3 ms·

You've already gotten some great sources linked about the WTC in particular, and most of them are correct that it'd take months to years of experience with coun

You've already gotten some great sources linked about the WTC in particular, and most of them are correct that it'd take months to years of experience with counterpoint (even assuming you've already composed here and there) to really begin appreciating how fluid Bach's counterpoint is. However, for completeness, I wanted to link some good basic introductions to species counterpoint[1][2][3]. I thought it should also be noted: species counterpoint was being formalized just around Bach's time by Johann Fux[4], and modern clarifications and extensions to Baroque formal species counterpoint are largely derived from reverse-inferring rules out of Bach's masterful use of counterpoint and his inventive ways of twisting the rules (often to make his own consistent contrapuntal language). In this sense, WTC is an absolute masterclass of the rules that formed the core of the defining era of European music, which is why it's so famous. [1] http://tobyrush.com/theorypages/index.html http://tobyrush.com/theorypages/index.html [2] http://www.ars-nova.com/CounterpointStudy/intro.html http://www.ars-nova.com/CounterpointStudy/intro.html [3] http://www.listeningarts.com/music/general_theory/species/menu.htm http://www.listeningarts.com/music/general_theory/species/me... [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Joseph_Fux https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Joseph_Fux

archagon 12y ago
I think the WTC can be appreciated even if you don't know the mechanics of counterpoint. I finally found the wonder in the WTC when I was doing an assignment that required us track the themes in one of the fugues. Mine was Book 1, Fugue 4. Having never listened to any of the pieces with the score in hand, it was enlightening to find not only the specific instances, but also the rhythms, the contours, and the sub-motifs from each theme seemingly in every nook and cranny of the piece. Nor were the themes constrained in any way: they morphed into one another, played against one another, and fundamentally changed the feel of the piece as they made their entrances. It felt like the musical material was liquid. The effect was emotional and profound, but it wasn't something that could be put into words; this was music talking. I took away a lifelong lesson from this 1 hour listening session, and all it required was the score and my attention. Counterpoint is a rhetorical tool, and I think it can be fundamentally understood and appreciated even without performing the full dissection. I also recommend Rachmaninoff's Etude-Tableau Op. 39 No. 4 in B Minor for counterpoint appreciation. That piece never fails to blow my mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLotW5AKjg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLotW5AKjg

archagon 12y ago

I think the WTC can be appreciated even if you don't know the mechanics of counterpoint. I finally found the wonder in the WTC when I was doing an assignment that required us track the themes in one of the fugues. Mine was Book 1, Fugue 4. Having never listened to any of the pieces with the score in hand, it was enlightening to find not only the specific instances, but also the rhythms, the contours, and the sub-motifs from each theme seemingly in every nook and cranny of the piece. Nor were the themes constrained in any way: they morphed into one another, played against one another, and fundamentally changed the feel of the piece as they made their entrances. It felt like the musical material was liquid. The effect was emotional and profound, but it wasn't something that could be put into words; this was music talking. I took away a lifelong lesson from this 1 hour listening session, and all it required was the score and my attention. Counterpoint is a rhetorical tool, and I think it can be fundamentally understood and appreciated even without performing the full dissection. I also recommend Rachmaninoff's Etude-Tableau Op. 39 No. 4 in B Minor for counterpoint appreciation. That piece never fails to blow my mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLotW5AKjg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWLotW5AKjg