The 20th century English composer Robert Simpson, while not always being completely accessible or even sensible, wrote a string of symphonies that used counterpoint.
He was famous for having orchestral "cells" played against one another; that is, certain sections of the orchestra would play one set of music, other sections would play another, and they would play both simultaneously.
I believe Charles Ives did similarly in his 4th symphony to such extent it required more than one conductor to perform the music.
This is, I believe, the definition of counterpoint -- note against note or one set of music played against or combined with another.
The boyhood songs "99 Bottles Of Beer On the Wall" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" can also be performed not as fugues or fugato but as counterpoint.
Getting back to Simpson, he composed one symphony (maybe No. 2) as a palindrome -- the same going forward as backward. It was pretty to look at the score but not necessarily successful musically, as I recall.
I don't remember where all this happened but I wrote a review of his symphonies years ago for Amazon. I'm sure I mentioned some of this there/then.
He was famous for having orchestral "cells" played against one another; that is, certain sections of the orchestra would play one set of music, other sections would play another, and they would play both simultaneously.
I believe Charles Ives did similarly in his 4th symphony to such extent it required more than one conductor to perform the music.
This is, I believe, the definition of counterpoint -- note against note or one set of music played against or combined with another.
The boyhood songs "99 Bottles Of Beer On the Wall" and "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" can also be performed not as fugues or fugato but as counterpoint.
Getting back to Simpson, he composed one symphony (maybe No. 2) as a palindrome -- the same going forward as backward. It was pretty to look at the score but not necessarily successful musically, as I recall.
I don't remember where all this happened but I wrote a review of his symphonies years ago for Amazon. I'm sure I mentioned some of this there/then.
