Quote:
Originally Posted by spherenine
Oh, and QC, I think that two flutes can be twice as loud as one, provided that they are both playing at about 3 decibels.  |
Actually, no, they would STILL be playing at 3 db.
And contrary motion is only one option. There are many moments where parallel motion works perfectly well.
One important aspect when examining the motion of soprano and bass lines is "where they coincide".
If you are bringing your soprano and bass to unisons at every single cadential passage, then you are bringing every one of those cadential passages to a conclusion.
And this is where the question of "motion" becomes important. If your bass and soprano are coming to those cadential passages by parallel motion, and in unison, then you are limiting the amount of over-all counterpoint in your texture.