What it is
Fifth species (florid counterpoint) freely combines the four previous species in a single line: half notes, quarter notes, syncopations, a few pairs of eighth notes. The goal is a voice that sounds composed, not like an exercise: rhythmic variety, melodic direction and dissonances treated correctly according to the value in which they appear.
Rules
- Each figure follows the rules of its corresponding species: half notes as in second, quarter notes as in third, tied notes as in fourth.
- Eighth notes: only in pairs, on the second or fourth quarter note, by step; they serve as passing notes or as ornaments of the resolution.
- Ties: preferably a half note (or a quarter note on the upbeat) is tied to the note on the next downbeat; avoid ties that make the rhythm seem lame, such as a short note tied to a long one in mid-bar.
- Variety: no more than two consecutive bars with the same rhythm; alternate movement (quarter notes) and rest (half notes, syncopations).
- Rhythm that speeds up and slows down: begin with long values, become animated in the middle section, return to long values at the cadence.
- Cadence: usually a 7–6 (above) or 2–3 (below) suspension, even if ornamented.
Ornamented resolution of the suspension
Between the dissonance and its resolution you may insert ornamental notes, provided the resolution arrives in its place:
- Resolution with lower neighbor: D5 tied (seventh over E4) → C#5 quarter note (resolution in its place) → B4 C#5 eighth notes → D5 final. The eighth notes, in pairs and by step, decorate the resolution without displacing it.
- Resolution preceded by a passing note: the tied note descends to the resolution through a pair of eighth notes, provided the resolution consonance falls on the expected beat.
Example in D Dorian, counterpoint above
Cantus: D4 F4 E4 D4 G4 F4 A4 G4 F4 E4 D4
| Bar | Cantus | Counterpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | D4 | rest, A4 (tied half note) |
| 2 | F4 | A4 (third, consonant syncopation), D5 (tied half note) |
| 3 | E4 | D5 (seventh) → C5 B4 quarter notes (resolution to the sixth, then fifth) |
| 4 | D4 | D5 quarter note, C5 B4 eighth notes, A4 half note |
| 5 | G4 | B4 half note, E5 half note |
| 6 | F4 | A4 half note, D5 tied half note |
| 7 | A4 | D5 (fourth) → C5 quarter note (4–3), E5 quarter note |
| 8 | G4 | B4 C5 D5 E5 quarter notes |
| 9 | F4 | F5 half note (climax), D5 tied half note |
| 10 | E4 | D5 (seventh) → C#5 (7–6) |
| 11 | D4 | D5 |
- Bar 4: the eighth notes C5 B4 are passing, in a pair, on the second quarter note.
- Bar 8: C5 over G4 is a passing fourth as in third species.
- The syncopations in bars 3, 7 and 10 are prepared by consonances (sixth over F4, sixth over F4, sixth over F4).
Writing strategies
- Plan the rhythmic form before the notes: write a code above each bar (M = half notes, Q = quarter notes, S = syncopation) and then fill in.
- Use syncopations at arrival points: before the climax and at the cadence.
- Use quarter notes for passages: to connect distant registers.
- Sing: the florid line should sound like a vocal line by Palestrina, with places to breathe.
Typical errors
- Patchwork: bars of different species glued together with no direction.
- Isolated eighth notes or eighth notes on the strong beat.
- Too many syncopations in a row: the line loses vitality; too many quarter notes: it becomes an instrumental study.
- Dissonances of the wrong value: a dissonance in a half note on the upbeat must be passing; in a quarter note it follows the rules of third species; tied, it must resolve.
Modern application
- Countermelodies in orchestral pop: a violin or flute alternating long notes, short scales and suspensions beneath the lead voice is fifth species applied.
- Soundtracks: the contrapuntal woodwind lines above a brass chorale (fantasy style) follow this logic of rhythmic variety.
- Choirs: response voices that fill the soloist's pauses with varied rhythms, without ever covering the words, are a direct example.
Related topics
Fifth-species counterpoint, modal second and fourth species, ornaments, two-part invention, fifth species in three voices.