1. Area of Study 03: Texture and Melody “Texture”
AQA GCSE Music

2. Areas of Study AoS 01: Rhythm and Metre AoS 02: Harmony and Tonality
A0S 03: Texture and Melody
AoS 04: Dynamics and Timbre
AoS 05: Structure and Form

3. Texture
Texture describes how much is going on in the music at any one time It is about the different ways instruments and voices are combined in a piece of music Monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic are all the different types of texture

4. Monophonic
Mono = One
There is no harmony, just one line of tune. However, it may be played/sung by more than one instrument/voice at a time
Remember it will still be Monophonic as they are doing EXACTLY the same thing
Thin texture
Example of monophonic

5. Monophonic Cont…
UNISON – When everyone sings/plays one part together e.g. when we all sing Happy Birthday we are singing in unison (therefore, unison is monophonic)
OCTAVES
if the instruments or parts play or sing notes an octave apart, this is called octaves
An 8th apart (so, C-C, D-D, E-E etc)

6. Octave Higher then Part 02
Octaves
Part 01
Octave Higher then Part 02 G C D E
Etc…
Part 02
If the notes weren’t the same pitch, it could not be a MONOPHONIC texture

7. Homophonic
Homo = Same
A texture where all parts move in the same rhythm. So, chordal movement, same rhythm, different notes.

8. Broken Chords
Playing the notes of the chord separately, one after the other.
Broken Chords provide a more flowing accompaniment than when they are played as block chords.
Example…”Someone Like You” by Adele

9. Polyphonic/Contrapuntal
Poly = Many
A texture where 2 or more equally important melodies interweave (weave in and out of each other).
This gives quite a complex effect as there is more than one tune playing together

10. Imitation
A phrase is repeated (imitated – so not necessarily exactly the same).
Could be one instrument/voice imitating itself, or 2 or more imitating each other.