Bachs Instrumental Counterpoint

Following methods known to have been adopted by Bach himself, the exercises provided in chorale harmonization are graded in such a way as to encourage the student to develop both technique and imagination within a closely-defined framework. The instrumental counterpoint section is based on Bach's two-and three-part Inventions. By close analysis the author helps the reader to recognize the procedures Bach adopted in various musical situations. The exercises are taken largely from Bach's keyboard works.

In Bach's Germany musical counterpoint was an art involving much more than the sophisticated use of advanced compositional techniques. A range of theological, cultural, social and political meanings attached themselves to the use of complex procedures such as canon and double counterpoint. This book explores the significance of Bach's counterpoint in a range of interrelated contexts: its use as a means of reflecting on death; its parallels to alchemy; its vexed status in the galant music culture of the first half of the eighteenth century; its value as a representation of political power; and its central importance in the creation of Bach's image in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Touching on a wide array of contemporary literary, philosophical, critical, and musical texts, the book includes new readings of many of Bach's late works in order to re-evaluate the status and meaning of counterpoint in Bach's work and legacy.

'Bach Counterpoint - Two-part invention' is a textbook in two volumes. The aim of this book is to explain Bach's compositional methods in an accessible manner, using methods and tools specially developed for this purpose. The two-part Bach inventions are a natural starting point, and have certain clear advantages when used to illustrate Baroque contrapuntal composition; it is in two parts, its form is clear, and it contains the same compositional techniques as the fugue, such as countermelody/counterpoint, sequences and motivic development. The book develops a method of understanding and composing inventions, based on a throrough analysis and exploration of Bach's inventions. To illustrate the progression and stringency of this method, this book has been structured as an insight into the 'compositional workshop'. Through analyses and music examples, the process of creation is illustrated, and throughout the book, how and why musical decisions are made are explained. Volume I will mainly focus on the first section of the form, up to the entry of the theme in the dominant or tonic parallel tonality. While relatively short, this willprove sufficient in introducing Bach's music. The exercises in this volume include writing counterpoint to a given melody, composing a longer sequence that concludes in a cadence in the new tonality, and will also cover topics such as melodic development, rhythm, and the treatment of dissonance in the style of Bach. In Volume II, instruction in compositional development continues with the analysis and composition of complete inventions, including the first section of the form, which is covered in this volume. In this second edition, minor errors and omissions have been corrected, and the section on mediant chords has been rewritten.

'Bach Counterpoint - Two-part invention' is a textbook in two volumes. The aim of this book is to explain Bach's compositional methods in an accessible manner, using methods and tools specially developed for this purpose. The two-part Bach inventions are a natural starting point, and have certain clear advantages when used to illustrate Baroque contrapuntal composition; it is in two parts, its form is clear, and it contains the same compositional techniques as the fugue, such as countermelody/counterpoint, sequences and motivic development. The book develops a method of understanding and composing inventions, based on a throrough analysis and exploration of Bach's inventions. To illustrate the progression and stringency of this method, this book has been structured as an insight into the 'compositional workshop'. Through analyses and music examples, the process of creation is illustrated, and throughout the book, how and why musical decisions are made are explained. Volume I will mainly focus on the first section of the form, up to the entry of the theme in the dominant or tonic parallel tonality. While relatively short, this willprove sufficient in introducing Bach's music. The exercises in this volume include writing counterpoint to a given melody, composing a longer sequence that concludes in a cadence in the new tonality, and will also cover topics such as melodic development, rhythm, and the treatment of dissonance in the style of Bach. In Volume II, instruction in compositional development continues with the analysis and composition of complete inventions, including the first section of the form, which is covered in this volume. In this second edition, minor errors and omissions have been corrected, and the section on mediant chords has been rewritten.

The most celebrated book on counterpoint is Fux's great theoretical work GRADUS AD PARNASSUM. Since its appearance in 1725, it has been used by and has directly influenced the work of many of the great composers, including J.S. Bach, Haydn, and Beethoven. Originally written in Latin, this work has been translated in to the principal European languages. The present translation by Alfred Mann is the first faithful rendering in English, presenting the essence of Fux's teachings.

This book teaches Baroque compositional techniques through writing and improvisation exercises and analysis of repertoire examples. It provides readers with a historical outlook by focusing largely on principles taught in treatises from the period 1680–1780. This expanded edition includes new sections with keyboard exercises that provide training in Partimento performance as it was practiced at the time, helping students master Baroque style from the inside. While the focus of the book is on fugue, it also treats chorale preludes, stylized dances, inventions, and trio sonatas. The volume is divided into two parts—basic and advanced— which could be taught in a two-semester sequence. There are various options to introduce material from Part II into Part I for a one-semester course.

First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.