Let's face it: as much as we all know and love about music, everyone has at least some blind spots. In our new series, "How To Be Smarter About…" Soundcheck aims to help you become a more impressive conversation partner at cocktail parties and around the water cooler.
When we asked for suggestions for our How To Be Smarter About... series, one listener, Shaloub -- a man of few words -- replied with an email that read simply: “Counterpoint.” That single word is a massive idea. But thankfully, Rob Kapilow is a brilliant teacher. A composer, conductor, and contributor to the classical music program Performance Today with his segment, “What Makes It Great,” Kapilow delves into counterpoint in this edition of How To Be Smarter About…
What is counterpoint?
Shaloub might have been able to ask his question in one word, but the definition of counterpoint is far too slippery for such a concise answer. In his first book, All You Have to Do Is Listen: Music from the Inside Out, Kapilow defines counterpoint as:
The technique of defining two or more independent melodic lines in such a way that each individual line is satisfying and complete in and of itself, yet also combines beautifully with the other parts.
“It’s like the perfect marriage,” he elaborats in a conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer. “You have two voices. You have two partners. Each of them have their own completely independent life, yet together they produce something that neither could produce on their own.”
(Note: If you find this textual explanation difficult to follow, Kapilow employs several musical examples in his explanation of counterpoint in the audio portion of this interview above)
What’s the adjective form of counterpoint?
Contrapuntal.
How should I use counterpoint?
One beautiful way to use counterpoint would be for every part to have an equally essential quality to it that adds to the other parts. “No matter whether you’re the melody or the accompaniment, everyone matters,” Kapilow playfully suggests. “It’s like the perfect basketball team made up of all LeBron Jameses. There are no role players. Everyone is a star, no matter what part they’re singing.”
What’s a master-level example of counterpoint?
Mozart’s “Symphony #41 in C” — known as the “Jupiter Symphony” — is the only example of quintuple invertible counterpoint in all of symphonic literature. Essentially, five different themes, all of which have been used independently throughout the piece, come together at the end of the symphony, and any one of them can act as the bass.
“For those of you who don’t compose, this is really hard to do,” says Kapilow. “And in fact, when I’ve shown this to orchestras who have played this for years, they are stunned to discover that there are actually five separate ideas — the five ideas of the piece — all combining. That’s the mark of true virtuosity: Counterpoint that you don’t even know is happening.”
What are some examples of counterpoint use in pop music?
There’s a reason why the song has a slash in the middle of its title: It’s actually two songs. The traditional folk song, “Scarborough Fair,” is sung in counterpoint with “Canticle,” an anti-war song written by Paul Simon.
The counterpoint here: Paul McCartney sings main tune, the rest of The Beatles sing the countermelody. Independent rhythm, as demonstrated in this song, is the key to counterpoint, according to Kapilow.
Have any composers pushed the boundaries of counterpoint?
For "In C," composer Terry Riley wrote 53 melodic snippets, with varying lengths of phrases. Each part is played completely independently, with different starting points, but because of the contrapuntal design of the composition, everything is harmonious.