[LAU] [OT] Looking for symphony with good counterpoint or independent voices

[Dave Phillips]

Hey J !

On 11/01/2016 08:59 AM, J. C. wrote:
> Hey hey,
> sorry to ask this here, but I'm not very familiar with 19th century 
> music, which is what I'm interested in. I know that this list harbours 
> some connaisseurs of classical music. :)
>
> I'm looking for symphonies with good examples of independent voices or 
> counterpunctual techniques. So far I've looked at Beethoven's 9th, 
> Mahler's 1st, Dvorak's 9th and even Mozart's Jupiter symphony. But the 
> wealth of information online is too much to delve into it without more 
> keywords. Unfortunately, "symphony" is also well-liked term for a lot 
> of sites dealing with classical music in general.
>
> So, if someone could suggest more works, or composers, which are famed 
> for their strong, parallel voices, I'd be very grateful.
>
> If I should try to restrict this research further - or get lost with 
> it completely -, please let me know as well.

You'll certainly find contrapuntal writing in the symphonic scores by 
composers from the 19th and late 18th centuries. However, the smaller 
instrumental ensembles, such as the string quartets of Haydn and the 
string quintets by Mozart, tend towards more transparent textures more 
favorable to counterpoint.

Check out Ravel's string quartet, and of course there's Beethoven's 
Grosse Fuge, Opus 133, which is indeed a mighty big fugue.

Best,

dp