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Thanks Kamen. What I am having trouble understanding is that even if Renaissance counterpoint rules do not use harmonic functions, by the 18th century they did. I dont understand how that gap was bridged of applying lessons of countermelodies within a given harmony. So, I have a melody, I have the harmony, but I want to add a countermelody. If Fux doesn't address this, how is this done? I have a harmonic progression and melody and want to add a countermelody to it in a way that is satisfying to the ear. Isn't the place to learn this counterpoint?

This post would be more useful if you suggested some of the "better options" that are out there.

Thanks for addressing my question rather than the subsequent tangent. So, I am still trying to understand how to use counterpoint as a function of harmony. Even if it wasn't the way it was done in Renaissance/Baroque counterpoint, it still needs to fall within a harmonic plan and I can't figure out how that is done. For example - if I have a simple melody and a simple harmony to accompany that melody, if I follow counterpoint rules - it doesn't address the harmony I'm using and I can't figure out how that is done.

Hello everyone, I am trying to learn counterpoint with Fux. Something that I've never understood - in Fux 16th century species counterpoint, we stay within a key for 8 bars or so, but how do you do counterpoint where you are moving around harmonically? Even in simple terms - of bar 1 in C, bar 2 in F, bar 3 in G, and bar 4 back to C - how would you reinforce the harmony via counterpoint? What if a modulation was added? So we would do C, F, D major, G (new key)? It seems the Fux rules imply looking at the cantus firmus note rather than the harmonic function. So, if the CF note is C, then I am allowed 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 intervals above, right? So if the C exists within the context of C major would be different than if it was A minor, right? So a 3rd above C being E would be part of A minor and would work, but the 4 as an F would not work, right? Because that could emphasise F major not A minor. So if I am harmonically in A minor, how would the counterpoint serve that function even though in both cases, the cantus firmus was playing a C? Thanks!