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A systematic method of teaching counterpoint in five progressively complex "species," codified by Johann Joseph Fux in "Gradus ad Parnassum" (1725).
Species counterpoint is the compositional equivalent of scales and arpeggios — the fundamental training that underlies all contrapuntal writing. First species: note against note. Second: two notes against one. Third: four against one. Fourth: suspensions. Fifth: florid (free) counterpoint.
Fux's "Gradus ad Parnassum" — the textbook that trained Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and nearly every major composer for 300 years.
Species counterpoint is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
Browse the full dictionary →