a melody added to an existing one, especially one added to provide harmony whilst each retains its simultaneous identity; a composition consisting of such contrapuntal melodies
An opposite point The setting of note against note in harmony; the adding of one or more parts to a given canto fermo or melody The art of polyphony, or composite melody, i
to show differences when compared; be different; "the students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities"
The combination of two or more melodic lines played against one another A horizontal structure built upon competing melodic lines, rather than a chordalsetting
the combination of two or more independent melodies into a single harmonic texture Usually both melodies retain their distinctiveness
The art of combining two or more musical lines that are to be played or sung simultaneously These lines may be said to be "in counterpoint" with each other The term is in some ways synonymous with polyphony, although counterpoint is most commonly used for Baroque music; polyphony for music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods The rules of counterpoint were codified from the music of Palestrina by J J Fux in his 1725 treatise, Gradus ad Parnassum (Steps to Parnassus)
The art of combining two or more musical lines that are to be played or sung at the same time These lines may be said to be "in counterpoint" with each other The term is in some ways like polyphony, although counterpoint is most commonly used for Baroque music To listen to Baroque counterpoint, click here to hear Bach's Fugue in G
The compositional art of combining two or more simultaneous melodic lines (polyphonic texture); term means "point against point" or "note against note "
a musical form involving the simultaneous sound of two or more melodies write in counterpoint; "Bach perfected the art of counterpointing
Something that is a counterpoint to something else contrasts with it in a satisfying way. Paris is just a short train journey away, providing the perfect counterpoint to the peace and quiet of Reims. = complement. Art of combining different melodic lines in a musical composition. The term is often used interchangeably with polyphony (music consisting of two or more distinct melodic lines), but counterpoint more specifically refers to the compositional technique involved in the handling of these melodic lines. The first recorded use of two melodic lines simultaneously was in 9th-century treatises showing examples of organum (a type of music for multiple voices), though improvised counterpoint in which the voices probably moved mostly parallel to each other, and thus failed to convey an impression of independence may date back to some centuries earlier. The desire to ensure pleasant consonances and avoid unpleasant dissonances when improvising (see consonance and dissonance) called for principles of simultaneous vocal motion (voice leading). Because the relative movement of voices approaching and leaving given intervals was thought to produce effects that were more or less pleasing, rules were created to govern various types of relative motion. The "vertical" aspect of counterpoint the relationship between the melodic lines came to be studied as harmony, especially from the 18th century. Though harmony and counterpoint are intimately intertwined, most of the multivoiced music of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is considered essentially polyphonic or contrapuntal that is, consisting of a combination of relatively independent and integral melodic lines. In the Baroque era, with the invention of figured bass and the continuo, the balance began to shift toward a harmonic orientation