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