Fifth species (florid counterpoint) combines all four previous species in a single free line. It is the culmination of two-voice species counterpoint and the closest approximation to actual Renaissance vocal polyphony.
Florid Counterpoint: Synthesis
Fifth species, or florid counterpoint (from the Latin floridus, "flowering"), combines all four previous species in a free, rhythmically varied line. Against the whole-note cantus firmus, the counterpoint voice may use whole notes (first species), half notes (second species), quarter notes (third species), tied half notes (fourth species), or any combination — as well as eighth notes in limited contexts (typically appearing in pairs as ornamental figures). Fifth species is therefore the culmination of two-voice species training: it asks the student to apply every previous skill simultaneously and to choose moment by moment which species technique best serves the musical goal.
The result is a genuinely melodic, flowing line of the kind found in Palestrina's vocal polyphony. The rules of all previous species apply: dissonances on strong beats must be suspensions; dissonances on weak beats must be passing or neighbour tones; parallel perfect consonances are prohibited regardless of rhythm; the line should have a clear arch shape and logical voice leading. What changes is the local rhythmic profile — long notes give way to short notes, suspensions emerge from prepared consonances, and the line breathes and accelerates as the music demands.
Flexibility and Judgment
Florid counterpoint requires compositional judgment, not just rule application. The choice of when to use long notes (first or second species motion, creating repose and rhythmic contrast) versus short notes (third species motion, creating forward motion and energy) versus suspensions (fourth species, creating expressive tension) shapes the emotional character of the line. The best florid counterpoint is not a mechanical mix of species but a purposeful composition in which each rhythmic choice serves a musical goal.
The student should think of the rhythmic vocabulary as an expressive palette:
- Whole notes create maximum repose — useful for an opening gesture before the counterpoint begins to move, or for a moment of stillness mid-phrase.
- Half notes with passing tones create steady, conversational motion — the basic rhythmic unit of the line.
- Quarter notes introduce energy and forward drive — useful for approaching the climax or for momentary intensification.
- Tied half-note suspensions create expressive tension — useful at moments of emotional weight or as the line approaches a cadence.
- Eighth-note pairs create ornamental flourishes — useful for highlighting a specific melodic peak or for adorning the resolution of a suspension.
Models from the Repertoire
Fux provides several model examples in Gradus ad Parnassum, and the student is directed to study these before attempting florid counterpoint independently. Jeppesen's analysis of Palestrina's actual melodic style in Counterpoint supplements these models with historical evidence of how a master composer made these choices. The Kyrie of Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcelli, the opening of his Sicut cervus, and the duet sections of his Missa Brevis are all excellent study scores — each line, taken individually, is fifth species writing of the highest order.
Bach's two-part inventions are post-Renaissance applications of florid counterpoint principles. Each invention voice moves freely between half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes against the other voice; each contains suspensions at structurally important points; each respects the dissonance rules even within the more chromatic harmonic language of the 18th century. Studying any Bach invention as a "florid counterpoint exercise on a freely composed cantus firmus" reveals how species principles survive into tonal counterpoint.
Eighth Notes in Florid Counterpoint
Eighth notes are permitted in fifth species but must appear in pairs and typically function as ornamental figures: a pair of eighth notes filling a half-note beat creates a trill-like figure or a turn ornament. They should not appear so frequently as to destroy the rhythmic variety that gives florid counterpoint its character. The signature sound of fifth species is the contrast between long notes and quick passages — the breath and the flourish.
The most common eighth-note figures are: the lower-neighbour figure (C-B-C as eighth notes on beat two, followed by a quarter on beat three); the upper-neighbour figure (C-D-C); and the passing-tone-and-anticipation figure approaching a cadential note. Eighth notes should almost never appear at the beginning of a measure (which is reserved for structural consonances or suspensions) but rather mid-measure, where their ornamental function is clearest.
Approaching the Cadence
In fifth species, the cadence typically uses a 7-6 suspension followed by a leading-tone step to the octave. The penultimate measure usually introduces a suspension, and the final measure resolves with a characteristic gesture. In Palestrina's actual practice, cadences are one of the most formulaic elements — the approach to the final is governed by strict conventions that project a sense of arrival even in the midst of melodic freedom.
The standard fifth-species cadence proceeds as follows: in the penultimate measure, the counterpoint sustains a note that becomes the seventh against the cantus firmus on the downbeat (a 7-6 suspension); the seventh resolves to the sixth on the second half of the measure; the cantus firmus then moves to the final and the counterpoint completes the cadence by stepping up to the octave (via the leading tone) or stepping down to the unison. This formula is repeated in countless Renaissance pieces, and recognising it allows the student to identify cadences instantly in unfamiliar polyphonic music.
Practical Exercise
Using the cantus firmus from previous species, write a fifth species counterpoint above it. Plan in advance: which measures will use long notes (for repose), which will use quarter-note motion (for energy), and which will introduce suspensions (for expressive weight)? Place the climax note in the third or fourth measure from the end, approached by stepwise motion and followed by a suspension that propels the line into the cadence. Verify each measure individually for voice-leading correctness, then sing the entire line to confirm that it has the breathing, varied quality of genuine vocal melody.
Sources and Further Reading
- Fux/Mann. The Study of Counterpoint. Norton. Part II, Chapter 6.
- Jeppesen. Counterpoint. Prentice-Hall. Chapter 8.
- Open Music Theory — Fifth Species / Florid Counterpoint (openmusictheory.net, CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Gauldin. A Practical Approach to 18th-Century Counterpoint. Waveland Press.
- Kennan. Counterpoint. Prentice-Hall.