Texture
The texture of a piece of music is to do with the thickness of the sound, or how the sounds are layered over each other. Texture
can be described in many ways. It can be thick or dense as when many lines (parts) of music are played together. It can be thin or sparse where little is happening. For Leaving Cert music, you have to develop an ability to hear and describe a variety of textures, not just in the set works, but in general listening. You also need to be familiar with the terms associated with texture.
Monophonic: a single, unaccompanied line. No chords, no harmony.
Homophonic: melody and accompaniment, or block chords.
Polyphonic: 2 or more independent lines of music at the same time.
Imitation: where an instrument/voice imitates (copies) another. The same notes are played, but a bar or 2 behind.
Canon: Several instrument/voices in imitation. e.g. Row your boat
Antiphon: Call and answer, or soloist “answered” by group can be described as antiphonal. Sometimes this is described as
interplay between different voices.
Unison: All singing the same line of music at the same pitch.
Parallel: 2 parts moving in the same direction parallel to each other.Counter-melody. A 2nd (less important) melody independent of the main melody. (counter means against)
Counterpoint: 2 or more independent melodies running together.
Chord: several notes together.
Block chords: notes of the chord played together.
Broken Chords: notes of the chord spread out. Not played together. Can also be called arpeggios.
Listen to:
How many individual strands of melody can you hear in this excerpt?
The texture of a piece of music is to do with the thickness of the sound, or how the sounds are layered over each other. Texture
can be described in many ways. It can be thick or dense as when many lines (parts) of music are played together. It can be thin or sparse where little is happening. For Leaving Cert music, you have to develop an ability to hear and describe a variety of textures, not just in the set works, but in general listening. You also need to be familiar with the terms associated with texture.
Monophonic: a single, unaccompanied line. No chords, no harmony.
Homophonic: melody and accompaniment, or block chords.
Polyphonic: 2 or more independent lines of music at the same time.
Imitation: where an instrument/voice imitates (copies) another. The same notes are played, but a bar or 2 behind.
Canon: Several instrument/voices in imitation. e.g. Row your boat
Antiphon: Call and answer, or soloist “answered” by group can be described as antiphonal. Sometimes this is described as
interplay between different voices.
Unison: All singing the same line of music at the same pitch.
Parallel: 2 parts moving in the same direction parallel to each other.Counter-melody. A 2nd (less important) melody independent of the main melody. (counter means against)
Counterpoint: 2 or more independent melodies running together.
Chord: several notes together.
Block chords: notes of the chord played together.
Broken Chords: notes of the chord spread out. Not played together. Can also be called arpeggios.
Listen to:
How many individual strands of melody can you hear in this excerpt?
This is polyphonic, not because we hear 2 voices, but becauese they are singing independent melodies
Often polyphonic texture features imitation but not always.
This imitation is hard to hear as it features 2 violins
Even though there's lots"going on", this is still Homophonic as there is only one melody with accompaniment.
2 voices singing in parallel harmony does not make this polyphonic. It is homophonic.
Again only one main melody.
Antiphonal - "Call and answer"
Melody in parallel octaves. Counter melody on the French Horn.