Suggested Learning Resources
http://www.music.ucsb.edu/faculty/rothfarb/courses/103/Fourth_Species%282v%29.html
- The following fourth species counterpoint rules should not be broken
- o First harmonic interval should be 8 or U, or it can be 5 if scale degree 1 is
in the lower voice.
- o The last interval should be 8 or U
- o The counterpoint lines should begin with a half rest followed by a half note
that is tied over the barline to another half note.
- o The second half note in the penultimate measure is not suspended over the barline
(not tied over)
- o If counterpoint is below cantus, the last two measures will end with 2-3 suspension
to an 8 or U. If counterpoint is above cantus it will close with 7-6 suspension
to 8. (Because the closing suspension must be prepared, the last two and a half
measures will be ‘1’ tied over and then resolved to ‘7’ followed by ‘1’
- o Tied half notes should create a harmonic dissonant suspension, prepared by a
consonance of the previous offbeat and resolve down by step (on offbeat)
- o If you ‘break species’ (not tie over) follow the rules of second species counterpoint
- o Acceptable upper voice suspensions are 4-3, 7-6, 9-8, and 6-5
- o Acceptable lower voice suspensions are 2-3, 5-6
- o Only acceptable chain of suspensions are 7-6 and 4-3 in upper voice, and 2-3
in lower voice (9-8 and 6-5 chains create parallel 8th and 5ths)
- o You may break chains by changing the suspension type or breaking species
- o You may not have line crossing or overlapping
- In fourth species counterpoint, the following guidelines may be broken
in some cases, but the result is a weaker sense of counterpoint
- o If the note that is tied over creates a consonant rather than a dissonant suspension,
the counterpoint line may step, skip, or leap up or down to prepare the next suspension
- o Overall contour should be downward
- o Only break species when a dissonant suspension is not available and no consonance
can be tied over.
- o Only break species when you need to reestablish proper distance between the parts
when they are about to cross or to make a more interesting line
- o Only break species to break off a chain of suspension
- o Only break species when you need to prevent counterpoint errors and to solve
difficult places in the cantus.
Objective 14.3: Identify strengths and weaknesses of fourth species counterpoint