voices in contrapuntal writing move in the same way, each voice-part
being contrasted with different note-values. This gives greater
interest and makes each voice stand forth independently.

At first contrapuntal music may not seem interesting to us. If that is
so, it is because we are not in the least degree conscious of the
wonderful interest which has been put into every part. The truth is,
that in the beginning we cannot fully understand the thought that has
been put into the music, but by perseverance it will come to us little
by little. This is what makes great music lasting. It is so deftly
made, yet so delicately, that we have to go patiently in search of it.
We must remember that gems have to be cut and polished from a bit of
rock.

In this case the gem is the rich mind-picture which comes to us if we
faithfully seek the under-thought. And the seeking is polishing the
gem.

Music written entirely by the rules of counterpoint is called
contrapuntal music; that written otherwise is known as free harmonic
music. In the one case the composer desired to have a beautiful
weaving of the parts--clear as the lines in a line-engraving. In the
other, the intention is to get effects from tones united into chords,
such as is obtained from masses of color in a painting. Neither form
may be said to be the superior of the other. Each is valuable in its
place, and each has possibilities peculiarly its own, which the other
could not give. Pure counterpoint could not give us such a charming
effect as Chopin obtains in the first study of Opus 10; nor could the
plainer and more free harmonic style give us such delicate bits of
tracery as Bach has in his fugues.