Niveau 2 · Cours 13
Two-voice counterpoint
Fux's 5 species — note against note, passing notes, suspensions, florid counterpoint — the rules of two-voice motion.
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Pause Culture · Counterpoint
Johann Joseph Fux (1660–1741)
In 1725, Fux publishes the Gradus ad Parnassum ('Steps to Parnassus') in Vienna. He is 65 and suffering from gout. He writes it as a dialogue: Aloysius (his ideal, Palestrina) teac…
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À retenir : Writing two independent voices is harder than writing one complex voice. Each voice must have its own life — and yet, together, they must form a coherent harmony.
The 5 Species of Counterpoint
Fux organises the study of counterpoint into 5 progressive species. Each species introduces a new difficulty: first pure consonances, then passing notes, then suspensions, and finally free combination.
General principle: two-voice counterpoint is written above a cantus firmus — a reference melody in long notes. The counterpoint voice must be melodically interesting and harmonically correct with respect to the CF.
Click on a species to hear it and see its rules.
Summary of the 5 Species
| Species | Ratio | Dissonances | Main figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 : 1 | None | Consonances only |
| 2nd | 2 : 1 | Weak beat | Passing notes |
| 3rd | 4 : 1 | Beats 2, 3, 4 | Neighbor notes, escape tones, passing notes |
| 4th | 2 : 1 syncopated | Strong beat (suspension) | Suspensions 7–6, 4–3, 9–8 |
| 5th | Libre | Depends on species used | All figures combined |