Texture Flashcards
What is texture?
- The way instruments/voices are combined to sound together
- the number of parts involved (density of sound)
- State the number of parts AND the type of texture
Monophonic
A single (unaccompanied) melody
Includes melody with drone accompaniment
Polyphonic
Contrapuntal
Combination of independently moving melody lines
Usually used in relation to early musc, e.g. Renaissance choral music
Contrapuntal - melody lines are free
There is no melodic similarity between the parts
Contrapuntal - imitative
Another part enters with the same theme, while the first part continues with its own melody
Contrapuntal - canonic
Strict form of imitation
Second part is almost exact copy of the first, possibly at a different pitch (state interval)
Contrapuntal - fugal
As in a fugue or fugato
Homophony
Chordal textures
Homo rhythmic - all parts having the same rhythm.
Melody dominated homophony
Melody is supported by a rhythmically independent part
e. g.
- Alberti bass
- broken chord patterns
Heterophony
Melody line is heard along with a rhythmically different or melodically varied version of itself
Antiphony
Passages of music are performed by different singers /intruments in alternation.
Call and response - jazz and popular music
Other textural features
- octaves vs unison - how many octaves?
- pedal points - also harmonic and tonal devices
- ostinato - short repeated melodic/rhythmic figure alongside other musical ideas
- riff - ostinato used in jazz and pop.
