Textures

General

– “Musical Texture” is the Way in which Rhythm, Melody and Harmony are Combined (also Known as “Gestures”)

– Refers to the Number of Different Melodies Present in a Given Section of Music and the Relationship between those Melodies

– Basically “How Much is Going On in the Music at Any Given Moment”

– the “Structure of Interwoven Fibres”, which Voice is Prominent and which are Equal

– Thick or Thin, Many or Few Layers, Made Up of Rhythm Only, Melody Line with Chordal Accompaniment, or Many Interweaving Melodies

– Basic Function is to Give the Music a Richer Color and Support the Principle Idea / Melody by Filling it with Harmony

– Typical Textures can be Monophonic, Homophonic, Polyphonic, Heterophonic or Biphonic

– Most Used Textures in Pop, Jazz, Rock or Classic are Homophonic, means there is a Very Clear Melody Line and Other Stuff in the Music that Helps to Support the Melody Line

– you can Distinct between a Monophonic Texture which is Mono, Single (Non Harmonic Content but Only Single Notes) and the Contrapuntal Texture which is the Opposite of Monophonic (Notes that Harmonise Each Other)

– a “Fake Way” of Combining Many Individual Timbres into “Large-Scale-Textures” is to Shape Timbre in Time,  i.e. Do Changes in their Global Qualities Rather than by the Interplay of Individual Lines

– using Enharmonic Equivalents (Flats/Sharp Movement) or Scale Extensions (7/9/11 etc) Thickens up a Texture Nicely

– Timbre and Texture are the Foundation for Structure and Form in Spectral Music

Monophonic Texture

– Monophonos = Single Sound (Mono = Single)

– a Single Melodic Line with No Accompaniment at All (Simplest of All)

– Whether it is Sung/Played by 1 Person or Many, as Long as the Same Notes and Rhythms are Being Performed

– Like Gregorian Chant, Unison Singing (Happy Birthday), Composition for Solo Flute

– a Little Limited, 1-Dimensional

Monophonic Example with Single Melody 

Homophonic Texture

– Homophonos = Same Sounds (Homo = Same)

– Homophonic Texture is a Single Clear Dominating Melody and the Rest of the Music is Working Together with that Melody (Supports the Melody with the Same Idea)

– a Primary Melody Line with Accompaniment 

– or Simply Said, Music that has a Clear Single Melodic Line with a Subservient Harmonic Accompaniment (Melody Over Chords)

– Typically, a Single Dominating Melody that is Accompanied by Chords where the Chords Sometimes Move at the Same Rhythm as the Melody

–  Other Times the Chords are Made Up of Voices that Move in Counterpoint to Each Other, but the Important Aspect is that the Chords are Always Subservient to the Melody

– Quasi the Monophonic Texture but with an Answer by “Same Interwoven Accompaniments” (Not Different Interwoven as in Polyphonic), which Gives a 2-Dimensional Feeling

– e.g. Melody with Chords (Homophonic) 

– or All Chords (Homophonic) 

– where the Melody can be Formed in just Chord Tones or a Combination of Chord Tones and Non Chord Tones (Composition 1 / 17-20)

– to Form a Chord Structure based on a given Melody (to “Form” Harmony is what Counterpoint is All about)

HomophonicTextureTechniques

1) Block Chord Accompaniment

– Block Chord is a Chord in which all the Pitches are Played Simultaneously (most Basic Accompaniment)

– i.e. Block Chord Accompaniments State the Notes of Each Chord Simultaneously Using a Repeated Rhythmic Pattern

– Block Chord can be Held until the Next Chord Change

– Block Chord can be Played Repeatedly in Various Rhythmic Patterns until the Next Chord Change

– it is also Common to Not Play all 3 Chord Pitches but only 2, allowing the Listener Ear to “Infer” the 3rd Pitch 

– or the 3rd Pitch is in the Melody as in the Following Example

– of course the Block Chord can Hold Inversions (instead same Chord over and over)

2) Broken Chord Accompaniment

– Broken Chord is a Chord in which all the Pitches are Played Sequentially 

– also called “Arpeggiated Chords” (Arpeggiare = Play on the Harp)

– Typically Uses a “Low to High” (or High to Low) Order for the Accompaniment Notes

Broken Chord Examples

3) Homorhythmic Texture

– also Known as “Chorale Texture”

– Accompaniments have the Same Rhythm as the Melody Line

– i.e. a Homorhythmic Texture Shares the Same Rhythm in Melody and Accompaniment where Slight Variations in Rhythm are Possible

Polyphonic Texture

– Polyphony = Many Sounds (Poly = Many)

– 2 or More Independent Equal Important Melody Lines Performed Simultaneously

– Music with a Polyphonic Texture is Music that has Multiple Melodic Lines able to Stand on their Own and Independent of Each Other, but when Taking together Form the Harmony of a Piece

– the Idea of a “Polyphonic Texture” is Different from Homophonic Types, as Simple Chords or Melody in a Polyphonic Texture Each Voice has its Own Identity  

– i.e. Each of these Strands (Stränge) is a Kind of Independent Thing and a Perfectly Satisfactory Melody on its Own, but they Not Necessarily Need to Work Together as Such

– Below Picture Represents 3 Independent Separate Musical Features, with Different Colors that are Not Really that Related

– Quasi the Homophonic Texture but “Different Interwoven Accompaniments”, which Gives a 3-Dimensional Feeling

– Notice that Separate Independent Melodies Played Simultaneously is also Known as “Contrapuntal Texture” (Bach)

– “Melody Against Melody Either Both at the Same or at a Different Rhythm”

– Bach was Good at that, i.e. Writing Melody against Melody Either Both at the Same or at a Different Rhythm (Technique was Prominent from 1500 – 1800)

– Found in Larger Instrumental Ensembles, Religious Choral Music, Vocal and Instrumental Music from eh Renaissance through the Baroque

– a “Round or Canon”

Polyphonic Texture Techniques

1) Left Hand Mono Melody and Right Hand Chords

– a Simple Example would be Playing Left Hand No Chords, but a Bass Line that is Melodic in Nature and together with the Right Hand they Form a Chord 

– 1st Half on Measure 7 both Hand together Form a C Major Chord and the Pitches in the 2nd Half of Measure 7 Form a G Major Chord when Taking together

2) Pedal Point

– a Single Pitch that is Held for All or Most of the Piece

– Typically a Tonic or a Dominant Pitch Played in the Bass

3) Double Pedal Point

– there are also Double Pedal Points when 2 Pedal Points Occur Together

– since the Pedal Point Does Not Change Pitch, some of the Notes in the Melody will be Consonant and some will be Dissonant with Pedal Point

4) Round or Canon

– Forms in which the Same Melody is Performed by Different Voices 

– but Each Voice Enters a Different Time

– an Effective Way of Creating Complex Interwoven Polyphonic Textures

Heterophonic Texture

– is More Popular in Native American, Middle Eastern, India or South-Africa (and Jazz)

– Multiple Performers Playing or Singing a Single Melody All at Once, but Each Performer is Adding their Own Subtle Variations

– 2 or More Voices Simultaneously Performing Variations of the Same Melody

– i.e. it Consists of a Single Melody Performed by 2 or More Musicians with Slight or Not so Slight Variations from Performer to Performer

– Usually Result from Ornamentation Being Added Spontaneously by the Performers

Lonesome

Ezelden

Biphonic Texture

– Biphonic = 2 Sounds (Bi = 2)

– 2 Distinct Lines where Usually the Lower Line Sustains a Drone or Pedal Tone

– More Used as a Temporary Function, Rather than a Larger Section

– Evident in “Tuvan Overtone Singing” (South Siberia), i.e. Throat Singing Style in which 1 or More Pitches Sound Simultaneously Over a Fundamental Pitch (Producing a Unique Sound)

– “Ostinati” are Usually also Biphonic Textures