The most celebrated book on counterpoint is Fux's great theoretical work GRADUS AD PARNASSUM. Since its appearance in 1725, it has been used by and has directly influenced the work of many of the great composers, including J.S. Bach, Haydn, and Beethoven. Originally written in Latin, this work has been translated in to the principal European languages. The present translation by Alfred Mann is the first faithful rendering in English, presenting the essence of Fux's teachings.

-- Stanley Persky, City University of New York

Counterpoint manuals have long been central to the music education of composers, historians, and theorists. In this book a conductor uses counterpoint exercises to aid musicians in becoming sensitive to the fundamental ingredients of good music making.

"Counterpoint proceeds by developing species counterpoint in the tradition of Johann Joseph Fux and his famous Gradus ad Parnassum (1725), but with attention to Schenker's more in-depth study. Everyone from beginning music theory students to composers to graduate composition students will benefit from the methods introduced here. As emphasized in the preface, readers are presented with "exercises for composition." Rather than actually teaching a student to compose, working through these exercises will improve musicianship as it applies to both composition and understanding music theory."--BOOK JACKET.