Little free counterpoint quiz

[Quijote]

Ah, another hero steps up to the plate! Bravo!

[Chris]

Also, I always wanted to take a class like this. Although I think I would be terrified to have Philip as my teacher!

[Quijote]

Who the hell is 'Philip'? Away with him, he is no more !

[Chris]

I'd like to imagine that you make all of your students refer to you as "Quijote".

[Quijote]

Anyway, all you need to do is transpose the violin II part down an octave and voilà you have a perfect left-hand (or 'cello) part that resembles almost any basic Bach 2-part invention. I gave one of my students 18/20 (which is a very healthy mark), but then again he happens to be a 'cellist. Ahem.

[Quijote]

I'd like to imagine that you make all of your students refer to you as "Quijote".

No, they all call me "Monsieur". Out of class I understand that I have a certain reputation ...

[Quijote]

A few further clues to help you (not that you need it!) : modulating sequences (a string of dominant sevenths in various inversions).

[Quijote]

To elucidate the clue above, I always tell my students (when working on Free Counterpoint) to "think in 4-part harmony before writing your 2-part working".

[Quijote]

Just to further explain, Free Counterpoint is the sort that Bach (and Haydn, Mozart Beethoven...) would have been familiar with, and nothing to do with 'Strict Counterpoint' which is more do to with Palestrina et al.
That said, many of the baroque/classical contrapuntal 'rules' arose out of the earlier 'Strict Counterpoint'.

[Quijote]

Hey guys (and girls, of course), whilst we're on the topic, I've scanned a couple of pages from a book about counterpoint (well, fugue, to be precise). The attached PDF shows Beethoven's workings compared to his teacher Albrechtsberger. Hmm, never thought Beethoven needed a teacher at his age, but then again Bruckner did (in his forties) and Schubert too.
My fees are very reasonable. Should you be interested.

[Sorrano]

Sorrano: any joy for me? Will you post?
Michael: did you manage at least to tune your kettle to C minor?

Sorry, I won't be able to do much until after Christmas. However, I have taken a look at it and did a little with it, but wish to put a little more time than just a few minutes.

[Sorrano]

To elucidate the clue above, I always tell my students (when working on Free Counterpoint) to "think in 4-part harmony before writing your 2-part working".

That does make a lot of sense. There are too many choral arrangements (I call them derangements) that tend to have two part sections in which important parts of a chord are omitted. The result always makes me cringe.

[Quijote]

In fact Bruckner and Schubert had the same counterpoint teacher, if I recall correctly: Simon Sechter. Fancy!

[Quijote]

That does make a lot of sense. There are too many choral arrangements (I call them derangements) that tend to have two part sections in which important parts of a chord are omitted. The result always makes me cringe.

That of course is the crux of the issue: how to render 4-part implied harmony in 2 parts. I look forward to your working Sorrano, after Xmas!

[Quijote]

Then again, look at how Bach renders 2-part counterpoint (with implied 4-part harmony) on monodic instruments (e.g. the violin Partitas or the 'cello Suites ...) !!
Then again, Bach is "God", and I am a humble harmony/counterpoint teacher offering very reasonable fees ...