The Style of Palestrina and the Dissonance (Dover Books On Music: Analysis)

You might need to have studied species counterpoint before committing yourself, just a fair warning. (Fux or Jeppesen prefered due to voice-crossing)Despite the lack of translation of quotes Jeppesen still manages to bring forth his points by the use of examples taken from the late works of Palestrina. These he compares with the earlier work by same composer as well as other earlier masters(about 1400-1550) especially the works of Josqin des Prez. He does this in a way that brings forth the different treatment of the dissonance in the hands of different masters then debates the reason for Palestrina's more "strict" approach.In this way you will clearly understand the fundamental treatment of dissonances in late Palestrina style without being confused by what you've read elsewhere.This historical aspect and a very logical approach(besides some personal opinions here and there) is imho what makes this book a masterpiece.Jeppesen's treatment of the dissonance is planned out very carefully, he divides it into categories which he again subdivides etc.In this way it could easily be used as a reference source if you are studying species counterpoint. Especially since Fux(as the author proves) was mistaken more than once in his "gradus ad parnassum". Jeppesen even debates as to the reason why many music theorists had a hard time understanding the specific style of Palestrina.I would also say that Jeppesen's superb understanding of his subject enables him to catch errors in earlier publications of Palestrina scores(and those of other old composers) - often because of the publisher's own erroneous correction of the score. This because the publisher didn't understand some exceptions of dissonance treatment and thought them to be mistakes(especially pre-Palestrina styles have a less strict approach to voice-leading).Because this book is so important in understanding general voice-leading, the person who might benefit from this isn't just the theorist(like the other review claims) but also the hardworking composer. Even composers of the classical era(Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven) studied voice-leading mainly through Fux, and Fux attempted to do what Jeppesen has done here(and in his other book on Counterpoint). Therefore anybody serious about mastering voice-leading should get this great masterpiece a.s.a.p.Yes it's tough at times and it may require you to rewrite most examples of Palestrina to prefered clefs, but even so, as far as I know this is the only work dealing in depth with such an important area of music theory(the dissonance) and because of its restrictions(late Palestrina with comparisons to other composers for clarity) it actually accomplishes its task better than any other work known to me.For that reason I think this work and the authors working method should stand as an example for all music theorists to follow - restrict yourself to an important aspect of music theory, choose one master as your prime example and compare the works of this master to his contemporaries, his own earlier works and works of earlier masters.Do this and you might change the future of music theory.

A fine book. Not spectacularly insightful or groundbreaking but a concise and approachable text

A good but very very very specialized book. One can appreciate the time Jeppesen must have spent sifting through old scores to draw his quite satisfactory conclusions. Reading this book really makes one question how many people have read this cover to cover: 10? 100? It is very esoteric and detailed. The translation at times is awkward but that could just be a reflection on the original style of writing which at times could be a little more to the point. The music examples are in three different position "C" clefs and two different position bass clefs so it takes some mental processing to put the music in order without spending the time rewriting the examples. None of the quotations are translated which really in the end just makes a quicker read of an already slow read. This is not the book to enter the understanding of Renaissance counterpoint and the style of Palestrina. It is an interesting book though to round out one's musical knowledge having already a foundation in music theory and specifically the melodic and harmonic language of Palestrina in the context of the Renaissance. I had wanted to read this book for decades and have now done so. What would we do without the fine inexpensive Dover editions that line our shelves? Recommended yes, but only if the reader, theorist, composer has need of and can appreciate the fine and subtle points elucidated by the author. Definitely not an "introduction" to Palestrina and Renaissance music and counterpoint. Instead one takes from this book is an understanding of the fine precision of melody, harmony and counterpoint that Palestrina brought to his art and the music of his time. Through the stylistic use of the dissonance of suspensions, passing notes, cambiatas and so on, Jeppesen succeeds in pinpointing the fine interplay of the two dimensions of melody and harmony as refined by Palestrina . In the end one understands a little more of Palestrina's style and therefore music overall. In this we take satisfaction.