![]() This can be easily illustrated by choosing a piano sonata by Haydn or Mozart where the use of homophonic textures is common and brilliantly applied. Not always, but many times, this means the tune takes a higher register above a chordal accompaniment. POLYPHONIC TEXTURE DEFINITION PLUSHow homophony translates into music is essentially a tune/melody plus an accompaniment. Here music moves into another textural territory that will be familiar to nearly everybody even if they are now aware that this is how it is described. Just because there is a single melody performed perhaps only by an individual, the music can still have changes in dynamics (volume), tempo (speed), articulation (how a note begins and continues), to highlight a few common possibilities.Īs we explore the concept of musical texture further, you might find the next word you come across in an encyclopedia or dictionary of music is homophonic or homophony. What monophonic does not mean is that other musical features are absent in any given piece. Similarly, music from the early Medieval Era called ‘Plain Chant or Gregorian Chant’ has a monophonic texture. Another good example of monophony could be a ‘folk song’ that is commonly performed by a single vocalist who is unaccompanied. An orchestral example of this would be the opening of Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’ that opens with the haunted, strained sound of a solo bassoon playing at the very top of its range. There are no chords to provide harmony, or counter-melodies to add interest, only a singular tune to carry the composer’s intentions.Ĭonsider the word mono that derives from the Ancient Greek word monos meaning single or alone. When we describe a piece of music as being monophonic then we are discussing a single line of music without accompaniment or indeed anything else at all. Monophony Vs Homophonyįrom the title of this article, a focus on only two of these key terms was needed, but I feel it is important to add the third for a clearer context and hopefully deeper understanding. From these three terms, we will be in a strong position to look in more depth at what they mean and how they directly apply to all music. What I am referring to, as many of you will know, are the following three words: monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic. What often makes the description of these elements, like texture, easier to agree on are common terms and phrases.Īmongst the more used and accessible are what I loosely call ‘phonics’. One of these elements is the concept of musical texture that as you might well imagine can account for a plethora of possibilities. Music theory covers a bewildering array of considerations, elements, and aspects that surround this wonderful art. ![]()
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