Tonsatz
A composition fixed in writing.
What it means
In the broader sense, Tonsatz designates the elaborated, written-down shape of a composition — the fabric of voices, sonorities, and rhythms as it stands in the notated text. In the narrower sense, Tonsatz is the name of a school subject that combines harmonic theory and counterpoint and conveys the craft basics of composing.
Musical use
As a subject, Tonsatz encompasses the writing of polyphonic settings in various historical styles: chorale settings in the Baroque style, the counterpoint of vocal polyphony, the keyboard writing of the Classical and Romantic eras, occasionally also twentieth-century procedures. The aim is not primarily one's own composition but understanding how music is built. Whoever can write a setting in the style of a period understands that music from the inside, and this feeds directly back into analysis, interpretation, and the ear.
In the language of music description, “Tonsatz” also means the way a piece is written: whether it is laid out homophonically or polyphonically, how many voices it has, how densely or transparently it is set. In this sense one speaks of a four-part, a contrapuntal, or a chordal texture.
Tonsatz is to be distinguished from composition in the sense of invention: the latter comprises the creative idea, the former the craft of its elaboration. And it differs from music theory as a whole, since that also includes acoustics, formal theory, and the history of theory.
Tonsatz is at the same time a subject of study that combines harmonic theory, counterpoint, and formal theory. In lessons, style exercises are written, for instance chorale settings in Bach's style, song accompaniments in the Romantic style, or two-part counterpoints. The aim is to learn the craft of writing through examples and to understand styles.
Performance practice
Occasionally write small settings yourself, for instance a four-part chorale or a two-part exercise — nothing sharpens the understanding of voice leading like one's own attempt. And when studying a piece, look at its texture: how many voices does it have, where does each one lead? This determines balance and shaping.