Chapter 3 The Structures of Music Texture

Melody looks horizontally at musical lines Harmony looks vertically at chords Texture looks at the relationship between a melody and all other lines and figures that co-exist with it Like melody, texture is universal phenomenon

Texture Listening for texture Who’s playing the melody? What’s going on behind the melody? Beethoven Symphony No. 9 excerpt (Listen CD-ROM) Copland Appalachian Spring excerpt

Texture Beethoven Symphony No. 9 excerpt Theme: played by cellos and basses with no accompaniment Variation 1: violins play theme, low strings and bassoon play two countermelodies Variation 2: violins play theme even higher, multiple countermelodies Variation 3: trumpets take melody, block chord accompaniment (orchestral hits)

Texture Copland Appalachian Spring excerpt: Theme: clarinet melody, offbeat long-tone accompaniment by flute, piccolo, harp Var. 1: oboe melody, offbeat long-tone accompaniment by muted trumpets and (later) horns, flute, piccolo Var. 2: “wall of sound” accompaniment (string pizzicato, glockenspiel, staccato woodwinds, harp, etc.); melody played by trombone and violas, imitated later by horns and violin, cellos and basses

Identifying Textures Three questions to determine texture: How many “lines” can you hear? Is there a foreground/background relationship, or are all lines equally interesting? How similar or different are the lines?

Identifying Textures How many “lines” can you hear? How many “lines,” or different “things,” are going on at a time Is it melody only? Is there more than one melody? Are there various chords, figures, bass lines, and/or countermelodies in addition to the melody?

Identifying Textures Is there a foreground/background relationship, or are all lines equally interesting? Is there one main melody with clearly accompanimental patterns supporting it? Is it hard to tell which is the main melody, because it is so busy and confusing?

Identifying Textures How similar or different are the lines? Are they rhythmically the same or different? Do they use the same melody or a different one?

Monophonic Texture How many “lines” can you hear? Only one, nothing else Foreground/background relationship, or are all lines equally interesting? N/A How similar or different are the lines? N/A

Homophonic Texture How many “lines” can you hear? Two or more Foreground/background relationship, or are all lines equally interesting? Foreground/background; there is one main melody and the other parts support it How similar or different are the lines? Different rhythms = melody and accompaniment Similar rhythms = chordal (homorhythmic)

Homophonic Texture Melody and accompaniment texture Chordal (homorhythmic) texture

Polyphonic Texture How many “lines” can you hear? Two or more Foreground/background relationship, or are all lines equally interesting? All lines equally interesting, all competing for your attention; can be hard to follow How similar or different are the lines? Same tune = imitative polyphony Different tunes = non-imitative polyphony

Polyphonic Texture (1) Imitative polyphony

Polyphonic Texture (2) Non-imitative polyphony

Key Terms Texture Monophony Monophonic texture Homophony Homophonic texture Polyphony Polyphonic texture Counterpoint Contrapuntal writing Imitation Imitative polyphony Non-imitative polyphony

Texture Listening Name that texture! How many “lines” can you hear? Foreground/background relationship, or are all lines equally interesting? How similar or different are the lines? Texture type? Monophonic? Homophonic? Chordal or melody and accompaniment? Polyphonic? Imitative or non-imitative?