Musical Texture 9/12/16 Part 1, Section 8

Musical Texture Defined: how many different layers of sound are heard at once, what kind of layers they are (melody or harmony), and how they are related to each other At one point in a piece, we could hear… Unaccompanied melody Several simultaneous melodies Melody w/supporting chords Composers create variety & contrast by changing textures within a composition

Monophonic Texture Texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment; literally means “having one sound” Performance of a single melodic line at the same pitch by more than one instrument/voice is playing/singing in unison Unison creates a fuller, richer-sounding monophonic texture Hallelujah Chorus

Polyphonic Texture Simultaneous performance of 2+ melodic lines of relatively equal interest; means “having many sounds” Striking difference between music and speech Many people talking at once gets confusing & difficult to understand Creates beauty and interest in music Counterpoint: technique of combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole Helps to listen to the first line, next bottom line, and finally the middle line(s) Often contains imitation Occurs when melodic idea is presented by one voice/instrument & then is restated immediately by another voice/instrument

Homophonic Texture One main melody accompanied by chords Attention focused on melody Melody supported & colored by sounds of lesser interest Ranges from subdued background chords to surging sounds that can almost hide melody Examples: Hymn sung by a church choir Folksingers accompanying himself on guitar Homophonic Texture