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In 1786, a 30-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sat down with his English student Thomas Attwood and began drilling him on species counterpoint — the same exercises Johann Joseph Fux codified in 1725. Below is one of Fux’s original cantus firmi. Click the upper staff to place a note above each one that forms a consonant interval — exactly as you would in the real Counterpoint Workshop.
Click on the upper staff where you want each note. Green-bordered notes are consonant; red are not.
First species (note-against-note) is the most fundamental exercise in Western music education. Every interval must be a consonance: a unison, third, fifth, sixth, or octave. No dissonances allowed.
Gradus progresses through all five species — from this simple note-against-note to florid counterpoint with passing tones, suspensions, and free mixture — following the exact sequence Fux taught and Mozart learned.
New lessons, score studies, and curriculum updates — a short note now and then, as the method grows.