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Texture
A term that refers to the way the
melodic, rhythmic and harmonic
materials are woven together in a
piece of music
by,
Kelly Schlittenhardt
Described in terms of density and range
Density: is it thick or thin?
Thick consisting of many voice parts and thin
consisting of few voices
Range: is it wide or narrow
Wide has a large interval and narrow has a small
interval
Texture Types
Monophonic
Polyphonic
Homophonic
Homorhythmic
Monophonic
• simplest texture consisting of a single
melodic line
• Can be expanded by doubling in octaves
or at other intervals (parallelism)
• Medieval Period
Polyphonic
• consists of two or more lines moving
independently or in imitation of each other
• Lines may be similar or contrasting in
character
• Renaissance Period
Homophonic
• made up of a melody and accompaniment
• Most common texture in western music
• Provides rhythmic and harmonic support
for melody
• Classical Period
Homorhythmic
• similar rhythmic material in all parts
• aka “hymm style,” “chordal homophony,” or
“chordal texture”
Primary Melodies (PM)
• The most important lines in musical texture
• In homophonic textures there is usually only one
PM
• In polyphonic textures there may be several
PM’s because the lines of equal importance
Secondary Melodies (SM)
• Other melodic lines not equal in
significance to the PM
• Deciding between PM and SM requires
musical judgement
Parallel Supporting
Melodies (PSM)
• Melodies similar in contour with a PM
• Often maintain a constant interval
relationship with the melody they support
Static Supporting Parts
Two Types
• Sustained tones or chords (usually pedal
tones)
• Repeated melodic and rhythmic figures