Area of Study 03:

Texture and Melody

Texture
AQA GCSE Music

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

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

Monophonic
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

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)

Octaves

Part 01
Octave Higher
then Part 02

Etc

Part 02

If the notes werent the same pitch, it could not be a

MONOPHONIC texture

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

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.
ExampleSomeone Like You by Adele

Polyphonic/Contrapuntal
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

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.