Since the death of these Great Masters ', observes Mr. Rockstro,'' it [counterpoint] has undergone no change whatever.No new rules have been, or possibly can be, added to it. It must be taught now-if taught at all -exactly as it was taught in the latter half of the sixteenth century. Our little Treatise, therefore, contains no novelty whatever.The rules it prescribes are those, and those only, to which Palestrina, Vittoria, Luca Marenzio, and the greatest of their contemporaries, yielded their loving obedience.'A few pages later we come upon the following passage :' It was the author's original intention to have illustrated the present Treatise entirely with examples selected from the works of the Great Masters . . . But, the difficulty of finding passages exactly adapted to illustrate the precise Rule falling under discussion was so great, that this plan was unavoidably, though very reluctantly, subjected to considerable modification. Abundant quotations have indeed been made from the works of Fux and other famous contrapuntists : but in order to explain his meaning with sutiicient clearness to meet the demands of those who are entering upon the study of counterpoint for the first time, the author has found it necessary to write a large number of additional examples, which are distinguished by the sign [given] from those of higher authority.' At this point, it will be noticed, the logical processes of Mr. Rockstro appear to have suifered an interruption. The ' Rules ' he prescribes are those, and those only, to which Palestrina, Vittoria & Co. ' yielded their loving obedience '. These rules, therefore, will naturally be illustrated in every bar that these great composers wrote. Yet, when it comes to the point, we find that Mr. Rockstro has confessedly been unable to find any such illustrations.
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