Steps to Parnassus

work by Fux

Also known as: “Gradus ad Parnassum”

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

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Johann Joseph Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum, published in 1725, is a seminal work on counterpoint. This theoretical treatise, often translated as Steps to Parnassus, aimed to systematize the art of combining melodic lines in music. Fux, an accomplished Austrian composer and organist, sought to establish a standard for contrapuntal practices that would influence generations of musicians. The book became a foundational textbook for composers like Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, offering a structured approach to musical composition and harmony.1

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Johann Joseph Fux
…book Gradus ad Parnassum (1725; Steps to Parnassus) attempted to systematize contrapuntal practices. It was long the standard textbook on counterpoint and was studied by Wolfgang A. Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and other 18th-century composers.
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…book Gradus ad Parnassum (1725; Steps to Parnassus) attempted to systematize contrapuntal practices. It was long the standard textbook on counterpoint and was studied by Wolfgang A. Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and other 18th-century composers.
Read More