Study of Counterpoint: From Johann Joseph Fux's Gradus Ad Parnassum [Paperback]

Johann Joseph Fux (Author), Alfred Mann (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 17, 1965

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 greatest composers. J. S. Bach held it in high esteem, Leopold Mozart trained his famous son from its pages, Haydn worked out every lesson with meticulous care, and Beethoven condensed it into an abstract for ready reference.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (June 17, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393002772
• ISBN-13: 978-0393002775
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.5 x 7.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Composition
  • #14 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Theory
  • #38 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Songbooks

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a classic for good reason..... May 4, 2007

By Patrick D. Goonan

Format:Paperback

This is a great introduction to species counterpoint. It has been in use for many years and was studied by many great composers. It still engages the modern person today because it is concise, imaginative and teaches concepts in a digestible and easy to follow manner.

The form of the book is a relationship between a teacher and student. The student is not the brightest bulb on the tree, but the teacher shows him concept by concept how counterpoint works. This story format is entertaining, but also serves as a way to anchor concepts.

If you are looking for something that is a quick, easy read with lots of good content and historical interest, you will enjoy this. I feel it is a must have for any serious student of music.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Foundation of Tonal Music July 15, 2004

By Christopher Schlegel

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is an indispensable work for anyone with a serious interest in musical composition. It lays out the entire foundation of tonal composition (i.e.: counterpoint) in a lucid, organized systematic manner.
The serious student of musical composition should have this book, work through it not once but regularly. I re-read it constantly and work through all the exercises again once or twice a year.
It should also be used in conjunction with "Structural Hearing Tonal Coherence in Music" by Felix Salzer (Schenker's protégé).

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful, accessible, and [surprisingly] entertaining January 12, 2004

By J. Mercik

Format:Paperback

The book has a nice pace. It is not a fat book. Content is presented succinctly. The platonic-type dialog is as charming as it is civilized and effective. There is something inspirational about reading a treatise previously studied by people like Bach, Haydn, Mozart, etc. I would say that even the most anti-traditional composer-person might benefit from the straightforward analytic of it all, even if one's harmonic sensibility differs from those presented in this text. All in all, a book to check out, if counterpoint intrigues you.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful! October 10, 1999

By Christa

Format:Paperback

This book is written in the form of an imaginary dialogue between the author, who plays the part of a humble and eager student, and Palestrina. If you sit down and take the time to do the lessons, contrapunctual lines seem to write themselves for you. Useful for many styles of music, it really helped me write better bass lines and voice leading in general. Self-taught musicians! Don't be afraid of studying theory! This is a great book!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The all-time classic book of contrapuntal theory July 22, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This book, originally entitled "Gradus ad Parnassum" was the book used by many of the great composers of the classical and romantic eras in learning their craft. Mozart is said to have studied it. Papa Haydn's copy, dog-eared and worn, is on display in a museum in Europe. The book is set up as a series of lessons on the technique of counterpoint, with the student asking questions and the teacher providing answers. There are many examples, both of proper and improper technique. It starts with the easiest forms of counterpoint and moves into the more difficult ones toward the end. It takes itself very seriously and requires a lot of work of the reader. Some of the ideas are outdated, and all of the counterpoint examples are built on bland cantus firmus type melodies, but the exercise of going through this book is invaluable.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Student Guide & Lesson Companion August 9, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I recently started studying composition, and this book has been immensely helpful! My composition teacher uses the same method of graduated study of starting with one note against one note and then building in complexity to four-part counterpoint. After a lesson, it's useful to read the corresponding section in the book as a refresher before doing my assigned exercises. Plus, it gives me a second explanation about the do's and don't of part writing if I didn't quite catch it in my all-too-brief lesson time. Finally, it's a great way to make sure I don't lose my proficiency over vacation; there's plenty of examples for me to work on in my spare time. After finding this book, I'm surprised it's not on my required booklist! It's a definite must for all serious composers who want to develop a strong classical training. (Let's not forget the value of classical education! Most professional artists that I've talked to, in any field, have told me that it's the best way to begin.)

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The most historically popular treatise on species counterpoint December 7, 2005

By Craig Matteson HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

When most people think of species counterpoint they think of the method laid out by Johann Joseph Fux in this book. This is a late 17th, early 18th century document describing a theoretical practice of a hundred years earlier, but still used pedagogically in teaching composition students for another hundred years. You might say to the present day, but really this is used as a historical document in musicological studies. Some students might read it for themselves, but few actual courses on counterpoint would be taught at a music school from this book alone.

It is set up as a dialogue between a master, Aloysius, and a conveniently doltish student named Josephus. Josephus is us and asks all kinds of questions to prompt the teacher to say what he was going to teach us anyway. He also provides comic relief.

If you want to understand species counterpoint, this is a concise and historically important way to get at it.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The early fundamentals of composition October 16, 2001

By Matthew Christian Dallman

Format:Paperback

[reprint -- sorry]

At one point in the text, Aloysius pretty much says it all: "These lessons are not worked out for actual use but for exercise. If one know how to read one need no longer bother with spelling; similarly, the species of counterpoint are given only for purposes of study."

I have been working out of this book (which is really an excerpt of a larger book called _Steps to Perfection_) with a private tutor for a year, and it has been a difficult but rewarding experience. Essentially, the species provide a platform to learn how to compose concurrent melodic lines. Each following species builds upon the knowledge of the previous. Rules that begin absolute slowly become contextual. While the book's original title is anachronistic, the program within encourages steps towards the understanding of basic tonal principles that have formed the foundation of the grand tradition of western music.

I'd recommend keeping an open mind about the rules. These are treated as the "rules," but are expected to be broken with time and experience. After all, the rules are no more than the collected general tendancies of the great composers.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Fux's book provides an introduction to composition based upon the limitations--and, accordingly, the beauty--of the human voice. This book does not deal with the embellishments and ornaments possible on all instruments.

More caveats: One, I would recommend studying this book with an experienced teacher. It's like a beginning yoga text: basic, but someone with experience will put things in perspective. Two, the exercises, especially for three and four voices, are difficult and require commitment and discipline. (Again, like yoga.) There is no need to rush through the exercises.... Three, Fux's book should be part of an integrated tonal curriculum that at least includes four-part writing and ear-training.

And Fux's book is hardly the last word even on counterpoint! At the very least, study 18th century and 20th century counterpoint, because those broad styles used Fux's treatise as their basic foundations. Those who criticize this text do so because it does not immediately apply to modern music situations. But they often fail to see how the text fits beautifully within the broad spectrum of composition. This book reflects the basics of tonal architecture. No more, no less Read more ›