Texture
Introduction
In the sections on melody and harmony, music was described as comprising horizontal
(melody) and vertical (harmony) strands. Musical texture refers to how these strands relate
to one another.
There are three basic musical textures: monophony, polyphony, and homophony.
Monophony
Monophonic music, or monophony, consists of a single melody without accompaniment. The
melody may be sung or played on an instrument by one or more performers. When many
people sing or play exactly the same pitch in unison—or the same pitch duplicated at the
octave (such as when men and women sing together)—the resulting texture is referred to
as monophonic.
Monophony doesn't necessarily mean that only one singer or instrument is present.
However, there may only be one voice. In the context of texture, the term voice refers to a
single melody played or sung by one or more performers.
A large number of monophonic pieces are written in plainchant—also known as Gregorian
chant. In Quem Quaeritis Resurrexi, a soloist alternates with a female group, but only
one line of music (one voice) is sung from the beginning to the end of the piece:
Quem Quaeritis Resurrexi
The Lute
The instrumental introduction to A la Nana is a monophonic piece performed by a lute
player (lutenist). The lute is a wooden instrument of Arabic origin that flourished throughout
Europe from medieval times (13th century) to the 18th century. The original Arabic name
for this beautiful instrument was al-oud, which literally means branch of wood. The Moors
introduced it to Europe during their conquest and occupation of Spain (711-1492).
A la Nana
Polyphony
Polyphonic music consists of two or more independent melodic lines, roughly equal in their
melodic and rhythmic activity, played together. The interaction of the parts creates its own
harmony.
Independence and equality of voices are the defining characteristics of polyphony. Again, it
must be emphasized that in the context of texture, the term voice refers to a single melodic
line. Independence refers to that line's ability to compete with other voices for the attention
of the listener.
The Kyrie from the Pope Marcellus Mass by Giovanni da Palestrina is an excellent
example of polyphony.
Giovanni da Palestrina
Born: 1525
Died: 1594
Period: Renaissance
Country: Italy
Giovanni da Palestrina
Pope Marcellus Mass: Kyrie
Homophony
Homophony is the most commonly found texture in Western music. In homophonic music, a
single melodic line usually carries the melody (the “tune”). From most listeners' point of
view, that melodic line is heard over the harmonic accompaniment. On most keyboard
pieces, for example, the right hand usually carries the main melodic line while the left hand
provides the harmonic accompaniment. In popular music, the lead singer sings the vocal
melody over the band's harmonic accompaniment.
Operatic arias of the Romantic period, notably those by Giacomo Puccini, provide good
examples of homophonic music. An aria is a song, tune, or melody sung by a single voice
with or without accompaniment, and often, as in the following example, as part of a larger
work. Un bel di, an aria from Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, is arguably one of the most
popular pieces of all time.
Born:1858
Died:1924
Period:Romantic
Country: Italy
Giacomo Puccini
Madame Butterfly: Un bel di
Mixed Textures
A piece of music doesn't necessarily have to feature only one type of musical texture.
Compositions may—and often do—use a combination of textures to achieve different
musical effects. An example of homophony and polyphony combined in one work
is Erbarme Dich, an aria from the oratorio St. Matthew Passion. An oratorio is large-scale
musical setting of a sacred text, often lasting over two hours.
Born:1685
Died:1750
Period:Baroque
Country: Germany
Johann Sebastian Bach
St. Matthew Passion: Erbarme Dich
Considered one of the greatest exponents of polyphonic writing, Bach was a master of
changing musical textures to help communicate the message of the text.
Viktor Hartmann
Modest Mussorgsky in 1874
The famous work Pictures at an Exhibition by the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky
(1839-1881) was inspired by an exhibition of paintings by his close friend, Victor Hartmann
(1834-1873). Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle, a movement from this piece, portrays
two men discussing a debt. One of them, Goldenberg (represented as Theme 1), is rich and
powerful while the other, Schmuyle (Theme 2), is poor and common. This movement
combines all three musical textures commonly found in Western music. Thus, taken as a
whole, this movement is considered a work of mixed texture.
Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle: Mixture of monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic
textures
1.
Theme 1 (Goldenberg): Monophonic texture
2.
Theme 2 (Schmuyle): Homophonic texture
3.
Themes 1 and 2 (Goldenberg and Schmuyle discuss debt): Polyphonic texture
The Poor Jew
The Rich Jew
Paintings by Viktor Hartmann