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 th

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