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Blatant Examples of Duple Meter
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Subtler Examples of Duple Meter
Blatant Examples of Triple Meter
Subtler Examples of Triple Meter
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Examples of monophony, homophony and polyphony

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As you follow along with each piece, first clap the beat; then try to listen for regularly recurring musical ideas. (These ideas may occur in either the melody or – more subtly – in the harmony.) Once you have found some regularly occurring ideas, see if you can trace the vertical line up and down, or if it feels better to trace the triangle.
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The first link leads to a youtube recording of the work (or movement). The second, for the brave among you, leads to the music score. Take a look at the time signature, and try to follow along! Also, follow along with the video in the two
Beethoven recordings and the Debussy Arabeske; this is a graphically animated version of what actually happens in the score. Try listening once with the video, and then a second time with the score.

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John Philip Sousa – Stars and Stripes Forever (written in
1897) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-7XWhyvIpE http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/2/2a
/IMSLP14778-Sousa_-_Stars_and_Stripes_-_March.pdf
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Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony #3 (1804), Second
Movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arfHsnxE-MU http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a
7/IMSLP192031-PMLP02581-Beethoven_-_055_-
_Symphony_n.3_Eb__2H_Pauer_.pdf
(page 23 in score)

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Frederic Chopin – Etude, Op. 10, #1 (by 1833) (This one is subtle because it sounds like a flurry of notes. Look for sounds that repeat, and try listening and counting beats based on what you hear in the low notes.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROVy9PC8_8A http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/0/01/IMSLP
00305-Chopin_-_OP10_1.PDF
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Claude Debussy – Arabeske #1 (1891) (The time signature here is 4/4, but each beat is divided into three eighth notes, or a triplet. Listen for a slow beat here, not a fast one.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6s49OKp6aE http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/1/13/IM
SLP00503-Debussy_-_Arabesque_No1.pdf

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Frederic Chopin – Waltz in a minor (~1845) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZJt-oWDD7U http://javanese.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/4/48
/IMSLP55093-PMLP113759chopin_janno_la_mineur142.pdf
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Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony #3 (1804), First
Movement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2tEVVeGCk0 http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a
7/IMSLP192031-PMLP02581-Beethoven_-_055_-
_Symphony_n.3_Eb__2H_Pauer_.pdf
(page 1 in score)

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Claude Debussy – Claire de Lune (1899) (It’s subtle because the beat itself is very gentle, and understated. The actual time signature is the rather unusual 9/8, with three groups of three eighth notes each.) Note the performer’s frequent use of ritardandos and accelerandos, which makes the beat even cloudier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhKTRiPezHk http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/7/75/IMSLP00513-
Debussy_-_Suite_Bergamasque_-_3_-_Clair_de_Lune.pdf
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Maurice Ravel – Piano Trio in a minor (1914), II. Pantoum (Assez vif) (While counting beats to three isn’t so hard, many of the strong notes (really accented notes) don’t come where you’d expect them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-3Ievj2ff4 http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/0/01/IMSLP01667-
Ravel_-_Piano_Trio__score__bw_.pdf
(beginning on page 10)

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Monophony, literally meaning “one sound,” is a single-line musical texture, or melody without accompaniment. It can be sung by a lone voice, or in unison – everyone singing “as one.”
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Polyphony, literally meaning “many sounds,” is a musical texture of multiple, interwoven melodic lines.
When two monophonic lines (which may be different or identical) are simultaneously played, the resulting texture is polyphonic. Rounds, canons and fugues are examples of polyphony.
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Homophony, literally meaning “same sound,” is a texture with a principal melody and accompanying
(supportive) harmony. Generally, the melody is also the highest pitched voice.

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Monophony
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Listen to this example of Gregorian chant, a monophonic texture sung by tenors. The singing is not a perfect example of syllabic singing, but would still be considered syllabic.
This example also features the old style of notation used by monks of the post-
Gregory Catholic church.
Homophony
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Listen to the dynamics in this homophonic work (Frederic Chopin’s Prelude in c minor) – it is forte (loud) at first, then with no decrescendo, it drops suddenly to piano (soft).
Sousa’s march Stars and Stripes Forever is another good example of homophony. Near the end, listen to the famous piccolo counter-melody; while it is an important part of the music, it does not displace the principal melody; thus, the texture is not polyphonic.
Polyphony
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Listen to the polyphonic texture in Thomas Tallis’s Spem in Alium, sung first by alto, then soprano, bass, and tenor. In all, there are 40 separate lines at play, though the consonant texture makes many of them blend together.
Listen to As Vesta was from Latmos hill descending by Thomas Weelkes, an a
capella example of word painting. Follow the words “ascending,”
“descending,” “running,” “two by two” and “three by three.” This example actually mixes a homophonic texture with a polyphonic one.

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Follow the music through different textures. The music begins homophonically, but at the words, “for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth…” the texture becomes monophonic. (One God.) Then, as those words are combined with “hallelujahs,” the texture becomes polyphonic. (Everyone singing “the same” hallelujah – homophony – mix with the one – monophonic –voice of
God.)
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This piece has an almost unrecognizable beat, no discernable meter (although there is one), and is highly dissonant (discordant and unstable combination of tones which seek resolution). This example is an opportunity to follow along in the musical score with a highly complex work of music.