On Relevance and Repertoire in the Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint Classroom

Abstract:This essay, which is equal parts pedagogy and advocacy piece for the study of tonal counterpoint, argues for the relevance of eighteenth-century counterpoint, not only for the training of music majors, but also for today's musical landscape. I outline the method by which I teach my eighteenth-century counterpoint class, with dual emphases on: 1) how I demonstrate and explain to students why studying counterpoint is relevant to their musical training; and 2) my goal of incorporating as much repertoire as possible into the course, which implicitly demonstrates counterpoint's relevance to the construction of all tonal music. Finally, this essay delineates what the study of tonal eighteenth-century counterpoint imparts that species counterpoint does not, and offers some concrete ways to explain this to students. Repertoire covered is enumerated, and the mechanics of assessing both repertoire knowledge and technical knowledge of counterpoint are detailed.