Syncopation and the suspension dissonance.
A. Melodic line. The CP is written with half-notes sounded on the weak half, and tied over the bar line to the subsequent strong half. In other words, one tone of the CP for each tone of the CF sounded from the weak half. and carried over to the next bar for one half.
1. Stepwise motion should be used wherever possible, but skips will probably be more frequent than in other species. One should still, however, be sure to avoid outlining tritones, sevenths, or ninths.
2. There may be one tone repetition per phrase of CP, but when the CF has repeated tones neither pair of the tones may overlap.
3. Twice in each phrase it is permissible, for the sake of a good line, to break into Species II. One of these is obligatory in the penultimate bar at the cadence. In other words, one measure in each phrase besides the penultimate one may contain a weak half which is not tied over to a subsequent strong half. It should be a passing tone (dissonant or consonant).
1. Each Species IV (tied) weak half must be consonant with the CF.
2. Species IV strong halves may be consonant. In this case they may move to any other consonance, observing proper linear motion.
3. Species IV strong halves may sound dissonances of seventh or fourth (above) or second (below) under certain conditions:
(1) Strong half may sound a seventh against the CF and resolve to a sixth in the subsequent weak half. (motion is down a step of half-step).
(2) Strong half may sound a fourth against the CF and resolve to a third in the subsequent weak half (again, motion is down a step or half-step).
b. If the CP is the lower voice:
The strong half may sound a second (or ninth) with the CF and resolves downward to a third (tenth) in the subsequent weak half.
Note: the first (tied) weak half is called the preparation. The second part of the tied note (strong half) is called the suspension, and the subsequent (consonant) weak half is called the resolution. Notice that the resolution is always an imperfect consonance. Where there are two moving voices, the reslution will stil be a perfect consonance, meaning that e.g. in a 7-6 suspension the voice that is not suspended may move and form a third with the tied voice, completing the resolution of dissonance. The tied voice still moves downward by step or half-step.
1. Unisons may be used freely, on strong or weak halves.
2. a. Parallel fifths are prohibited, except when the stepwise interval succession 6-5/6-5 in the lower CP or 5-6/5-6 in the upper CP is involved. Notice, in both cases the progression is ascending. In the case of 6-5/6-5 (lower CP), the last fifth must be followed by a sixth or third.
1. The phrases ofthe CP should begin as usual (perfect consonance on the initial strong half or after a half rest or with a third in an interior phrase).
2. The final tone of the CF in each phrase must be sounded at the same time as the final tone of the CF. The last (weak beat) half-note of the penultimate measure cannot be tied to the cadence tone. So this half must be treated as a Species II weak half. The cadences are formed by step in the normal manner.
3. The measure before the penultimate measure must be a species IV measure. Therefore, the allowed single pair of Species II half notes may not occur in this measure.
E. Ornamental resolutions to the suspension: all occur on a second (weak) quarter in the time of the suspension dissonance.
1.Anticipation: the resolution tone is sounded on the weak quarter and the same pitch is repeated on the weak half (in a 7-6 the half-note preparation is tied to a quarter note and the second quarter moves down by step or half-step in the second quarter, anticipating the resolution in the second half).
2. Ornamented anticipation: a stepwise downward pair of eighths takes the place of the single quarter-note anticipation.
3. Escape (échappée) tone: on the weak quarter, before the proper sounding time ofthe resolution tone, the line may move downward to any tone consonant with the CF, and afterwards to the resolution tone. The downward skip of a fifth is most common.
4. Note that the resolution tone must always be sounded at its proper time, on the weak half, and the this resolution is always a half-note (later, in florid counterpoint, the note may be shortened to a quarter with subsequent quarter-note motion).