Is counterpoint a necessary element of good music?

In the past year, I have read a few authors in conservative church circles discussing counterpoint. When evaluating a piece of music, they might have mentioned something like it “does not follow the normal rules of counterpoint.” I once read a church music philosophy statement that said that only music that follows the rules of counterpoint would be acceptable in their church.

Counterpoint is a term that refers to multiple independent melodies occurring at the same time in a song. Music that contains counterpoint melodies is called contrapuntal. Counterpoint is most often associated with the baroque era and Bach is widely considered the greatest master of counterpoint.

Contrapuntal music is hard to write and there is much that you can learn from studying it. You can use counterpoint in your own music to make it more interesting and effective. So I am certainly not against it and in fact, I admire writers that effectively use that element.

But counterpoint is not biblical in itself and it should not be elevated to that position. There is no reason why all the music we write or perform needs to be contrapuntal.

So be wary if you hear people discuss church music in this way. Counterpoint is not the golden standard that all music should be measured against nor is Bach the golden composer that all writers should be measured against. While I do not question motives, this kind of perspective is extra-Biblical and incorrect.