CANTUS FIRMUS

Species counterpoint

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Species counterpoint

  • Method of teaching writing melodies and to combine them

    • Teaching counterpoint with harmonic and melodic guidelines from the 16th century

    • Gradual process

5 SPECIES

1. Note against note

2. 2 notes against 1 note

3. 4 notes against 1 note

4. Handling suspensions/dissonance

5. Mix of 1-4

4.5 TYPES OF MOTION

• Contrary

  • 2 voices move in opposite directions

• Parallel

  • 2 voices move in same direction and over the same distance

• Similar

  • 2 voices move in same direction over different distances

• Oblique

  • One voice moves, one voice doesn’t

• “Static”

  • No motion

FIRST SPECIES COUNTERPOINT

RULES OF CANTUS FIRMUS

• Begin on a perfect unison, fifth or octave

• Both voices move at exactly the same rate and have no rhythmic variety

• All voices are consonant (1,3,5,6,8)

• Stepwise motion and leap only occasionally

  • Melodic leaps of a tritone or 7th is forbidden

• Parallel perfect consonance are forbidden

• End with a perfect unison or octave

• End on Ti-Do or Re-Do

THINGS THAT ARE ILLEGAL:

• Parallel perfect consonance (5ths and 8ths)

  • Intervals are too stable and strong sounding so it takes away from the independence of the lines

• Leaps into a tritone and 7th is forbidden

SECOND SPECIES COUNTERPOINT

HOW TO START

• If cantus firmus starts is in the lower voice, you may start with P8 or P5

• If cantus forum starts in the higher voice, you can only start with the P8

2:1

• Strong vs weak beats

  • Strong is consonant

  • Weak is consonant or dissonant (must be a passing tone)

TYPES OF MOVING NOTES

1. Consonant passing tone

   1. Two steps in the same direction to outline a third

2. Substitution

   1. Leap a fourth then step in the opposite direction

3. Skipped passing tone

   1. 3rd and a step in the same direction to outline a fourth

4. Interval Subdivision

   1. Two leaps in the same direction to divide a larger melodic interval (two thirds to make a fifth

5. Charge of register

   1. A large, consonant leap (5th,  6 or 8) from strong beat to weak beat, followed by a step in the opposite direction

6. Delay of melodic progression

   1. Leap a third, then step in the opposite direction

7. Consonant neighbor tone

   1. Step in one direction, then step back to original tone

PASSING TONE

• Approached by step

• Resolved by step in the same direction

RULES

• Every measure must have 2 half notes

• The 1st measure can start with a half rest then a half note

• The 2nd to last measure can have 2 or 1 note

• Last measure ends on a whole note

• Same ending rules apply to the 1st species, you want to end on Ti-Do/Re-Do

• Don’t begin two consecutive bars with the same perfect interval

• Don’t outline a dissonant melodic interval between consecutive downbeats

  • Exception: if the counterpoint leaps an octave from the strong beat to the weak beat, the leap should be followed by a step in the opposite direction, making a seventh with the preceding downbeat. This is ok, since it is the result of smooth voice motion

• Don’t begin more than three bars in a row with the same imperfect consonance

• Don’t use unisons unless it’s on the weak beat of the measure when necessary

THIRD SPECIES COUNTERPOINT

HOW TO START AND END

• Starting

  • If cantus firmus is below can start on 1 or 5

  • If cantus firmus is above start on 1

• Ending

  • The penultimate note of the counterpoint (the last quarter note of the penultimate bar) should be 7 if the cantus is 2 and 2 if the cantus is 7

4:1

• Strong, weak (dissonant), medium, weak (dissonant) beats in measure

  • Quadruple meter

NEIGHBOR TONE AND OTHER DISSONANCE TYPES

1. Dissonant passing tone

   1. Fills in the space of melodic third via stepwise motion

2. Dissonant neighbor tone

   1. Step away from and back to the same consonant tone

3. Double neighbor

   1. Both the higher and lower neighbor tones together (ex: C-D-B-C or C-B-D-C)

4. Nota cambiata (changing tone)

   1. Special five note figure that highly unusually includes a leap from a dissonance

COUNTERPOINT LINE

• Stepwise motion, more than in first species

• Should be singable and have good shape with a single climax that doesn't coincide with the climax of the cantus firmus

STRONG BEATS

• Always consonant, not unison

• Prefer imperfect consonances (3rd and 6th) to perfect consonance (5th and 8ths)

• No 3 consecutive bars can  begin with the same perfect interval (two in a row are fine)

• No more than three bars in a row should begin with the same imperfect consonance

• The pitches that begin consecutive downbeats must not make a dissonant melodic interval

• If a downbeat contains a perfect 5th neither beat 3 or 4 of the previous bar can be a fifth

• If a downbeat contains an octave neither beat 2,3 or 4 of the previous bar can be an octave

CONSONANCE

• All melodic leaps must be melodic consonances

• A large leap should be followed by a step in the opposite direction

• Motion from the fourth beat into the following downbeat should follow the constraints above for motion into strong beats

DISSONANCE

• Can occur on beat 2,3,4 and should be preceded and followed by stepwise motion (minus the double neighbor and the nota cambiata)

FOURTH SPECIES COUNTERPOINT

FOURTH SPECIES COUNTERPOINT DEFINITION

• Use of the suspension and its proper handling with:

  • Consonant preparation

  • Dissonant suspension

  • Consonant resolution

SUSPENSION 

1. Consonant preparation

   1. A consonance interval before the suspension

2. Dissonant suspension

   1. One part stay while the other part moves to create a dissonant interval

3. Consonant resolution

   1. The part that stayed before now moves to resolve the dissonance to a consonance

RULES

• Counterpoint line and cantus firmus both move once per bar, but they rhythmically offset from each other by a half note

• Weak beat half note is tied across the bar line to the following strong beat

• Two lines always move in oblique motion

• Always begin with a half rest

3 PARTS OF A SUSPENSION

1. Preparation

   1. A weak-beat note in the counterpoint that is consonant with the cantus

   2. The note is tied to the suspension, and the two are the same pitch

2. Suspension

   1. A strong beat note in the counterpoint, tied from the preparation, that is dissonant wit the cantus

3. Resolution

   1. A weak beat note in the counterpoint that is one step below the preparation-suspension pitch and consonant with the cantus

TYPES OF SUSPENSIONS

• 7-6 (preferable due to resolution to imperfect consonances)

• 4-3 (preferable due to resolution to imperfect consonances)

• 9-8 (2-1)

• 5-6 (not dissonant)

FIFTH SPECIES COUNTERPOINT

NEW TO 5TH SPECIES

• Certain embellishments such as note of anticipation

• May include 8th note motion for the first time

  • Usually 2 8th notes