The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint by Thomas Benjamin

Author:Thomas Benjamin [Benjamin, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781135946623
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2004-03-01T03:00:00+00:00

Good three-voice counterpoint should possess a feeling of equality between the voices. There will, of course, be moments during which one voice will be subsidiary in activity or interest, though even then there will be some sense of line (see example 8-1, middle voice). The bass voice will at times take the role of harmonic support, by way of pedal point (examples 8-1, 8-2, and 8-3), or of root-outlining movement (example 8-5 and in parts of examples 8-8, 8-9, and 8-10). Pedal point is normally restricted to tonic and dominant notes, and tends to occur at openings, and approaching final cadences, with the purpose of emphasizing and prolonging important harmonic goals. Approaching cadences, the bass will fall into the same harmonic/supportive patterns that we observed in two-voice writing (example 8-1, mm. 7-8; example 8-4, mm. 3-4, 7-8, and 15-16; example 8-6, mm. 3-4, 7-8, and so on).

Rigorous imitation, as in fugue, is a way of ensuring equality of voices. Another is informal motivic imitation, as may be seen in examples 8-3, 8-9, 8-11, and 8-12. This type of casual motivic imitation is much easier to handle technically than rigorous canonic imitation, and is highly recommended as a texture for student work. Observe in example 8-15 the way in which the sixteenth-note scalar figure, in both its original and its inverted forms, is passed among the voices.

Ex. 8-15 Well-Tempered Clavier II, Prelude No. 21

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