Counterpoint

Abstract

The technique required to perform counterpoint convincingly on the guitar is not idiomatic to the instrument. Left-hand fingers must be able to sustain one note while other fingers move to form other notes. In order to take advantage of the instrument’s contrapuntal capabilities, guitarists need to design meticulous fingerings that are connected to musical intent for both hands. This chapter first looks at two-voice pieces by Enriquez de Valderrabano, Mauro Giuliani, Marco Aurelio Zani de Ferranti, and Dionisio Aguado and then proceeds to explore pieces by Fernando Sor that make use of freistimmigkeit textures. The chapter concludes with a recercar by Giovanni Maria da Crema and four fantasias by Francesco da Milano, the latter being some of the finest sixteenth-century lute music. Music in this chapter requires increasingly developed left-hand finger independence.