The art of counterpoint . ue against the study, have real-ized little or nothing in the field of musical composition. No com-poser yet has gained the highest distinction, who has not yielded toits training, and many cultivated critics of our day claim that themost highly-tinctured romanticists — Wagner, or Richard Strauss —will live only in those pages which stand the classic, contrapuntal,Bach test. The rules governing strict counterpoint are a result of the carefulstudy of early polyphonic writing. Their authority rests solely onthe practices of the masters of this period, and these practice
The art of counterpoint . ue against the study, have real-ized little or nothing in the field of musical composition. No com-poser yet has gained the highest distinction, who has not yielded toits training, and many cultivated critics of our day claim that themost highly-tinctured romanticists — Wagner, or Richard Strauss —will live only in those pages which stand the classic, contrapuntal,Bach test. The rules governing strict counterpoint are a result of the carefulstudy of early polyphonic writing. Their authority rests solely onthe practices of the masters of this period, and these practices werepurely empirical, and are not open to scientific discussion. Let itbe understood, then, that counterpoint is an art, and not a science. Tell the student, not that these rules have their origin in naturallaw, but explain that they are the result of the common con-sent of those who have spoken with most authority in the art ofmusic, and that to refuse to follow them is simply an offense againstordinary good ADDITIONAL WORK FOR ORCHESTRAL INSTRUMENTS. The purpose of the work here suggested, is to make the studyof counterpoint more attractive by familiarizing the student withthe characteristics of the most important orchestral instruments. When a young composer begins orchestration, he is confusedby the mass of material at his disposal. No attempt is heremade to lay out work for artistic orchestration ; such work withinthe confines of strict counterpoint would be absurd. But it should THE ART OF COUNTERPOINT 43 be a comparatively easy matter to acquaint the student with therange and general characteristics of the most familiar orchestralinstruments, and florid counterpoint serves a good purpose for suchelementary work. It is believed that the work here outlined willhelp the student to an understanding of these instruments and takeaway the dismay he experiences when first faced by an orches-tral score. No attempt has been made to follow conventionalgroupings; that,
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