Dan Stearns' counterpoint

Just to bother Dan a little bit more about counterpoint :)

I was thinking about this, and you know Dan Stearns, whether he wants
to think about it like this or not, is one of the very MOST
contrapuntal composers on this list....

He's always juxtaposing one texture against another, always things
are colliding, interacting.

Well, you know what?? That could be called COUNTERPOINT...

________ _____ ______
Joseph Pehrson

--- In tuning@y..., jpehrson@r... wrote:
> Well, you know what?? That could be called COUNTERPOINT...

Joseph,

Hey - how about a "Defining Counterpoint" thread(!!!)???

Yeah! It's on!

; )

Jacky Ligon

--- In tuning@y..., ligonj@n... wrote:
> --- In tuning@y..., jpehrson@r... wrote:
> > Well, you know what?? That could be called COUNTERPOINT...
>
> Joseph,
>
> Hey - how about a "Defining Counterpoint" thread(!!!)???
>
> Yeah! It's on!
>
> ; )
>
>
> Jacky Ligon

BTW - got to hear an immpeccable piece of counterpoint work today -
Bach's "Trio Sonata in G". Pure Bliss!!! He was and is The Man of
counterpoint, with boundless enduring qualities.

JL

--- In tuning@y..., ligonj@n... wrote:

/tuning/topicId_20517.html#20518

> --- In tuning@y..., jpehrson@r... wrote:
>
> > Well, you know what?? That could be called COUNTERPOINT...
>
> Joseph,
>
> Hey - how about a "Defining Counterpoint" thread(!!!)???
>
> Yeah! It's on!
>
> ; )

Well, here's my 1/600th of an "octave":

The word "counterpoint" is an abridgment of the original
Latin term "punctus contra punctus", which means literally
"point against point", and in musical terms referred to
"note against note". The "point" was the little blob of
ink on paper which represented a note.

This was a style that is also referred to as "discant".

Thru later use, "counterpoint" came to refer also to the
more florid style of several-notes-against-one. (Hmmm...
can't remember right now what that was called. Margo?)

Eventually it evolved into the more general meaning of
any number of different musical voices blending together
while moving any of three ways: similar (same direction
in pitch), contrary (oppositie directions), and oblique
(one voice moving while the other stays at the same pitch).

In this sense, it seems to me to be synonymous with "polyphony".

-monz
http://www.monz.org
"All roads lead to n^0"

--- In tuning@y..., "monz" <MONZ@J...> wrote:

/tuning/topicId_20517.html#20558

>
> Well, here's my 1/600th of an "octave":
>
> The word "counterpoint" is an abridgment of the original
> Latin term "punctus contra punctus", which means literally
> "point against point", and in musical terms referred to
> "note against note". The "point" was the little blob of
> ink on paper which represented a note.
>
> This was a style that is also referred to as "discant".
>
> Thru later use, "counterpoint" came to refer also to the
> more florid style of several-notes-against-one. (Hmmm...
> can't remember right now what that was called. Margo?)
>

Hi Monz...

I believe that "more florid style" is what is referred to as
"discant"...

> Eventually it evolved into the more general meaning of
> any number of different musical voices blending together
> while moving any of three ways: similar (same direction
> in pitch), contrary (oppositie directions), and oblique
> (one voice moving while the other stays at the same pitch).
>
> In this sense, it seems to me to be synonymous with "polyphony".
>

I was just talking to Graham Breed about this. Yes, the terms seem
VERY similar, but I believe "polyphony" could also refer to a texture
of voices that were moving, but somewhat static, whereas
"counterpoint" would generally imply more activity... but the terms,
in this sense, I believe are somewhat subjective...

_________ _____ ____ _
Joseph Pehrson