07 texture
TRANSCRIPT
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Musical Texture
Refers to how many different layers of sound are heard at once, what kind of layers they
are (melody or harmony), and and how they are related to each other
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Musical Texture
Monophonic TextureMonophonic Texture– A single line of melody
without accompaniment
Singing or playing the same melodic line by more that one person (unison)(unison) adds texture to the monophonic melody
Polyphonic TexturePolyphonic Texture– Simultaneous
performance of two or more melodic lines of equal value
Polyphonic means having many sounds
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Musical Texture
The technique of combining different melodies together at one time is called counterpointcounterpoint
Often when counterpoint is used, the same
melodies are used by are started at different times ( i.e. Row, Row, Row your Boat)– This technique is called imitationimitation
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Polyphonic Texture In polyphony, several melodic lines
compete for our attention Polyphony adds dimension that is
comparable to perspective in painting:– Each line enhances and – heightens the expression – of the others
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Counterpoint
If many people talk at the same time it is confusing, but when many melodies are played or sung together, the sounds can be highly expressive
Counterpoint is the technique of
combining several melodic lines into a whole
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Polyphonic Texture
When music is polyphonic (more than one melody) it often contains imitation
The composer takes one melodic line and then repeats it in several different ways to achieve his result
The song “Row, row, row your boat” is an example of strict imitation
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Musical Texture
When we hear a single melody accompanied by chords, the texture is called homophonichomophonic
A composer can create variety and contrast in his/her music by changing textures
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Georges Bizet (1838-1875) Farandole from L`Arlesienne Suite No. 2 (1879)
– Two contrasting themes are heard in this piece– Many changes of texture contribute to the exciting mood
This piece contains two kinds of homophonic texture– In one the accompaniment and melody have the same rhythm– In the other the the rhythm of the accompaniment is different
This piece also has two kinds of polyphony: with and without imitation– The march theme is presented by the violins and then imitated by the violas– At the end of the piece, polyphony results when the march and dance themes are now
presented simultaneously Finally, monophonic texture is heard when the march them is played
by the strings in unison