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2.3 A worked critique

Consider a hypothetical short OTH counterpoint exercise:

Chord 1: C2-G2-D3-A3   (Q777 Summit)        | Soprano: C5 D5 E5 D5
Chord 2: C2-G2-D3-Bb3  (Q877 Plateau)       | Soprano: D5 E5 F5 E5
Chord 3: C2-G2-Eb3-Bb3 (Q787 Plateau)       | Soprano: Eb5 F5 G5 F5
Chord 4: C2-G2-D3-Bb3  (Q877 Plateau)       | Soprano: F5 E5 D5 C5
Chord 5: C2-G2-D3-A3   (Q777 Summit)        | Soprano: D5 (held)

Walk through the six dimensions:

  1. Chord-graph fidelity. Q777 → Q877 → Q787 → Q877 → Q777. Common tones at each transition: 3, 3, 3, 3. All single edges. ✓

  2. Voice independence. The soprano line moves at four notes per chord-zone (third species pace). The bass moves at one chord per measure. Different rhythmic activity rates. ✓ But the soprano’s pattern is identical in chords 1, 2, 3 — a four-note ascending shape (X X+1 X+2 X+1, where +1 is a step up). Looking voice-by-voice across the chords: soprano starts C5 → D5 → Eb5 → F5 → D5 — a stepwise ascent followed by a descent. The bass voice 4 moves A3 → Bb3 → Bb3 → Bb3 → A3 — A neighbor figure. Both voices have similar shape (ascent, then descent). This is similar motion at the phrase level — not a violation, but worth noting.

  3. Cadential integrity. Chord 4 → chord 5: Q877 → Q777, single edge (Bb→A in voice 4). The soprano descends from C5 (chord 4 beat 4) to D5 (chord 5 sustained). That’s a step up (C5 to D5 is +2 semitones). At the cadence, the cantus firmus voice 4 is descending Bb→A; the soprano is ascending C5→D5. Contrary motion at the cadence. ✓ But neither voice is moving by single semitone; the soprano is moving by whole step. So we don’t have a clean leading-interval-pair. Partial credit.

  4. Motivic coherence. The soprano line uses a “X X+1 X+2 X+1” shape three times (chords 1, 2, 3) — clear motivic identity. Chord 4 uses a descending variant of the same cell (F5 E5 D5 C5 — a four-note descending stepwise figure, the retrograde of the ascending cell). Chord 5 lands on a held D5. Excellent motivic coherence — one cell, used in ascending form three times, then retrograde once, then resolved. ✓

  5. Wing-color identity. All five chords are in the core (Summits and Plateaus); no d5-wing or A5-wing chords involved. The piece has a “core” identity — neutral in wing-color terms. This is fine for a short exercise but limits expressive range.

  6. Shadow-note treatment. The soprano line has E5 (chord 1 beat 3, chord 2 beat 2, chord 2 beat 4) — E is not a chord tone of Q777 ({C,D,G,A}) or Q877 ({C,D,G,Bb}). Is E5 a passing tone (approached/left by step in same direction)? In chord 1: D5 → E5 → D5 — that’s an upper neighbor, not a passing tone. Approach by step up, leave by step down. Neighbor treatment. ✓ In chord 2: D5 → E5 → F5 → E5 — E5 is approached by step up, left by step up, then returned to. Mixed treatment — function as passing tone going up (D→E→F) and as neighbor going down (F→E→F). Both legal. ✓ Similarly F5 is non-chord tone in chord 1 and chord 3 (Q787 = {C,Eb,G,Bb}, no F), but appears in chord 2 (Q877 = {C,D,G,Bb}, no F either). F5 is non-chord-tone throughout but always approached and left by step. ✓

Summary of critique. The exercise is well-constructed: clean chord-graph path, motivically coherent soprano line, contrary motion at the cadence, properly treated non-chord tones. The weaknesses are: (a) the cadence does not employ the cleanest leading-interval-pair (would benefit from a Bb→A and an A→Bb in coordinated motion); (b) wing-color is neutral, limiting expressive scope. Overall: a good first-species/second-species exercise stretched into third species. Grade: solid B+.