1/27/2024 0 Comments Polyphonic vs homophonicIn addition to that, if you're posting an extremely frequently asked question, you may be told to use the search bar to look for similar posts. If you're new to classical music, and are looking for recommendations: first of all, welcome! /r/classicalresources is an archive for people who aren't sure where to start or are looking for more music they'll like, and we send all requests for basics over there. If you believe your post was wrongly removed, feel free to message us. Please Read the Subreddit RulesĪnd the FAQ post, which is stickied right at the top.īreaking any of the rules will at least lead to post/comment removal, but this can be reversed if we need to make an exception. (Even so, it is usually the case that there is a significant amount of pitch organisation between simultaneous contrapuntal parts, even if they do not fit within a "traditional" harmonic framework.Whether you're a musician, a newbie, a composer, or a listener, welcome. (A polyphonic texture still "has harmony".)Īlthough a polyphonic texture is to a large extent conceived and perceived as layers of simultaneous "horizontal" melodic lines, good contrapuntal writing must take account of the vertical relationships between parts, in other words, they must all fit within the ongoing harmonic framework of the piece.Īrguably, it is this very tension between horizontal melodic impetus and vertical harmonic relationships, that makes great contrapuntal (or polyphonic, if you like) music so satisfying to compose, perform and listen to.Īs a closing point (and maybe one for others to comment or respond to): arguably the harmonic relationship between parts breaks down in certain types of polyphonic modern music, where intervallic/motivic relationships in individual melodic parts can override the relationships between parts. Although independent to a certain degree (for instance, in terms of rhythm, contour, motif, intervallic character) these lines are still tied together by the overall harmonic framework. A polyphonic texture does not rely upon a series of "block-chords" (a homophonic texture) to reveal the harmonic progression of the music, but it still has a harmonic framework. Polyphony refers to a texture containing a number of independent melodic lines (or voices, if you like). ![]() Polyphony is a related, but quite different concept. (When writing arrangements I'll often mark parts as Melody, Harmony and Bass parts.) But, strictly speaking, all of these parts, accompanimental or not, define the overall harmony. However, the term harmony is often used informally to mean just this: parts of the musical texture that accompany a main melody part. It is important not to confuse the concepts of harmony and accompaniment harmony is not simply "padding" between the main melody (if there is one) and the bass part. ![]() ![]() Harmony can be thought of as the framework of pitch relationships between any number of simultaneous elements in a musical texture, be they: melody, bass-line, block chords, multiple melodic lines, counter-melodies etc. Also, a single line or two-part counterpoint can easily imply a series of chords containing three and four (or more!) note chords. The exception, mentioned above, is that even a single melodic line will create a series of implied harmonies: sometimes this is very obvious, for instance a series of arpeggios sometimes it is ambiguous, as the single line could suggest a number of harmonies. However, it also refers to the "horizontal" relationships between successive vertical relationships of pitches it's probably easiest to think of these as chord progressions. Harmony refers to the "vertical" relationship between simultaneous pitches in a musical texture (usually, but not always, chords - see below for the exception).
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