Species Counterpoint: An Introduction
Nearly 300 years ago, one composer turned the art of combining melodies into a structured training system — and it's still how counterpoint gets taught today.
A cantus firmus, and a discipline built around it
Species counterpoint is a training method, systematized by the theorist Johann Joseph Fux, for writing a new melodic line against a cantus firmus — a "fixed song," usually a simple melody in long, even note values. Instead of jumping straight into free composition, the student writes increasingly free "species" (styles) of counterpoint against that same fixed line, one rhythmic relationship at a time.
The five species
- First species — note-against-note (1:1): one counterpoint note for every cantus firmus note.
- Second species — two notes against one (2:1): the counterpoint moves twice as fast as the cantus firmus.
- Third species — four notes against one (4:1): even faster motion, testing melodic control at speed.
- Fourth species — syncopation and suspensions: notes tied across the beat, creating and resolving dissonance in a controlled way.
- Fifth species — florid counterpoint: a free mixture of all the previous species together in one line.
Each species isolates one rhythmic challenge at a time, so a student masters voice-leading discipline in layers rather than all at once — which is exactly why the method has survived for centuries.
Common questions
What is species counterpoint?
A centuries-old training method, systematized by Johann Joseph Fux, for writing a melodic line against a fixed cantus firmus in five progressively freer species.
What is a cantus firmus?
A "fixed song" — a simple, pre-existing melodic line in long even note values, that a student writes a counterpoint against.
What are Fux's five species?
1st: note-against-note. 2nd: two against one. 3rd: four against one. 4th: syncopation and suspensions. 5th: florid, mixing all the previous species.
Is species counterpoint still taught today?
Yes — it remains standard because it isolates voice-leading discipline from the distraction of harmony, rhythm, and orchestration all at once.
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