Part (music)

In the context of polyphonic composition the term voice may be used instead of part to denote a single melodic line or textural layer.

In some places and time periods, part-writing has been systematized as a set of counterpoint rules taught to musicians as part of their early education.

One notable example is Johann Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum, which dictates a style of counterpoint writing that resembles the work of the famous Renaissance composer Palestrina.

The standard for most Western music theory in the twentieth century is generalized from the work of Classical composers in the common practice period.

[clarification needed] For example, a recent general music textbook states, Part writing is derived from four-voice chorales written by J.S.

Sheet music for Mendelssohn's Opus 13 Intermezzo
A score with four parts, for Mendelssohn's opus 13 string quartet. The second violin and the viola "parts" above often include two or three simultaneous notes: in some sense, these parts assemble several parts, played by a single player.
A bar from J.S. Bach 's " Fugue No.17 in A flat", BWV 862, from Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (Part I), an example of contrapuntal polyphony. Play ⓘ The two parts, or voices, on each staff may be distinguished by the direction of the stems . Play voice 4 ⓘ , 3 ⓘ , 2 ⓘ , & 1 ⓘ separately.