The second part, on "Musica Pratica," is the section of this treatise where the author presents his instruction on counterpoint, fugue, double counterpoint, a brief essay on musical taste, and his ideas on composing sacred music, writing in the "a cappella" and in the "recitativo" style. This part is in the form of a dialog, between a master (Aloysius, Latin for Luigi, who is meant to represent Palestrina's ideas) and a student, Josephus, who represents Fux himself, a self-admitted admirer of Palestrina. At the outset, Fux states his purpose: "to invent a simple method by which a novice can progress, step by step, to attain mastery in this art." and gives his opinion of contemporary practice: "I shall not be deterred by the most ardent haters of school, nor by the corruptness of the times." He also states that theory without practice is useless, thus stressing practice over theory in his book.