Mary Ann Waiters, age 14, of Santa Cruz, Calif., for her question:

WHAT IS COUNTERPOINT?

Counterpoint is the simultaneous combination of two or more melodies. The word "counterpoint" is derived from the Latin "Punctus contra punctum" which means, literally, "point against point" or note against note. But the actual meaning is "melody against melody."

Although counterpoint is nearly synonymous with polyphony (a musical texture containing two or more melodies simultaneously), the two words differ slightly in common usage.

Polyphony refers to textures in general and to early music, whereas counterpoint commonly refers to texture in later music or to the techniques of composing polyphony.

One very familiar instance of counterpoint is the round, which is a simple kind of canon. In a round, each part or voice has the same melody, but the second and succeeding parts begin one after another, as in the old familiar round called "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

In a monophonic texture, which has only one voice, or in a homophonic texture, which has a melody with chordal accompaniment, the listener focuses attention on the melody in the highest voice. In a round, however, the listener follows the melodic activity from one voice to another.