Texture
Texture is another one of the concepts that benefits from hearing audio/musical illustrations and discussion on, rather than simply reading about it, so I made this audio discussion on that topic. Go ahead and start with this recording, and then continue with the notes and examples below. Hope you enjoy it and find this helpful. It’s never gonna let you down!
(This recording is also found as a link on the LM 2 folder, in case you want to listen again.)
-It’s easy to mix up polyphonic and homophonic. For homophonic: think most pop/rock/mainstream music. Lead Singer with accompaniment. Lead Singer with guitar. Or even singer with back-up band. The point is one aspect of the music (the melody-sung by the lead singer) is more important than the other elements. Most pop/rock is in a homophonic texture.
-Monophonic uses only a single melody. It can be performed by larger groups of people (like Gregorian Chant, used in a textbook example), but they all have to be singing/performing the same thing. Monophonic is actually pretty rare in pop/rock music (or any type of music), unless the singer is singing a solo with no one else playing, and no instruments. Pretty unusual. Did the recording above help at all? do you have any other thoughts on the differences between these textures or ways to help identify them? If you have other tips or questions, feel free to post on the discussion thread!
So, let’s practice with some examples. A couple of these change throughout, so, I’ll post the composer/title, the video, and where the changes happen/where to listen.
-Beach Boys: God Only Knows
Beginning?
What changes at 2:05?
-Bob Marley: Redemption Song
Beginning?
The texture changes after the Intro at :20, and stays the same pretty much the rest of the song. -Miles Davis/Gil Evans: Solea from Sketches of Spain
This example from the great Miles Davis is a bit longer, but absolutely worth the listen. The main shifts in texture I’d like you to focus on happen at the very beginning and then at 1:52 through about 2:30…what do you think they are? Do you notice changes in texture at any other points? Answers will be posted in a discussion thread later this week!
Anyone want to venture a guess on the meter types (review from LM1) for these…?
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Major or Minor? Identify By Listening
Another aspect of music I’d like for you to start listening for is whether you’re hearing a major key or minor key. The textbook goes into a great deal of technical detail about the differences between the two; even though the scale patterns have a lot in common, there are some crucial differences that make them sound quite different from each other. As mentioned on page 19, in most cases, music in a major key tends to sound cheerful, happy, joyful. Minor keys usually sound sad, somber, or angry. There are lots of exceptions to that, but just keep listening for these differences; it’s also usually discussed in the textbook listening Guides for examples we’ll cover in the future.
Major Key
Minor Key
Here are some examples that I think would be helpful for practice. Is each one major or minor? -François Couperin: The Mysterious Barricades -Destiny’s Child: Bills, Bills, Bills
-Super Mario Bros. (Listen between 0:07 and 0:39)
-Stevie Wonder: Pastime Paradise
Pastime Paradise probably sounds familiar as it was later famously sampled by Coolio, but this is the original. Great song! I’ll post the answers in a later discussion thread. Moving Along!…
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String Quartets
You learned about lots of various common chamber ensemble types in these chapters. The most common one that’s had a huge, long-lasting, diverse repertory in classical music is undoubtedly the string quartet. Just wanted to provide some quick examples to show the immense variety of sounds this relatively small group is capable of achieving. 1. Know standard the instrumentation.
2. There is a LOT of important music for this ensemble. And despite limited instrumentation, capable of a diverse variety of sounds, such as:
– Joseph Haydn: “The Joke”
– Béla Bartók: String Quartet #4, Movement 5
– Ramallah Underground feat. The Kronos Quartet: Tashweesh
(note: This example incorporates electronics along with the String Quartet Instruments.)
– George Crumb: Black Angels, Movement 1: “Departure”
Can you think of a few adjectives for each of these String Quartet examples to describe the timbre or overall character (either using musical terms or in your own words)? What makes them sound unique from each other, despite using the same instruments? I’d be interested to see some ideas!
Anyways, I think it’s crazy how such a small, relatively limited group of instruments can sound totally different from one piece to the next.
That’s all for now! Have a good one!