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Hello!
My books collection includes these three books by Piston. I used them later in my theoretical studies. And I think they are very intelligently written, although one could find that in some places there is a lot of text, sometimes too philosophical. I think that the Piston's book on Counterpoint is more thought-provoking and shows specific moments, while Kennan's is more suitable for learning the essence and the rules - they are more clearly and straight present in the Kennan's book.
In 18-century counterpoint, you should also observe the harmonic progression, that's why it is logical to learn harmony first. But before harmony you can learn 16-century counterpoint. I think this will help in developing better eye and feeling in horizontal aspect which is important. Several times, Piston reminds us in his Harmony book that harmony is actually formed by simultaneous sound of the melodic lines, this is something that must not be forgotten.
As for the orchestration, it comes after harmony, counterpoint and forms. In my humble opinion, Piston's book is more about instrumentation. I like the book "Principles of Orchestration" by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov.
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"Music stands in a much closer connection with pure sensation than any other art." - Hermann Helmholtz
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