Baroque+Texture-K+Foley

By: Kathryn Foley
 * Baroque Texture- Polyphony **

One of the many stylistic features of the baroque time period is polyphonic texture. Texture in music generally refers to the way that instruments interact in a piece of music; it can also be thought as musical hierarchy because some parts are more prominent than others. Polyphonic music is often full of confidence and is very complicated. To put it simply, the description of polyphonic texture is “music that has many voices that are constantly playing different things,” but here I will go into more detail. While it can be perceived as being like listening to five people at one time, polyphonic texture is a beautiful and common feature in baroque music. As you can see in example number one below, in polyphonic music there are many different melodies. Although they are played at the same time each melody has an equal amount of importance in the piece. They tend to be played independently but still complimentary to each other. In polyphonic texture, the emphasis is put on the interplay between lines rather than on just one melody. The melody, harmony and rhythm in polyphonic music cannot be the same between the different lines in the piece, but they can be similar. An example of this can be heard in example number two. As you can hear, there are many different layers as this tends to be the case in polyphonic music. The individual voices or instruments in polyphonic music may change roles during the piece, which can add even more to the layering feel. The rhythms in the top line like in example number three have a tendency to be more varied.
 * Introduction**
 * Description**

Polyphonic texture is also related to counterpoint, which is the technique of combining two or more melodic lines, and is the interaction of voices in polyphonic texture. Another related term is imitation, which is the repetition of the melodic line but with each repetition entering at different times. This creates the effect of overlapping in the piece that is a lot like polyphonic texture. While it is usually performed vocally, polyphonic texture can also be used with organs, pianos and even guitars with only one musician. Even though this is possible, polyphonic texture is often seen in music for instrumental ensembles, religious choral music or in a round or canon. In modern music, songs can become momentarily polyphonic if a counter melody is added. If you listen to almost any gospel or pop song, near the end the soloist will probably start “ad libbing” while the back-up singers repeat the refrain. Another great example of polyphony in baroque music is practically anything by Bach. He was a true master at using polyphonic texture and counterpoint in his many canons and choir pieces. // The Art Of Fugue, // a piece of work that is often referred to as the summation of polyphonic techniques, is a great example of this. In it, he uses a variety of themes and counterpoint in eighteen complex canons and fugues. Listen to a clip from // The Art Of Fugue // in example number four.
 * Analysis**


 * Example #1**

__[]__
 * Example #2**


 * Example #3**

[|http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCUS5F-DI2o&feature=related]
 * Example #4**


 * Sources**

Long, Adam. __ Polyphic Texture __. 2009. 10 April 2010.

__ Musical Texture __. 8 April 2010 .

__ Polyphonic Texture and Genres __. 10 April 2010.

School, Capistrano. __Baroque Period__. 8 April 2010 .