When Douglass Green passed away in 1999, his magnum opus, The Principles and

Practice of Counterpoint,
was almost completely finished, with only the final chapter of the second volume
left unwritten.
Throughout his long and distinguished career as a theorist, composer, organist, and
church musician,
counterpoint was always his primary interest (without much prompting, he would
point out that his
official title at the Eastman School of Music had been Professor of Counterpoint).
He began work on
Principles after moving to the University of Texas at Austin in 1977; early
iterations of the text were
used by hundreds of Dougs students at UT-Austin and Indiana University (where he
taught during
a sabbatical), many of whom have gone on to teaching in their own counterpoint
classrooms, and
making do with faded photocopies of Dougs text. I first made Dougs acquaintance
as one of those
students; later (after getting through those courses successfully!), I summoned up
the courage to ask
his daughter out on a date, and eventually became his son-in-law.
As a family member with expertise in the field, Dougs heirs turned to me after his
death to shepherd
the book through the publication process. Extensive discussions about Principles
with his friends,
colleagues, and former students made it clear that, while Dougs innovative
approach to contrapuntal
pedagogy was as fresh and valid as ever, the prose of the text would require some
editing for a more
contemporary audience. This was a difficult prospect for all of us who loved Doug
and were reluctant
to change his final work. On the other hand, I strongly felt that the best
testament to Dougs memory
would be the publication and continuation of Principles as a living text, meeting
the evolving needs of
contemporary counterpoint teachers and students. For these reasons, when Constance
Ditzel at Routledge
expressed an interest in an updated version of Principles, I suggested that we find
a co-author who
respected Dougs pedagogical aims, but would not feel constrained by his memory,
someone who was
an active counterpoint teacher with a sympathetic but independent pedagogical
approach. I believe
weve found this person in Evan Jones.
On behalf of Dougs family, Id like to thank Evan Jones, Constance Ditzel, and
Routledge for
introducing his work to new generations of counterpoint students, and for keeping
alive the memory
of an esteemed and beloved teacher, mentor, and friend.
Jonathan C. Santore, Ph.D.
Professor of Music Theory and Composition and Chair,
Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance
Plymouth State University (New Hampshire)