We will begin Unit II as planned on Monday, Sept. 30. However, you will have a little more time to work on your species portfolios. Please pay careful attention to the following schedule and keep on-task with your group. No late submissions will be accepted except in the case of an emergency, and technology problems do not constitute an emergency. You should be more than familiar enough with these tools now.

• Monday, Sept. 30, 9am: Submit your best two third-species exercises and your best two fourth-species exercises for feedback. Nothing submitted after that time will be given feedback before the final portfolio submission.
• Monday, Oct. 7, 9am: Submit your final species portfolio (16 exercises per the Unit II guide).

All submissions should be PDF files in your group’s Google Drive submission folder. Make sure all group members’ last names are in the folder title and on every document you submit.

If you have any issues or questions, contact me well in advance of the deadlines. Keep in mind that I rarely respond to student emails on weekends, especially Sundays.

By 8am on Thursday, Sept. 19:

• Review the discussion on third-species counterpoint from Monday’s class on Piazza.
• Read the resource on Composing a third-species counterpoint.
• Bring your model third-species examples back to class on Wednesday, labeling two examples of each of the following techniques described in the reading:
  • dissonant passing tone
  • dissonant neighbor tone
  • double neighbor
  • nota cambiata
• For each work group: Upload your two best second-species exercises thus far to your group’s Google Drive folder for me to take a look at and give you feedback (in addition to the first-species exercises already in those folders).

There is no online quiz for third species.

For Meeting 8 (Sept. 23):

Be sure to bring a device to class that will allow you to work in Piazza. We will move on to fourth-species analysis on Wednesday.

Work with your group on your shared portfolio of species exercises. I will be happy to comment on the work in your portfolio as you go, but only after everyone in your group has given their own input for the exercise or question that is causing difficulty. (I will give some official feedback before Wednesday on your first- species portfolio in GDrive, and time permitting your second-species progress.)

For Meeting 7 (Sept. 18):

Be sure to bring a device to class that will allow you to work in Piazza.

Continue the discussion on music, philosophy, and the liberal arts—as far as it interests you—in Piazza. We’ll return to the topic from time to time as appropriate to the tasks we are performing in class.

By 8am on Thursday, Sept. 12:

Update your self-evaluation concerning the two conceptual areas we have engaged thus far—strict voice-leading and professionalism. Include any relevant information on what you’ve done in class so far to demonstrate mastery (or progress toward mastery) in those areas. Also, submit your first response to the “over the weekend” assignment below.

Over the weekend:

On Piazza, you will find a post “Music, Philosophy and the Liberal Arts.” Read that post, and the linked blog post, and engage on Piazza with your classmates, me, and Chris Long (the author of that blog post) as instructed. This is a great opportunity to interact with a leading scholar of another field at another university in a way that will enrich our understanding of what we are doing at CU in the College of Music. Take full advantage of it.

Ongoing:

Work with your group on your shared portfolio of species exercises. I will be happy to comment on the work in your portfolio as you go, but only after everyone in your group has given their own input for the exercise or question that is causing difficulty.

For Meeting 6 (Sept. 16):

Be sure to bring a device to class that will allow you to work in Piazza.

Following are some general responses to the second-species quiz. Please review before Wednesday’s meeting.

First, a couple of you missed the quiz. Be sure you manage your deadlines properly. For the species counterpoint unit, quizzes will always be due by Tuesday morning. There are no make-up quizzes.

Please review your results in Learning Catalytics. Keep in mind that you are not being scored for a percentage grade. These questions are in part to give you feedback on your understanding before you attempt second-species exercises, and in part to guide your thinking towards certain musical concepts that will carry over into other musical styles we study.

Questions 1–4 were fairly straightforward, and the correct/incorrect indications in Learning Catalytics should help you review that information. General responses to questions 5–7 follow.

5. Large leaps are more common in second-species counterpoint than in first species. Why do you think that is? In other words, are there factors that necessitate more large leaps in second species? and/or Are there attenuating factors in second-species that make large leaps less problematic?

There are two main reasons for this. First, more large leaps are needed to add variety to the texture. All steps and a few small leaps would lead to monotony, given how many more notes there are in a second-species counterpoint line.

Second, we have more freedom in second species to use leaps because some of the constraints of first species are gone. For instance, in first species, all leaps would take place when both voices move, making them stand out more, which reduces smoothness. In second species, leaps within a bar don’t detract from smoothness as much, and so they fit in to the texture better than first species, leading to them being more common.

6. Why do you think it is preferable to begin a second-species counterpoint with a half rest rather than two half notes?

Many of you picked up that it is easier to write a second-species counterpoint line when beginning with a half note. While being easier may lead to less problems, and thus a better sounding counterpoint line, that’s not the musical reason why it is preferable to begin with a half rest. The musical reason, which a few of you picked up on, is that it adds to the independence of the melodic lines. The half rest is not necessary in order for the lines to sound independent; however, it does enhance that independence, and thus is the more common way to begin a second-species exercise.

7. Why do you think it is common for a second-species counterpoint to have a whole note in the penultimate (next-to-last) bar?

As a number of you noted, the whole note in the penultimate bar emphasizes the coming cadence. By breaking the pattern of half notes, it introduces a degree of tension that resolves with the final cadence, and by slowing down the rhythm of the counterpoint, it signals an ending is coming.

The whole note, however, has nothing to do with avoiding dissonance or achieving stepwise, contrary motion. All of those things can be accomplished by two half notes, as well, with a properly crafted line. In fact, as you will find in your composing, your decision whether to use a whole note or two half notes will depend largely on the intervals formed as your cantus firmus and counterpoint approach the penultimate bar. If one rhythm makes better melodic and harmonic intervals than the other, use it. If they are equally good intervallically, use a whole note.