Embedded Files
Objectives
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Define and compare the different types of musical texture, including: homophonic, polyphonic, monophonic, and heterophonic.
Aurally identify changes and the type of texture used in examples from the repertoire.
Analyze and describe the role and function of different musical elements within a specific texture, such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
Explain how texture and instrumentation can be used as composition tools to define musical form and create interest in compositions.
Sight read melodies that incorporate chromatic embellishing tones with stepson both sides.
Preparation for Class
Preparation for Class
Watch
Watch
Musical Texture
(Alisha Nypaver, 5 mins)
Study Aids
Study Aids
Chromatic Solfege Syllables
(Chennette, from Foundations of Aural Skills)
Diagram for Help Describing Texture in Music
(Julia Jooya, from "Jooya Teaching Resources")
Four Types of Musical Texture
(Darci Brennan, “Texture")
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Discussion
Discussion
Definitions: "Texture" is often used as a tactile or visual description of something. Tactile and visual metaphors are commonly used to describe different elements of sound. Can you think of any others? How is the word texture used to describe music?
The reading sorts texture into 4 common categories: homophonic, polyphonic, monophonic, and heterophonic. Work as a class to come up with a working definition of each of these types of texture. Share examples of songs that you think best represent those textures.
"Loser" by Beck: This song only uses one chord. How does the artist use instrumentation and texture to create form and musical interest? The lyrics for each song section are copied here. Mark in where each instrument enters (or drops). Listen for the looped drums, bass, slide guitar, sitar, rapped vocal line, and chorus.
Dolly, Whitney, and Monophony: "I Will Always Love You" was a song originally written and recorded by Dolly Parton in 1973 . Whitney Houston recorded a different arrangement of the song in 1992 for the film The Bodyguard. Listen to the opening verse of both versions. What type of texture is used in each? How does this change the way you hear the lyrics?
Beck “Loser,”
from Mellow Gold (1994)
Dolly Parton, “I Will Always Love You,”
from Jolene (1974)
Whitney Houston, “I Will Always Love You,” from The Bodyguard Soundtrack (1992)
Activities
Activities
Aural Texture ID: Flip through the slides here together as a class or in groups. What type of texture best describes each example?
There are additional examples for analysis included in the anthology section for this Unit (see below).
Analyzing Changes in Texture: Both pieces of music below feature multiple changes in musical texture. Select one of the pieces. Sketch out a timeline on a sheet of paper (5.5 mins for the Schubert example and 6 mins for Queen), then mark timepoints where you hear changes in musical texture. Using the terms and definitions from the discussion, label the texture that best describes each passage. Describe the role and function of different musical elements in each layer, including melody, rhythm, timbre, harmony, and instrumentation (where appropriate).
Visual Texture ID: This page (.pdf, .docx) includes a number of score excerpts exemplifying different types of homophonic, polyphonic, monophonic, and heterophonic texture. Listen to and practice identifying which type of texture best describes the example and why.
Repertoire for Practice
Repertoire for Practice
Sight Reading:
Rhythm: Continued work with ties in simple time with subdivisions.
Melody: Chromatic embellishing tones approached and left by step.
Texture in Music: The anthology page for this unit includes the slides for aural ID from the activity above along with additional examples for texture ID.
Optional Additional Practice
Optional Additional Practice
Auralia:
Texture & Density: Level 1
Solfege ID: Level 5a
Melodic Dictation: Level 3a, 3b
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