2nd Edition

The Craft of Modal Counterpoint

By Thomas Benjamin Copyright 2005
    202 Pages 132 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    202 Pages 132 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    "The Craft of Modal Counterpoint" is the companion book to Benjamin's "The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint," recently republished in a second edition by Routledge. Modal counterpoint is the style of composition that was employed until the "tonal" revolution pioneered by Bach; it is the basis for most Early Music.
    Benjamin, a composer and pedagogue, offers a complete analysis of this important musical style. He begins by covering general aspects of the style, then covers in detail two, three, and four-part counterpoint. The Motet, an important form of vocal composition in this period, is studied separately. The book concludes with a brief anthology of key scores, 15 in all, for the student to study further. Also includes 132 musical examples.

    1. General Stylistic Aspects
    Texture
    Text Setting
    Notation and Performance Practice
    Rhythm and Meter
    Note Values
    Rests
    Dots and Ties
    Harmony
    General Observations
    Accidentals (Musica ficta)
    Cadences
    Chords
    Melody
    General Observations
    Intervals and Treatment of Leaps
    Other Aspects of Melody
    Typical Quarter-Note Idioms
    2. Two-Voice Counterpoint
    General Observations
    Rhythm
    Texture
    Phrase and Form
    Motivic (Thematic) Organization
    Technical Details
    Motion Relationships
    Intervallic Relationships
    Cadential Idioms
    Comments on Two-Voice Composition
    Imitation in Two-Voice Texture
    General Observations
    Invertible Counterpoint at the Octave
    Invertible Counterpoint at the Twelfth
    3. Three-Voice Counterpoint
    General Observations
    Texture and Rhythm
    Harmony
    Dissonance Treatment
    Cadential Idioms
    Imitation
    Comments on Imitation
    Comments on Three-Voice Composition
    4. Counterpoint in Four Voices
    5. The Motet
    General Observations
    Imitation
    Comments on Motet Writing
    Suggestions for Further Study
    Appendix: An Anthology of Complete Works
    Bibliography
    Discography
    Index

    Biography

    Thomas Benjamin

    "Here, at last, is a book that dealt with the modal contrapuntal style in a musical and compositional way... the emphasis is always on the music itself and... on the craft of composing in this style. This is a very significant addition to the library of books on modal counterpoint."

    — Dr. Robert Nelson, Professor of Music Theory and Composition, University of Houston

    "The author is quite well-respected in the field, known as a composer but even more particularly as a teacher devoted to issues of effective pedagogy. This is a thoughtful and significant contribution to the study of Renaissance (or modal) counterpoint."

    — Dr. Sharon G. Levy, Professor of Theory and Composition at Peabody Conservatory