As a follow-up to our look at Texture, here are some short examples of what we covered:
Imitative Polyphony
Example 1
Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 1 in D major, 3rd Movement
An example of a Canon/Round (like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"). Listen to how the melody is repeated in different instruments. Does the melody sound familiar?
Example 2
Click to open new window
Johann Sebastian Bach, Fugue in C Minor
Because all the voices in this Fugue were played by the same instrument in the version we heard in class, it might have been difficult to follow each part. This version might make it easier to hear the individual parts
Non-Imitative Polyphony -- where you have simultaneous melodies
Example 1
Madonna, Cherish
Near the end of the record, a second melody appears and is heard through the end of the record as the chorus repeats
Example 2
John Phillip Sousa, Stars and Stripes Forever
The piccolo comes in with a counter-melody while the strings play the main melody
Changing Texture
Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You
This record is primarily homophonic but it starts with a voice-only monophonic section and becomes homophonic when the instruments come in
Monophonic Texture
Janis Joplin, Mercedes Benz
This song was mentioned in class as an example of a monophonic record by a popular artist. (You could argue that it's not monophonic because there's a hand-clapping or tapping sound accompanying her singing.)
Homophonic Texture
Click to open in a new window (8MB file. May take a while to download)
See if this mixer application makes it easier for you to hear how a popular song is arranged. Listen to some of the individual parts, then listen to the whole mix.