Download Key Words: Texture and Melody

Area of Study 03:
Texture and Melody
“Texture”
AQA GCSE Music
Areas of Study
• AoS 01: Rhythm and Metre
• AoS 02: Harmony and Tonality
• A0S 03: Texture and Melody
• AoS 04: Dynamics and Timbre
• AoS 05: Structure and Form
Texture
Texture describes how much is going on in
the music at any one time
It is about the different ways instruments
and voices are combined in a piece of
music
Monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic
are all the different types of texture
Monophonic
• There is no harmony, just one line of tune.
However, it may be played/sung by more than
one instrument/voice at a time
– Remember it will still be Monophonic as they are
doing EXACTLY the same thing
• Thin texture
Example of monophonic
Monophonic Cont…
• UNISON – When everyone sings/plays one
part together e.g. when we all sing Happy
Birthday we are singing in unison (therefore,
unison is monophonic)
• OCTAVES
– if the instruments or parts play or sing notes an
octave apart, this is called octaves
– An 8th apart (so, C-C, D-D, E-E etc)
Octaves
Part 01
Octave Higher
then Part 02
Etc…
G
C
D
E
C
D
E
C
D
Part 02
If the notes weren’t the same pitch, it could not be a
MONOPHONIC texture
G
Homophonic
• A texture where all parts move in the same
rhythm. So, chordal movement, same rhythm,
different notes.
Broken Chords
• Playing the notes of the chord separately, one after
the other.
• Broken Chords provide a more flowing
accompaniment than when they are played as block
chords.
• Example…”Someone Like You” by Adele
Polyphonic/Contrapuntal
• A texture where 2 or more equally important
melodies interweave (weave in and out of
each other).
• This gives quite a complex effect as there is
more than one tune playing together
Imitation
• A phrase is repeated (imitated – so not
necessarily exactly the same).
• Could be one instrument/voice imitating itself,
or 2 or more imitating each other.