Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction

1: Melody
General Characteristics
Melodic Organization
Putting It All Together
Beyond the Rules
Exercises

2: First Species — 1:1
General Characteristics
Putting It All Together
Conclusion
Exercises

3: Second Species — 2:1
General Characteristics
How to Construct 2:1
Conclusion
Exercises

4: Third Species — 3:1 and 4:1
Three Notes Against One (3:1)
Four Notes Against One (4:1)
Rhythmic Interplay between the Lines
Beyond Third Species
Exercises

5: Analyzing and Composing a Simple Piece in Two Parts
General Characteristics of Musical Form
Analyzing Form
Binary Form
Composing a Binary-Form Piece
Beyond Form and Analysis
Exercises

6: Double Counterpoint
General Remarks and Principles
How to Construct Double Counterpoint
Exercises

7: Two-part Canon
General Remarks and Principles
Common Canons
How to Write a Two-Part Canon
Canon Transformations
Still More Canons
Conclusion
Exercises

8: J. S. Bach’s Two-part Invention
Analyzing Inventions
Section 1
Section 2
Concluding Measures
Overall Construction
Composing Inventions
Exercises

9: Counterpoint in Three and Four Parts
Back to the Species
General Characteristics
The Difference between Harmony and Counterpoint
How to Construct Species Counterpoint in Three Parts
How to Construct Species Counterpoint in Four Parts
Beyond Four-Part Counterpoint
Exercises

10: Fugue
Bach and the Fugue
Section 1: Exposition
Section 2: Development
Final Portion220
Overall Construction
Composing Fugues
Exercises

Bibliography
Index

About the Author

Teresa Davidian is head of the department of fine arts at Tarleton State University, a member of the Texas A&M University System. She is the author of articles on Debussy, the 1930s avant-garde movement, and music theory pedagogy.

Reviews

Students today, having grown up in the age of digital technology, like their information fast and consider visual images as important as textual content. In this single-semester introduction, Davidian provides students with a textbook that is a direct reflection of the age in which they live. Throughout, the author explains how the techniques of 18th-century counterpoint still readily apply to how music is composed today.
*Teaching Music*