you're writing for a vocalist, counterpoint will help you enhance the background while keeping it from getting "in the way".

This is the most concise and practical book I've ever read on the study and practice of counterpoint.Other books I've read and studied tried to cover too much theory along with the study of counterpoint.The book is short.But it is the ONLY book you will need on counterpoint. Why?Because the book is about counterpoint, period.It's not trying to teach intervals and notation and harmony at the same time as teaching counterpoint. You must know at least intermediate music theory BEFORE coming to this book.It's written in question and answer format: a student asking a teacher to unlock the key to mastering counterpoint.The same cantus firmus is used in every example. That takes much confusion out of learning and comparing each species.

Take Beethoven's, Bach's, Haydyn's, Mozart's (Wolfgang -and- Leopold), Hindemith's... This text may deal with a style of music long antiquated, but the principle's and structure of its techniques still hold strong today, and a knowledge of them is unquestionably helpful. Fux was also very careful to set the book up as a basic course for the reader, so that all one must do is follow along and do as the Master dictates in order to have a series of excellent lessons.I know that in my own writing, I now see many places where my ear has lead me to follow many of these rules (and also many places where I have completely ignored, butchered, broken, and smashed them). These rules and tendencies continue to guide, if not dictate, much of contemporary composition.And if you're still not convinced, the dialogue is so extremely, ridiculously over-the-top as to make reading it an enjoyable experience purely on an entertainment basis! Gotta love 18th century Europe.

Read the almost indecipherable book on Counterpoint that Walter Piston wrote, and you will gain an incredible appreciation for the straight forward, lucid, and plain spoken approach Johann Fux had with his writings. It's ironic that this book, written hundreds of years before Pinton's 20th century work, is so much more approachable. Fux had the heart of a teacher unlike the pedantic Piston. Reading this book and Basic Materials on Musical Theory alone equipped me with the knowledge I needed to write some very complex works of classical music that I am thoroughly happy with. The staff diagrams could have easily been updated to reflect the Bass and Treble staves used today, but that's just a minor suggestion for future editions.

There are many books on this matter, but I find some of them sometimes confusing or not explicit, having lots of big texts saying basically nothing. Not this one though! This book is written based on a teacher/student dialogue system which allows you to really understand what is being explained, step by step, and having all of your silly student questions answered! There is no filler text, everything is really important information, which makes this my go-to counterpoint bible. You end up being able to write efficiently a string quartet following all the baroque counterpoint rules. Of course, you can break the rules in your own compositions, but there's no point in "breaking the rules" if you're not even aware of which rules you're breaking, that's just ignorance at that point, so study counterpoint with this book and evolve your music to the next level!

This book is a translations and therefore is quite difficult to read at points. It is still very good but some points can be difficult to understand.

Very pleased. Thanks

pretty entertaining actually

This book is a bit dry and hardgoing, however I am persevering with it. A good book to read if you need to understand Counterpoint.