The First Classical Period 1700-1750 Polyphonic Music

Melody is a series or succession of tones rhythmically ordered.

Harmony is a combination of tones heard simultaneously.

Counterpoint is the art of writing two or more melodies to proceed simultaneously. Music thus written is called "contrapuntal," or "polyphonic." The latter term means "many-voiced." In polyphonic music, harmony is an incidental result of the simultaneous progression of the voices.

"Monophonic " or "homophonic " music has only one principal melody. This is usually accompanied by chords, more or less full, either in their simple form, or broken up into arpeggios. Sometimes, however, other subordinate melodies form the accompaniment, to a greater or less extent. This is especially true of the bass, which often is a well defined melody, but is never, in this style of music, quite equal in importance and interest to the principal melody. Sometimes, indeed, the principal melody is given to the bass, the harmonic accompaniment being above it.

In the monophonic style of composition, harmony is no longer an accident, so to speak, but the chords, in their successions and relations, exist independent of any interweaving of separate melodic parts.

The beginnings of our modern music, in the early Christian church, were monophonic in the strictest sense. The congregations sang their hymns in unison, without any accompaniment. Afterwards, singers and composers began to accompany this melody with one or more independent melodies, in tones of the same length as those of the original melody, or cantus farmus, as it was called. This was the beginning of counterpoint, "punctum contra punctum," point against point. At that time there were no notes; points were used instead. We should say note against note. Certain monks of the middle ages cultivated this science; sought to determine what intervals might be admissible; and gradually developed their art to a high pitch of perfection. The separate melodies gradually became more and more florid, the number of them was increased, until, at last, compositions were written in as many as thirty-six real parts. Of course, these extremely complicated webs of tone were nearly or quite unintelligible to most musicians, and wholly so to amateurs. But they were masterpieces of ingenuity, and the interest in counterpoint which produced them, had developed consummate skill in the management of simultaneously progressing voice-parts.

The technic of composition in this first great style (the polyphonic) was developed through the enthusiastic labors of composers, monks, theorists and pedants, among whom there appeared, now and then, a man of genuine creative genius. Among these ought especially to be mentioned ORLANDUS LASSUS, (1530 (?)-1594) a Netherlander, whose most important work was done in Munich, and GIOVANNI PIERLIUGI DI PALESTRINA (1524-1594) a Roman church composer, in whom the contrapuntal art previous to Sebastian Bach found its culmination.

At first, the efforts of contrapuntists were directed solely toward the discovery of intervals pleasing to the ear, and combining melodies so as to produce agreeable effects at every point. Then came the effort to enhance the effect of consonances by the judicious use of dissonances, This resulted in making the parts more smooth and flowing in their movement. But, as the separate melodies began to be more and more florid, the need of some means of securing unity was felt. A complicated web of interwoven melodies, having no elements in common, and no bond of union except consonance in their intervals would be nearly or quite unintelligible. The means by which unity was secured was imitation.

Of Imitation there are two principal kinds, the Strict and the Free.

The simplest form of Strict Imitation is the Canon. In this form of composition, after one melody has proceeded alone for one or more measures, another part (or "voice") begins the same melody, and continues it, in strict imitation, at the interval of an octave (or perhaps some other interval), until the final cadence of the first melody is reached, when the second melody is modified to suit the requirements of the close, and both come to an end together. Of course, in the invention of the first melody regard must be had to the imitation which is to progress with it. This requires much ingenuity and skill. There are also canons in three, four, or more parts; and many curious and ingenious kinds of canons, which can not here be described.

The most elaborate of the forms of Strict Imitation is the Fugue. This is the culmination of the strict polyphonic style, both in respect of technical requirements, of beauty, and expressive power. A fugue may be written in two, three, four, five or more parts. Some one of the parts starts with a short, well-defined melody, which is the "subject" of the fugue. Then another voice replies with an imitation of this subject, in the key of the dominant. This imitation is called the '° answer." The first part accompanies the answer by a new melodic phrase, so contrived as to contrast with the original phrase and serve as a foil to it. This is called the "counter subject." If the fugue is in two parts only, when the answer is completed by the second part, the "exposition" of the fugue is said to be complete. Then follows an interlude or episode, in which fragments of the subject and counter subject are used as imitations. This episode leads to the second entry of the subject, which commonly takes place in reverse to the exposition; i. e., if the exposition began with the soprano and the bass answered it, the bass answered it, the bass now leads with the subject and the soprano follows with the answer. After this comes another episode, ;ad then a "stretto," where the answer enters before the subject has finished. The whole is closed with a "coda," more or less elaborate.

This is the simplest outline of the fugue form. When the fugue is written for three, four or more voices, there are often more than three entries of the subject and answer in all the parts. After the exposition, or first complete entry of all the voices, the order of entrance and the modulations into different keys are left to the imagination and skill of the composer. So are the length and richness of the interludes, and the greater or less elaboration of the coda. The stretto is sometimes a strict canon. The counter subject is often so constructed as to go in double counterpoint with the subject; that is, is so contrived that the lower of them may be transposed an octave higher, or the higher an octave lower, and the relations of the two still be correct and satisfactory. There are fugues with two, three, four and more subjects.

Free Imitation occurs when the imitations of a given subject or "motive" take place without any exact following of the original order of intervals, and not in accordance with any fixed rule as to their number, or the order of their entrance. The old compositions in this style were Preludes, Inventions, Fantasias, Toccatas, Sonatas, and various forms of dance music. Most of the compositions passing under these names were polyphonic.

The sonata form will be considered further on. The Suite was a series of dance tunes, often introduced by a prelude. They were invariably all in the same key, and were so arranged as to contrast with one another in tempo. The first dance was commonly moderately fast; the second very rapid, the third slow and stately, the fourth and perhaps the fifth less slow, but still majestic and dignified, and the last a lively, rollicking jig.

The following examples arc recommended to students. J. S. Bach, "Two-part and Three-part Inventions, "° Das Wohltemperirte Clavier" (The Well-Tempered Clavichord), a collection of forty-eight preludes and fugues in all the keys; English and French Suites and Partitas. Haendel, sixteen Suites, Legons, Pieces, Fugues, Fuguettes. D. Scarlatti, eighteen pieces (Buelow ). All these can be obtained in the cheap but excellent edition of C. F. Peters in Leipzig. There is also a set of pieces by Scarlatti, edited by Louis Koehler, and published by Julius Schuberth & Co., Leipzig.

The polyphonic music was first written for voices, and for the service of the church. Afterwards secular music, (madrigals, etc.) came into vogue. When the organ and other keyed instruments had been invented, they were at first used for accompaniments to vocal music. From this it was an easy step to transfer the vocal forms to separate instrumental performances, and this naturally led to independent composition for these instruments. The most elaborate and masterly fugues are those of J. S. Bach, for the organ and clavichord. For these instruments the polyphonic music was written, and with the year of Bach's death, 1750, this first classical period may be said to have closed. Its significance to us lies in the fact that all its treasures are still available for the pianoforte, which has supplanted the harpsichord and clavichord, and that a knowledge of it is indispensable to every pianist.