Composing Music – Part 4 – Exploring Counterpoint – Page 5

Project 12 – Two-part inventions

Contrapuntal diversions

Imitation, inversion, augmentation and diminution are useful tools to master. The se allow you to be extremely economical in composition, whilst creating a sense of cohesion and relevance between all the components of the piece and over the piece as a whole. These types of exchange between the participants in contrapuntal conversations can be especially effective.

Imitation -can be exact (as in the canons), but here is more useful to be very freely representative of the main “motif” or short theme.

Inversion – also can be an exact undertaking, but soonn becomes an obsessive academic science. M ore useful as a compositional device when free.

Augmentation and diminution – are simply doubling or halving notes values of the motif whether the right way up of inverted – and also freely.

Research Point

Bach’s Fugues

JS Bach – Fugue in G major

This is a very pleasant piece to listen to. I listened through first without the score and then picked it up and went though it again. After this I sat down and studied the score and I have identified what I feel are the points I need to know.

I have identified the motif which I believe is at the root of this piece and the I have looked to see where the piece has the four devices. As much as I can I do believe I have found examples of the devices used. I have noted that there are a lot of places where a little of the main motif is used and here it is subjected to all four devices. To indicate them all on here I would have made a mess of the score itself. It was very interesting to to note all these things happening. Listening to this piece which is pleasant as I said you would never know that it is made up of variations on a motif. Even the melody which is a pleasant addition has some parts of the motif. I could argue that this is in itself a piece which is simply constructed but sounds that there is more going on .

JS Bach – Fugue in D Major BMV 580

This piece was much different to the one which I had listened to be before. Again, I listened to the piece before I printed the score and listened for a second time. Following the score I could see that this time there was quite a lot more going on here than in the previous piece.

I have annotated the score where I believe there are examples of the devices of counterpoint. However looking at the piece as a complete work I have come to the conclusion that it is a piece where every phrase can be classed as a device of counterpoint. There are plenty of places where I could have made more notes regarding augmentation, diminution and inversion. It leads me to think that the whole piece is built on the motif I have outlined and all parts of it have examples of the four devices making for an extremely clever piece of music and one which embodies counterpoint.

I really liked this piece and I prefer this to the Fugue in G, it was longer but I felt there more to it on my initial listen.

Exercise

The two compositions using counterpoint and all of its devices are shown in the next two pieces. I hope that I have done this correctly.

The first piece is written in A minor for some interest and I used the flute and the glockenspiel. I do like the glockenspiel very much and felt that it went nicely at this time.

The next piece is a little shorter, I am not sure that this works as well and maybe it needs rewriting at some point. Again I have gone for some orchestral bells and for a change a saxophone.

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