double counterpoint

1. a. : a complementing or contrasting item : opposite. b. : use of contrast or interplay of elements in a work of art (such as a drama)

A counterpoint is something that contrasts, and to counterpoint is to provide a contrast. In music, counterpoint is when two separate melodies are played or sung at the same time.

noun. : three-part musical counterpoint so written that any part may be transposed above or below any other.

This retention of con- sonance and dissonance is what allows for invertible counterpoint. For example, any dissonant seventh in an upper voice that properly resolves downward to a sixth will in inversion resolve in the same way; a second will resolve to a third because the moving voice is now in the bass.

The fugue below is from Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum and is an example of a counterpunctal compositional form called a fugue. A fugue is a type of contrapuntal composition in which a short melody (called "the subject") is introduced by one part and successively taken up by the another part (called "the answer").

Counterpoint in Music Theory There has to be a high degree of contrast between the different parts of counterpoint. A melody in counterpoint cannot merely run parallel to the original melody in a different key. If two voices sing the same melody, each in a different key, but at the same time, there will be no contrast.

Counterpoint is a musical style of composition that employs more than one voice; however, rather than having a melody line and a harmony line, each voice is equally important in the composition and carries part of the melody.

There are several different forms of counterpoint, including imitative counterpoint and free counterpoint. Imitative counterpoint involves the repetition of a main melodic idea across different vocal parts, with or without variation.

Counterpoint Examples The well-known children's song Row, Row, Row Your Boat is a prime example of a round. When sung by a single voice, this is a simple melody. With accompaniment, the song could include chords for harmony. However, the round introduces another voice singing the same melody at different time points.

When a polyphonic passage is written so that each voice can be used as a lower, upper, or middle voice, we are using invertible counterpoint. It is called double counterpoint when two voices are involved, and triple and quadruple counterpoint when three or four voices are involved.

One practical use in pop, country, big band, (and probably jazz, maybe rock) is the counterpoint between melody and bass. One would like the melody and bass to be independent voices. Many bass players use chord inversions (playing the third usually) and walking basses to achieve this (and they do it on the fly.)

While techniques forming two note chords and beyond can be classed as harmony, counterpoint is more specific. Counterpoint is defined as 'two or more musical lines that are both interdependent, yet are independent from each other in rhythm and melody'.