University of South Carolina
School of Music

BAIN MUSC 726A
The Art of Counterpoint

Summer 2024


MUSC 726A | Blackboard | Listening/Analysis


C O U R S E   M O D U L E S
1. Introduction
2. Counterpoint in the
Middle Ages
3. Renaissance
4. Baroque
5. Classical &
Romantic Periods
Triangle
              icon Twentieth Century

News

Thanks for a great summer term!

Quotable

Left quote
[Counterpoint is] an artistic combination of tones which arises when one [melody] is placed opposite another.
Right quote

– Johannes Tinctoris, The Art of Counterpoint (1477)


Course Description

Analysis of counterpoint and texture in polyphonic music from the Middle Ages to the present


Course Documents

  1. Syllabus (pdf
  2. Reading
  3. Handouts
  4. Theory
  5. Listening/Analysis
  6. Digital Anthology
  7. Terms & Concepts
  8. Special Topics
  9. Bibliography


Activities

  1. Activity #1: Thurs., June 20
    16th-Century Counterpoint – Due: Fri., June 21, 11:59 pm
  2. Activity #2: Thurs., June 27
    18th-Century Counterpoint – Due: Fri., June 28, 11:59 pm
  3. Activity #3: Wed., July 3
    20th-Century Counterpoint – Due: Fri., July 5, 11:59 pm

Projects

  1. Analysis Project 1
  2. Analysis Project 2
  3. Final Presentation (pdf)

Online Media Resources

  1. Algomus {Algomus.fr}
  2. Alvira, Teoria - *
  3. Atkinson, Video analyses of classical music with an emphasis on counterpoint and craftsmanship {YouTube Channel} - *
  4. Bella Voce Chicago, The Middle Ages: A Musical Journey (2020-2021) {YouTube Playlist}
  5. Belkin
  6. Bruhn, J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier: In-depth Analysis and Interpretation {Edition Gorz} (Bruhn 1993)
  7. Byros, PoetryOfTone {YouTube Channel}
  8. Carter, Counterpoint exercises with Nadia Boulanger, 1933-35 {Library of Congress}
  9. Christiansen, Earsense
  10. Dahn, The Four-Part Chorales of J.S. Bach {Bach-Chorales.com}
  11. Edwards, Puzzle Canon {PuzzleCanon.com} - *
  12. Klavier-Festival Ruhr, Explore the Score - *
  13. Gjerdingen
  14. Gotham et al., Open Music Theory, Version 2 {OMT} (Gotham et al. 2020)
  15. Gran, Counterpoint Tutorials {YouTube Channel}
  16. Hansen, Counterpoint Course {HansenMedia.net}
  17. Hogan, The Nikhil Hogan Show {Listen Notes}
  18. Hutchinson, Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom (Hutchinson 2017)
  19. Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jazz Academy {YouTube Playlist}
  20. Lehman, Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars {FrankLehman.com}
  21. Moths and Nanni (Universität Basel), From Ink to Sound (FITS)
  22. Netherlands Bach Society, All of Bach {Website; YouTube Channel}
  23. Remeš, Music Theory Research and Pedagogy {DerekRemes.com}
  24. Rotem, Early Music Sources
  25. Scalia, Renaissance Music Project {YouTube Channel}
  26. Smith, Fugues of the Well-Tempered Clavier – See the Digital Bach archive {YouTube Channel} - *
  27. SMT-V
  28. Straus, The Art of Post-Tonal Analysis {OUP} (Straus 2022) - *
  29. Thomas, Music Theory Videos {YouTube Playlist} - *

* - Video-based analyses

Research Tools

  1. FindIt @ UofSC
  2. Dictionaries: Harvard Dictionary | Grove/Oxford
  3. Articles: JSTOR
  4. E-books: Ebook Central | EBSCOhost | Hathi Trust
  5. Scores: IMSLP; Alexander Street; CPDL
  6. Recordings: Naxos | Spotify | YouTube
  7. Audio & Video: TCL
  8. Digital scores: see BAIN MUSC 525


Music Theory Journals

  1. 19th-Century Music {UC Press}
  2. College Music Symposium {CMS}
  3. Engaging Students: Essays in Music Pedagogy {OSU Libraries}
  4. Indiana Theory Review {IU Press}
  5. Intégral {Rochester.edu}
  6. Journal of Mathematics and Music {Taylor & Francis}
  7. Journal of Music Theory {JMT; JSTOR}
  8. Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy {JMTP}
  9. Journal of New Music Research {Taylor & Francis}
  10. Music Analysis {Wiley; JSTOR}
  11. Perspectives on New Music {Website; JSTOR}
  12. Society for Music Theory (SMT)
  13. Theory and Practice {JSTOR}


Main References

See also: BAIN MUSC 726A Bibliography

Benjamin, Thomas. 2005. The Craft of Modal Counterpoint, 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. {GB; Full text: Ebook Central} 

_______________. 2003. The Craft of Tonal Counterpoint, 2nd ed. New York: Routledge. {GB; Full text: Ebook Central}

Fux, Johann Joseph and Alfred Mann. 1965/1725. The Study of Counterpoint from Johann Joseph Fux's Gradus Ad Parnassum. New York: W. W. Norton. {GB}

Jackson, Roland John. 2009. "Counterpoint." In Britannica Academic. Available online at: <https://academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/counterpoint/110126>.

Owen, Hal. 1992. Modal and Tonal Counterpoint: From Josquin to Stravinsky. New York: Schirmer. {GB}

Taruskin, Richard and Christopher H. Gibbs. 2012. The Oxford History of Western Music, College Edition. New York: Oxford University Press. {GB}



Updated: September 10, 2024

Reginald Bain | University of South Carolina | School of Music
https://reginaldbain.com/vc/musc726a/