Voice Independence

Guidelines for Two-Voice Writing [ back to calendar & assignments ] [ back to MAIN PAGE]

Adapted from C.P.E. Bach (Essay on the True Art of Keyboard Playing), Reicha (Treatise on Melody: 1813), and Kennan (Counterpoint: 1999) by B. Carson

I. Voice Independence —

A. Perfect intervals should be

• avoided on strong beats, except

when 2-voice arpeggiations suggest a multi-voice texture

at the beginning of the phrase, or at cadences

when P4 suggests K64

when P4 acts as a dissonance (suspension)

• avoided in succession at any level of metric structure, except

when 2-voice arpeggiations suggest a multi-voice texture

successive P5-P8 or P8-P5 is OK in conventional cadences

when establishing a stable key, with an ‘annunciatory’ motive

on the weak beats of successive bars or weak subdivisions of successive beats (especially in sequences, but only when all other guidelines are followed).

• approached by oblique or contrary motion, except

when 2-voice arpeggiations suggest a multi-voice texture

direct motion P5-P8 or P8-P5 is OK in conventional cadences

in sequences, on weak beats, when all other guidelines are followed

• approached by stepwise motion in at least one voice, except

when 2-voice arpeggiations suggest a multi-voice texture

in sequences, on weak beats, when all other guidelines are followed

B. Dissonances should be

• resolved by step, even if not right away
• resolved to a note that clarifies the harmony, even if not right away
• approached by oblique or contrary motion
• in fulfillment of one of the non-chord tone types: N (neighbor), A (appogiatura), E (escape tone), P (passing tone), S (suspension), or R (retardation).

C. Produce a structure dominated by imperfect consonances

• avoid patterns of perfect intervals followed by dissonances
• use imperfect consonances to “mediate” the difference between perfect consonances and dissonances

Sufficient Similarity of Character and Style

1. Generalize the note values and rhythm-types (dotted values, triplets, etc.) used in one voice, and make sure they are used in the other.
2. Reduce, re-use, recycle: distinctive rhythmic cells should not be too great in number or too various. Re-use and recycle them in the second voice if they occur in the first.
3. Pay attention to other aspects of style and make sure the voices don’t contradict – (but this guideline is 90% accomplished simply by maintaining clear harmonic and melodic progression as per the well-formedness guidelines!)

Maintain Separateness and Complementarity of Rhythm

1. Do not halt motion in both voices at the same time except at strong, conclusive cadences.

2. Although “halting on weak beats” should be avoided (see well-formedness guidelines on rhythm)—it is ok to halt in one voice while another carries the motion, in order to maintain the rhythmic separateness of voices

3. Make sure each phrase has a good balance of oblique, contrary, and parallel motion.

4. It’s ok for the voices occasionally to move in similar rhythm in order to provide contrast or relief from their constant separateness: the goal of this guideline is to produce overall separateness, not constant separateness.