You may not have known it but 4th species counterpoint is a clear articulation of that push and pull of tonal music. Western tonal music developed dissonance consonance relationships that helps give “direction” to the music. Typically, compositions utilize building up tension with dissonance which is then relieved by resolving to a consonance in very particular ways. 4th species counterpoint is a written out teaching of that very principle.
Where the previous species of counterpoint controlled intervals and motion, 4th species introduces suspension (though not technically suspensions as we would find in pieces with more than two voices). In a 4th species counterpoint exercise you will get two melodic lines and chains of “suspensions.” By itself, 4th species can be pretty restrictive but it is the foundational layer that some of the most powerful music is built upon. I’m not saying that 4th species counterpoint “invented” tension and release or dissonant and consonant movement, but it is a systematic way to understand that relationship on a note to note level. Furthermore, these principles can be used in a wide variety of ways and genres.
4th Species Counterpoint Rules
- Consonant intervals are minor 3rd, major 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 6th, major 6th, perfect 8th (octave), minor 10th, major 10th.
- Dissonant intervals are any interval not listed as a consonance.
- The upbeat must always be consonant.
- The downbeat can be consonant or dissonant.
- Dissonances are resolved by descending stepwise to a consonance.
- When a tied note (ligature) is not possible it is allowed to write plain half-notes to get out of the situation.
- Avoid repetitions.
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The resolution of dissonances
The way Johann Joseph Fux in his 1725 work, The Gradus ad Parnassum, describes how to view the dissonance in a way that we still hear these combinations of intervals.
“…The notes held over and, as it were, bound with fetters, are nothing but retardations of the notes following, and thereafter proceed as if brought from servitude into freedom.”
What a poetic way to think about the relationships between the notes.
Dissonances are easy to handle in this species because all dissonances resolve by descending stepwise to a consonance.
When the cantus firmus is in the lower voice, 2nds resolve to unisons, 4ths resolve to 3rds, 7ths resolve to 6ths, and 9ths resolve to octaves.
When the cantus firmus is in the upper voice, you can have a 2nd resolve to a 3rd, a 4th to a 5th, and a 9th to a 10th. Refrain from using the 7th to an octave.
The First Measure
To begin these exercises, place a half rest and then begin with a consonance.
Penultimate Measure in 4th Species
7th resolves to a 6th if CF is in the lower voice then up to the octave. If CF is in the upper voice one should conclude with a 2nd to 3rd then up to a unison.
Counterpoint Writing Tips
One method for writing 4th species is to write a modified 1st species exercise and then shift the notes back by a half-note. This won’t be exactly like a 1st species because you will use more similar and parallel motion as well as less variety of intervals, but it can help to think of composing a 4th species in this way.
For example here is an example from Fux. Here is the 4th species shifted to look like a 1st species. As you can see there is a preponderance of parallel 3rds that would be unacceptable in a 1st species exercise.
But when we shift the lower voice over to the right by a half note, it turns into an acceptable 4th species counterpoint.
Observe the difference in interval variety when the 1st species was shifted to create a 4th species. It went from 3rds, octave, and unison to octave, 10th, 3rds, 2nds, 6ths, P5, and unison.
When you’re in a bind
Take the opportunity to leap when you have the chance. Typically, you can do this when you have three consonances in a row because this means you don’t have to deal with resolving a dissonance down by step.
General shape of the counterpoint
4th species counterpoint will typically have a distinctive leap up and work downward over the next few measures, then leap up again. This is due to having to resolve dissonances down by step and by wanting to avoid repetitions.
Succession of fifths
Due to the syncopation, having perfect 5ths in a row is acceptable. The reasoning according to Fux is that the syncopation breaks up the parallel sound.
4th species from other sources
This is a short example from Alfred Mann’s, The Study of Fugue, which of course must address elements of beginning counterpoint. It is easy to see the us of the 7-6 and 4-3 (11-10) patterns.
Here is another example that is in the context of a more intricate piece by Telemann. As you can see in the first two measures we get the “counterpoint” in the lower staff. The E is tied over the bar line and resolves stepwise down to the D-sharp. When you remove some of the decoration, you get the intervals of minor 3rd to major 2nd back to minor 3rd – just as we expect in a 4th species counterpoint exercise.
In the last two measures of the excerpt, the “counterpoint” is now in the top staff. The high B is tied over the bar line and then resolves down by step to an A-sharp. Once again, when you remove the decoration pitches in the lower staff, the remaining intervals are major 6th, minor 7th, and a minor 6th.
The idea of 4th species is a central element in all genres of music and is a fundamental piece to tonal music – namely the concept of tension and release.
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