Product Description
The first thing that you should know about this piece is that it breaks nearly every rule of counterpoint that it can. To me, this composition represents the antithesis of how classical composers thought to compose. By directly contradicting the rules they follow and still creating music, it shows that stiff rule formats and limits on what makes good music are not necessary and oftentimes restrict creative composing. My only hope is that, if Johann Joseph Fux were alive today, hed see my work as an abomination of all the rules he holds so dear.
My Ruleset:
1. In sixth species counterpoint (countercounterpoint/anticounterpoint), you may write as many notes as desired in your new melody for each note in the cantus firmus.
2. The first note and the last note must not form either an octave, unison, or a fifth with the cantus firmus.
3. The penultimate note of your melody should not be an even scale degree.
4. Augmented Fourths must resolve down and Diminished Fifths must resolve up.
5. You may use parallel motion very recklessly because it obscures the independence of the voices.
6. The harmonic interval formed between the voices on the downbeat of every measure may not be a perfect/major consonance-unison, third, fifth, sixth or octave. Diminished, Augmented, and Minor are fine.
7. The interval formed between the voices on the second beat of every measure may not be a major third or major sixth.
8. The overall shape of your melody should have a single high-point, preferably as far from the middle as is reasonable.
9. Except for on the first beat of a measure, Consonant intervals are only allowed if preceded by a dissonant interval on a strong beat.
10. Every Chord is fair game.
11. The interval between the first beat of each measure should alternate between even numbers and odd numbers.
12. Leaps must prepare, leap, and resolve in the same direction and may be greater than
a fifth.
13. Functional Harmony is for cowards who let chords tell them what to do.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.