#Examples of polyphonic music series#

The manner of such a combination determines the overall quality of the sound in a piece of music.

Texture, in music, is the way the melody, rhythm, and harmony are combined in a composition. But when these parts occur along with the melody, you can clearly tell they aren’t independent either because they serve to fill in the harmony or because their rhythm is the same as the melody.īefore I dive any deeper, and to really understand what homophony means, I should first explain what texture in music means. In a lot of well-written homophonic pieces, the parts that aren’t the main melody often sound quite different and can be interesting to listen to on their own.

Explaining Homophonic Texture in MusicĪs defined above, a homophonic texture in music is where a single melody is the main idea while the other parts provide an elaborate accompaniment or play individual notes. The term homophonic originates from the Greek words ‘homo’, which means “same” or “similar”, and ‘phonic’, which means “sound” or “voice”. In other words, when a primary part is supported by one or more strands to add detail and complete the harmony, this is called a homophonic texture. In music, a homophonic texture is when you have one melodic line (the line that captures your attention naturally), while the rest of the parts accompany or simply fill in the chords. History of Homophony What does Homophonic Mean in Music?

See chapter 1, Fundamental Musical Concepts and Forms, 'Texture.5. I referenced the textbook Music Then and Now by Thomas Forrest Kelly to ensure the accuracy of my answer. If this does not answer your question, please be more specific. This question is categorized as 'physics' but I am unsure which sort of physical explanation might be sought after specifically in terms of musical textures. You may compare and contrast these explanations to answer your question. A singer and a guitar, for example, are not exactly homophonic, but close. Note that most pieces are not all one texture or another. An example is the section in the 'Hallelujah' chorus where the choir sings 'And he shall reign for ever and ever.' Additionally, Pachelbel's Canon is polyphonic.

#Examples of polyphonic music series#

A good example is the moment in the 'Hallelujah' chorus where the chorus sings a series of 'Hallelujahs' in the same rhythm.Ī polyphonic texture refers to a web of autonomous melodies, each of which contributes to the texture and the harmony of the piece but is a separate and independent strand in the fabric, so to speak. Homophonic music has one clear melodic line, the part that draws your attention, and all other parts provide accompaniment. An example of monophony is one person whistling a tune, or a more musical example is the clarinet solo that forms the third movement of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time.Ī homophonic texture refers to music where there are many notes at once, but all moving in the same rhythm.

We refer to these overall effects as texture.Ī monophonic texture refers to music with a single melodic line (no harmony or counterpoint) sounding the same thing at the same time-whether played or sung, performed on a single instrument or by a voice or voices and instruments playing in unison. More often we might have several different instruments playing together, each with its bit of melody, or a song that has a chordal accompaniment on piano. Most of the music we listen to consists of more than a single melodic line.