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Hoots : Examples of composers and pieces heavily using four-part harmony As I am currently deeply involved in studying four-part harmony, I am interested to know some examples of composers and pieces, which heavily use the rules - freshhoot.com

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Examples of composers and pieces heavily using four-part harmony
As I am currently deeply involved in studying four-part harmony, I am interested to know some examples of composers and pieces, which heavily use the rules of four-part harmony and not wildly (subjective term) violate the them.

P.S. I am interested specifically in Western Classical Music, starting with Classical era and ending with Romantic era, excluding Baroque and Modern.

P.P.S. I heard in the interview of Vladimir Ashkenazy, that Rachmaninov was always very strong in harmony, during his studying years in Moscow Conservatory. Does it imply that he was using much of it in his later composition?


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I agree with @Legorhin a hymnal is a good source for study.

I recently learned that the John Calvin wanted the Geneva Psalter tunes to be written primarily in half notes. Some other hymnals - like the Havergal's Psalmody - seem to follow that rhythmic style. I think that style of harmonization is particularly useful for studying relative motion which is a major part of the 'rules' because all voice movements happen simultaneously.

Two examples that may interest you:

Choral Harmony. A collection of tunes ... for four voices

Havergal's Psalmody and Century of Chants

Another way to go it get the definitive (IMO) source:

Bach, 371 Harmonized Chorales

The part writing is much more complex in Bach that the other two examples I suggested.

I think one collection from the Calvin style plus Bach's 371 make a nice complementary set both in terms of study level (Calvin for easy, Bach for advanced) and the historic evolution of four part harmony.


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