Nota contra notam
Nota contra notam means “note against note”. In this simplest form of counterpoint each note of one voice is set against exactly one note of the other, all voices moving in the same rhythm. It is the first species in the teaching of counterpoint after Johann Joseph Fux.
- Meaning
- each note against exactly one note
- Rhythm
- all voices equal
- Species
- first species of counterpoint after Fux
- Permitted sonorities
- thirds, fifths, sixths, octaves (unison also at the beginning and end)
The first species
Anyone learning counterpoint starts with the simplest task: to a given melody, the cantus firmus, to write a second voice that sets exactly one note against each note. That is the first species, as Johann Joseph Fux describes it in his textbook “Gradus ad Parnassum” of 1725. All voices have the same rhythm, there are no passing notes and no ornaments. The example shows a solution.
Two voices, note against note
Below a cantus firmus C–D–E–D–C, above a second voice G–F–C–B–C, both in whole notes. The sonorities: fifth, third, sixth, sixth, octave. The voices run twice in contrary motion, twice in similar motion, but never in parallel fifths or octaves.
The rules at a glance
A few strict rules apply to the first species. Only consonant sonorities sound: thirds, sixths, fifths and octaves. You begin with a perfect consonance (unison, fifth or octave) and, by strict teaching, close with a unison or an octave. Parallel fifths and octaves are forbidden, and the voices should move as far as possible in contrary motion. A look at the table shows how the example meets these rules.
| Bar | Lower voice | Upper voice | Interval | Motion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | G | fifth | beginning with a perfect interval |
| 2 | D | F | minor third | contrary motion |
| 3 | E | C | minor sixth | similar motion |
| 4 | D | B | major sixth | similar motion |
| 5 | C | C | octave | contrary motion, close with a perfect interval |
The close is a sixth-to-octave clausula: the major sixth D–B becomes the octave C–C by the upper voice rising to C as the leading tone and the lower falling to it.
Why it works as an exercise
Because no rhythm distracts, voice leading moves to the centre. You learn to think of the lines individually and at the same time to attend to the sonority. That is the basis of polyphonic part-writing. The term is also used in a more general sense for a chordal texture in which each voice moves on together with the other, as in homophony. The difference: in the first species the voices are independent lines, not accompanying chords to a melody.
Common mistakes
- Beginning with a third: strict teaching demands a perfect consonance (unison, fifth or octave) at the beginning and a unison or octave at the close.
- Writing parallel fifths or octaves: they are the commonest violation.
- Adding a rhythm: in the first species all notes have the same value.
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Related terms
CounterpointCantus firmusHomophonyContrary motionSimilar motionParallel fifthsOctaveIntervalDissonance
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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