The Probert Encyclopaedia of Music

COUNTERPOINT

In music, counterpoint is the simultaneous combination of two or more melodies. 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 (polyphonic versus homophonic) and to early music (medieval polyphony), whereas counterpoint commonly refers to texture in later music (Johann Sebastian Bach's counterpoint) or to the techniques of composing polyphony (16th century. counterpoint) .
One familiar instance of counterpoint is the round, 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 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat.' In a homophonic texture, which has a melody with choral accompaniment, the listener focuses on the melody in the highest voice; in a round, the listener follows the melodic activity from one voice to another.
Research Counterpoint