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Part Writing |
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Part writing, also called
voice leading, is generally taught to students to emphasize the importance of
both horizontal lines and vertical |
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harmonies. Studying four-part choral music—that is,
Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass—helps to address the common problems that
arise when writing for different voices.
While learning and analyzing part writing it is useful to review some
of the best examples of harmonization: 371
Bach Chorales Important rules for
part-writing are as follows: 1. The spacing between S, A, and T must not be
more than an octave. The space between
T and B can be greater. 2. Each voice must stay within its vocal
range, that is S, C4-G5; A, F3-C5; T, C3-G4; B, F2-C4. 3. Motion a. Move voices in contrary motion to the bass
whenever possible, i.e. if the bass moves down, melody moves up. b. Avoid parallel motion, such as fifths and
octaves moving in the same direction. 4. Doubling: a. double the root whenever possible b. try to double the voice in the bass or
soprano when possible c. do not double the leading tone or the
seventh d. in a diminished triad try to double the
third or fifth e. it is okay to leave the fifth out
occasionally, but not the third or the root 5. Try to avoid voices crossing one another if
at all possible 6. Avoid using illegal dissonant intervals
such as the tritone Although the above are some of the most important
rules for part writing, to really learn the skill one should try to do all of
the following: review Bach and other chorales, get plenty of practice and
have a teacher review for mistakes and good writing, and play part writing
exercises aloud to hear whether they contain errors or appropriate harmonies. |
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is a great reference and study tool to have.|
All articles (c) 1999-2006 by LIFTOFF! |