Musical Texture

Texture

• Texture results from the way voices and/or instruments are combined in music.

• It is concerned with the treatment of musical lines in a piece of music.

• A musical line is called a layer and texture refers to the combination of these layers, producing either a thin or a thick texture.

LAYERS

• To analyse the texture of a piece of music, we first need to decipher the types of layers that are present in it and then consider how the composer has treated each layer.

• It is important to identify what these layers are doing

Number of Layers

• If you listen carefully, the layers in the music will emerge.

• When you think you have picked out the number of layers in of music, separate them into the following categories:

• Single melody line• Melody with accompaniment• More than one melodic line• Countermelody• Non melodic / harmonic lines (eg rhythm section)

• You may come across all of these options in a piece of music, so try to specify which layer you are discussing by naming the instrument and stating where in the music it occurs.

Audio Examples 1

• Sound Bites– 5.1 - Single Melodic Line – 5.2 - Melody with accompaniment – 5.3 – More than one melodic line – 5.4 – Countermelody – 5.5 - Rhythmic Section

Harmonic Role

• Harmonic role refers to an instrument or voice holding the harmony in a piece of music.

• A harmonic role can provide:– A bass line (eg walking bass)– A constant chordal accompaniment (eg

strumming guitars)– A drone

Rhythmic Role

• Rhythmic role refers to an instrument holding the rhythm in a piece of music. This is usually the rhythm section or sometimes the voice (beatboxing).

• It can be pitched (bass guitar riff) or non pitched (drums)

• A rhythmic role can provide:– A basic pulse– An ostinato– A rhythmic interest

Relation of layers to each other

• To give the layer context, we must try to compare it with other layers, that is, to analyse the relationship of the layers to one another.

• It can be useful to draw a diagram as a form of graphic notation.

Density

• Density refers to the thickness or a sound created by layers in a piece of music.

• Thick density – heavy, dense, rich, solid, bass heavy, loud, many instruments, solid chords, thick sounding instruments (eg tuba) – Sound bite 5.14

• Thin density – light, transparent, sparse, few layers, soft volume, thin sounding instruments (eg piccolo) no harmony, broken chords – Sound bite 5.15

Texture Type

• Monophonic – Single melodic line (flute)

• Homophonic – single melodic line and harmonic accompaniment (voice and guitar chords)

• Polyphonic – two or more melodic lines player together.

• Heterophonic – two or more lines played at the same time with variations of the melody

Visual Representations

Monophonic

• Monophonic means “of one layer”.• It is important to note that

monophonic need not apply to on instrument or voice. A monophonic texture may involve: – one instrument or voice – - a group of instrumentalists or voices

in unison– Soundbite 5.19 – monophonic from

Medieval period – Soundbite 5.20 – modern monophonic

example

Homophonic

• Homophonic texture is the most common texture type heard in music. With a melodic layer and a harmonic layer, it is the texture on which most music is based.

• Homophonic texture can also be heard in much SATB choral music, where the main melody is usually carried by one voice, with the other voices providing the harmony.

• To identify a homophonic texture, listen for melody and a harmony, rather than the number of instruments or voices.• Soundbite 5.21 – Homophonic texture

Polyphonic

• A polyphonic texture is one in which the layers are intertwined and mixed.

• In the case of a fugue, which is a common example of polyphonic texture, the subject is the driving force, with other musical lines maintaining it. With this type of texture, each layer competes for the listeners attention.

• For a polyphonic texture, listen for two or more instruments with independent musical lines

• Soundbite 5.22 – Polyphonic Texture

Heterophonic

• A heterophonic texture is one in which the same melody is performed at the same time by more than one instrument or voice, but with different variations of the same melody.

• The texture is most common to cultures of the Middle east, China, Indonesia, Ireland and some parts of Africa

• mainstream music• To identify heterophonic texture, listen for

the same melody played by two or more parts, with elaboration in one part.

• Soundbite 5.23 – Heterophonic Texture