Texture Of Music
Definition of musical texture.
Texture of music. Imagine that a piece of spaghetti is a melody line. Homophonic texture homophony is the most common texture in western music both classical and popular. In classical music this texture is a hallmark of bach s pedal tones. This texture contains two distinct lines the lower sustaining a constant pitch or tone often described as a droning sound with the other line creating a more elaborate melody above it.
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. In music texture is how the tempo melodic and harmonic materials are combined in a composition thus determining the overall quality of the sound in a piece texture is often described in regard to the density or thickness and range or width between lowest and highest pitches in relative terms as well as more specifically distinguished according to the number of voices or parts and. Texture is often described in regard to the density or thickness and range or width between lowest and highest pitches. One strand of spaghetti by itself is a single melody as in a.
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. For example the texture of the music might be thick or thin or it may have many or few layers. In music texture is how the melodic rhythmic and harmonic materials are combined in a composition thus determining the overall quality of the sound in a piece. When you describe the texture of a piece of music you are describing how much is going on in the music at any given moment.
Texture is one of the basic elements of music. The word texture is used because adding different layers or elements to music creates a musical tapestry texture can be simple or elaborate and is described with the following terms. The accompaniment may be simple chords or a harmony with melodic interest but in either case the main melody must be clearly distinguishable.