Texture (music)

In music, texture is the overall quality of sound of a piece, most often indicated by the number of voices in the music and by the relationship between these voices (see types of texture below). A piece's texture may be further described using terms such as "thick" and "light", "rough" or "smooth". For example, Aaron Copland's more popular pieces are described as having an "open" texture. The perceived texture of a piece can be affected by the number and character of parts playing at once, the timbre of the instruments or voices playing these parts and the harmony, tempo, and rhythms used. The possibilities of hearing a solo melody, a few simultaneous melodies, or chords supporting a melody create a musical texture which acts as a partnership in a harmonious and cooperative accord within a musical composition. No entity has a purpose of existing in isolation; each entity has a give and take with other entities and contributes towards an overall harmony and cooperation.

Traditional types of texture

In musicology, particularly in the fields of music history and music analysis, some common terms for different types of texture are:

• Monophonic - one melodic voice without harmonic accompaniment (although rhythmic accompaniment may be present). When more than one instrument or voice performs the single melodic line, the result would be a larger and richer sounding monophonic texture. An example of a fuller sounding melodic line sung by a chorus is the "Hallelujah Chorus" by George Frederic Handel.
• Polyphonic - multiple melodic voices which are to some extent independent from one another. When several equal melodic lines strive for attention, the added dimensions with the diverse lines create an excitement that heightens musical expectations. An example of polyphony can be heard when jazz musicians improvise melodies simultaneously.
• Homophonic - multiple voices where one voice, the melody, stands out prominently and the other voices form a background or subordinate position with an harmonic accompaniment. At times the accompaniment may be very distinctive; however, its role is there to help support the melody. An example of homophony are hymns wherein the melody is usually in the top line and the lower lines blend or harmonize the top line. If all the parts have the same (or nearly the same) rhythm, then the homophonic texture can also be described as homorhythmic.
• Heterophonic - a musical texture in which the voices are different in character, moving in contrasting rhythms. The voices may play a single melody with simultaneous variations in that melody, or they may play substantially different melodies. (Heterophony can be considered a sub-category of polyphony, or an embellished/"ragged" form of monophony, or some mixture of the two).

(Hanning, 1998, and Copland).

Although in music instruction certain styles or repertoires of music are often identified with one of these descriptions (for example, Gregorian chant is described as monophonic, Bach Chorales are described as homophonic and fugues as polyphonic), many composers use more than one type of texture in the same piece of music.

A simultaneity is more than one complete musical texture occurring at the same time, rather than in succession.

Contemporary types of textures

A more recent type of texture first used by György Ligeti is micropolyphony.

Micropolyphony is a type of 20th century musical texture involving the use of sustained dissonant chords that shift slowly over time. According to David Cope (1997), "a simultaneity of different lines, rhythms, and timbres." The technique was developed by György Ligeti, who explained it as follows: "The complex polyphony of the individual parts is embodied in a harmonic-musical flow, in which the harmonies do not change suddenly, but merge into one another; one clearly discernible interval combination is gradually blurred, and from this cloudiness it is possible to discern a new interval combination taking shape." Again Cope: "Micropolyphony resembles cluster chords, but differs in its use of moving rather than static lines."

An example of the application of micropolyphony is Ligeti's composition Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Mixed Choir, and Orchestra, a piece which became more widely known through the soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The technique is easier with larger ensembles or polyphonic instruments such as the piano (Cope, 1997). Many of Ligeti's piano pieces are examples of micropolyphony applied to complex "minimalist" Steve Reich and Pygmy music derived rhythmic schemes.

Other types of textures

Other textures include homorhythmic, polythematic, polyrhythmic, onomatopoeic, compound, and mixed or composite textures (Corozine 2002, p.34).

Importance of texture

Musical texture can be used by composers to create drama and contrast by differences in the layers of sound, whether melody or harmony, the relations between these layers of sound, and how many layers there are. Composers could begin with a melody and simple harmonies to weaving the melody into a complex polyphonic texture or a dramatic scenario could be created by having a solo voice accompanied by a large chorus performing massive chords. Texture thus can be explained as light, heavy, thin, or thick.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Corozine, Vince, Arranging Music for the Real World: Classical and Commercial Aspects, 2002. ISBN 0-786-64961-5.
• Hanning, Barbara Russano, Concise History of Western Music, based on Donald Jay Grout & Claudia V. Palisca's A History of Western Music, Fifth Edition. Published by W. W. Norton & Company, New York, Copyright 1998. ISBN 0-393-97168-6
• Pearson, Paul Weston, Evolving conceptions of chamber music texture in the classical and romantic periods, CA: University of California, Santa Barbara, 1979. OCLC 34445442
• White, John David, Theories of musical texture in Western history, NY: Garland Publ, 1995. ISBN 0-815-31187-7

External links

• Hyer, Brian: 'Homophony', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy, <http://www.grovemusic.com> Retrieved October 20, 2007.
• Frobenius, Wolf: 'Polyphony', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy, <http://www.grovemusic.com> Retrieved October 20, 2007.
• 'Monophony', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy, <http://www.grovemusic.com> Retrieved October 20, 2007.
• A Guide to Musical Texture with multimedia Retrieved October 20, 2007.

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