A Practical Approach to Sixteenth-Century Counterpoint [Paperback]

Robert Gauldin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1995

Practical work in writing counterpoint! Robert Gauldin emphasizes the acquisition of writing skills in the contrapuntal discipline and the simulation of sixteenth-century sacred polyphonic idioms in this volume. The author follows a didactic method of a non-species or direct approach. While no previous contrapuntal training is necessary to absorb this material, some acquaintance with Baroque polyphonic terminology proves helpful. Key features include: musical examples illustrating specific devices are taken from musical literature or composed by the author; demonstrates the possibility of employing a single given pitch series within the contexts of different compositional techniques; includes a collection of complete or excerpted movements drawn from musical literature at the conclusion of each major textual division; emphasizes Palestrina and the Counter-Reformation sacred style; discusses various compositional procedures of the late Renaissance, including paraphrase, cantus firmus, familiar style, parody, polychoral technique, and chromaticism.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Titles of related interest from Waveland Press: Robert Gauldin, A Practical Approach to 18th-Century Counterpoint (ISBN 9780881338539); and Gustave Fredric Soderlund and Samuel H. Scott, Examples of Gregorian Chant and Sacred Music of the 16th Century (ISBN 9780881339093).

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881338524
• ISBN-13: 978-0881338522
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #509,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Vague wordings, disregarding exceptions, yet thorough detail., October 19, 2011

By 

Jaydoggy (Essex, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Practical Approach to Sixteenth-Century Counterpoint (Paperback)

We studied this book for a class on early counterpoint. Although the book is thorough, the Gauldin constantly uses phrases like "Almost always," "rarely," and "commonly" or "uncommonly" when trying to create a set of rules for early composition, and mostly uses Palestrina as a model for the rules. The shortcoming here is that all "rules" were empirical and were not actually written until Rameau came about, and by then the rules had changed. As a result, there are plenty of pieces which break these unwritten "rules."

So in doing this, he uses the vague terms like "very rarely" to acknowledge that there are exceptions to these rules, but it leaves the reader wondering where these exceptions occurred, and for that matter when in history they occurred (Composers he quotes range from the 1400s-1600s). There are a great deal of complex Medieval and Renaissance works which musicians today would look at and say, "I don't get it," and that's what I find more interesting than just acknowledging exceptions. There are plenty of pieces from the Medieval and Renaissance that have unexplained dissonances that seem to make no sense according to our conventional rules of harmony.

Despite these faults though, the book is very detailed, and does definitely explain the set-in-stone rules to the era, explaining different forms and the way counterpoint is composed. Further: it gives excellent historical background on types of pieces and their function. I would recommend this book, just remember that there are exceptions to all these rules, and if you can get passed a sentence like "Although three-voice texture is by no means the norm of the period, numerous examples may be encountered."(76), you'll be okay.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's really good!, September 27, 2007

By 

H. Kuchen "H." (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Practical Approach to Sixteenth-Century Counterpoint (Paperback)

I am in college and needed the book as soon as possible. The shipment was fast and the book is really helpful. It not only explains the topic but gives examples and assignments to do.