Most impressive passages of counterpoint?

[ChamberNut]

You know what it is. You hear it in any string quartet. Two or more identifiable musical lines sounding simultaneously = counterpoint. Tell me one of your favorite pieces and I'll point out an example of counterpoint. It is everywhere.

OK - how about any Beethoven string quartet?  Right now I'm listening to 1 and 2.  Thanks Sforzando. 

[lukeottevanger]

OK - how about any Beethoven string quartet?  Right now I'm listening to 1 and 2.  Thanks Sforzando. 

If you're listening to them both at the same time you are creating a counterpoint Beethoven didn't envisage...

[Norbeone]

Anything by Bach.

The Prelude to Wagner's Die Meistersinger

The fugato in the finale of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra

[greg]

The fugato in the finale of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra

Bartok is another one whose music is loaded with counterpoint..... especially the String Quartets, man! 

[jochanaan]

Could someone tell me what "contrapuntal imitation" means, in simple, layman terms?
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=42:26362

Thanks

In contrapuntal imitation, one instrument/hand/voice plays a single melodic line, either by itself or against a musical background, and after a time another instrument/hand/voice plays the same melodic line, usually at a different pitch.  Canons and fugues are imitative counterpoint.  In a canon, the imitation is exact; in a fugue, it may involve modifications of various kinds.

It's also possible for the imitation to be inverted (turned upside-down), retrograded (played backwards), or played in retrograde inversion (both backwards and upside-down).  Musicians often also make the imitation faster or slower than the original.  And these are only a few of the techniques musicians use to make the counterpoint interesting.

Back to the original topic: Carl Nielsen was another master of orchestral counterpoint.  His last three symphonies are full of canons and fugati.

[lukeottevanger]

Back to the original topic: Carl Nielsen was another master of orchestral counterpoint.  His last three symphonies are full of canons and fugati.

Likewise Brian - what is often not realised is that his famously abrupt juxtapositions of orchestral sonority are frequently superimposed upon what is actually a purely linear and steely polyphony which continues right through the switch in instrumentation.

Purcell, btw- his Fantasias contain some extraordinary things.

[Opus106]

In contrapuntal imitation, one instrument/hand/voice plays a single melodic line, either by itself or against a musical background, and after a time another instrument/hand/voice plays the same melodic line, usually at a different pitch.  Canons and fugues are imitative counterpoint.  In a canon, the imitation is exact; in a fugue, it may involve modifications of various kinds.

It's also possible for the imitation to be inverted (turned upside-down), retrograded (played backwards), or played in retrograde inversion (both backwards and upside-down).  Musicians often also make the imitation faster or slower than the original.  And these are only a few of the techniques musicians use to make the counterpoint interesting.

Much appreciated. Thank you.

And, yes, back to topic.

[(poco) Sforzando]

OK - how about any Beethoven string quartet?  Right now I'm listening to 1 and 2.  Thanks Sforzando. 

Haven't forgotten you - more later.

[Rod Corkin]

In addition to the late Beethoven fugues of course already mentioned may I add the fugue for String Quintet Op137, that is just something else too, a brief glimpse of heaven.

On the Baroque side I may I also add the fugue in the overture to Handel's Judas Maccabaeus which is just great, a real tour de force, and you get to hear it all twice!

[BachQ]

In addition to the late Beethoven fugues of course already mentioned may I add the fugue for String Quintet Op137, that is just something else too, a brief glimpse of heaven.

On the Baroque side I may I also add the fugue in the overture to Handel's Judas Maccabaeus which is just great, a real tour de force, and you get to hear it all twice!

Nice to see you branching out beyond your usual two-composer fetish ..........

[BachQ]

Have we heard what Saul's favorite Mendelssohn counterpoint passages are?  How about 71dB's favorite Elgar passages?

[greg]

How about Eric's favorite Debussy counterpoint passages?

[71 dB]

How about 71dB's favorite Elgar passages?

Fugue from Severn Suite is one. In general, I adore the way Elgar uses simultanuous sounds. In the context of multidimensional structures they form what I call "super-counterpoint."

[mikkeljs]

The repetition thing in Langgårds Antikrist.

It´s almost a musically piece in it self:

:g - e c d e f - ela - f d e f g - f lg - e c d e f - e la - f d e f g - f:l
                      l                      l                      l                      l
:e f g a - g a h clf g a h - a h c dlg a h c - h a h clf g a h - a h c d:l

-so far I remember... It´s amazing music!

[anasazi]

Any work?  How about Sheep May Safely Graze?

Probably an exageration to compare this gorgeous aria with any number of Sebastian Bach's fugues, but actually if you study the music, which I have (I have the Egon Petri piano transcription) it becomes all the more easy to 'hear' the entrances of the themes.  Not a fugue or a ricercari, but still polyphonic and with Bach is always seems just so simple and effortless.  It is that efortessness that seems to be lacking in many recent so-called polyphonic works.

[Rod Corkin]

Nice to see you branching out beyond your usual two-composer fetish ..........

Your father clearly didn't beat you enough as a child.

[prémont]

Your father clearly didn't beat you enough as a child.

Of course he did not. When Dm´s father was a child, Dm was not yet born.

[rappy]

Nobody mentioned the development section of the Hammerklavier sonata yet!

Or what about some Hindemith?

[mikkeljs]

And Scriabin and Scriabin and Scriabin and Scriabin.

I often wonder, if he deleted a lot of ideas, since everything he wrote, sounds like he have been working the contrasting parts out entirely to fit in a counterpoint, closely related all the way through the part. And I can imagine how difficult that might be, if you start on the contrasting part from an intuitively idea. 
On the other hand, I have heard, that Scriabin was impulsive as well.

[knight66]

Perhaps I have missed mention of it, but Wagner works in counterpoint a number themes from later in the opera into his overture for Meistersingers. In this case, it provides excitement, a rush of adrenalin.

Mike