Homophonic and Polyphonic Harmonies

ryanlikealion

Senior Member
I posted a thread a while ago about Vocal harmonies and received some interesting replies.

Im now trying to develop a better understanding of the difference between homophonic and polyphonic harmonies. I mean i've read into it a little bit on wikipedia!!! But im looking for exaamples of these techniques in good music.
 
Homophonic harmonies hate gay people. Oh wiat, was that homophobic harmonies...

xP
 
Well if i remember right from my GCSE music, homophonic is where there is playing of the same note at the same or a different octave by one or more instrument and polyphonic is where you have one or more instruments playing more than one different note. If we're talking about modern music. Well it's probably quicker to mention bands that DON'T have polyphonic vocal harmonies in their songs somewhere. Most bands do at some point. As for homophonic, some bands such as Serj and A7X like to record their voices twice on recordings with one being an octave above the other, that would be a homophonic harmony.
 
Homophonic harmony is vertical: the melody line is accompanied by the underlying harmony.

Polyphonic harmony is horizontal: independent and interdependent melodies stacked on top of one another create the harmony.
 
Wavelength's got it.

Imagine 2 or more melodic lines of equal value being performed at the same time. That's a polyphonic texture. Bach's music is polyphonic.

Homophonic textures are the strong predominant single melodic line with harmonic background, in other words almost all the popular music heard today.

Eddiehimself's explaination of homophonic texture is actually a form of monophonic texture.
 
Polyphonic harmony is horizontal: independent and interdependent melodies stacked on top of one another create the harmony.

Isn't that a ferment...forrent, ferent, ferret, forment, foray,...fff...?

Bach had these notes... alternating high/low/high/low.. that created these stacks or layers. So if you listened to just the low notes they formed their own melodies and the highs, their own and together they formed a third dimension. Polyphonic harmony.

Right, Juho? Did I do good?
 
Isn't that a ferment...forrent, ferent, ferret, forment, foray,...fff...?

Bach had these notes... alternating high/low/high/low.. that created these stacks or layers. So if you listened to just the low notes they formed their own melodies and the highs, their own and together they formed a third dimension. Polyphonic harmony.

Right, Juho? Did I do good?

Sorry Abe. 18th century 'polyhony,' that of Handel and Bach, is known as counterpoint. It was just to keep things distinct. :)

In homophonic texture, sounding together, the melodic point is the main line, and the other voices create a harmonic accompaniment. If you are sitting with a guitar, strumming and singing, that is a homophonic texture, or listen to the chorales of Bach, which have the Lutheran hymn in the soprano and the other voices fill out the harmonic texture.

In polyphonic textures, many sounds, all of the lines work individually, moving at different intervals from a main line, which is called the cantus firmus. They can move with imitation, parallel movement, contrary motion, or a florid line. It is more than one melodic line happening at the same time. Josquin's masses are a great example. see Missa de Beata Virgine, the end of the 'Gloria' is stunning.
 
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Sorry Abe. 18th century 'polyhony,' that of Handel and Bach, is known as counterpoint. It was just to keep things distinct. :)

In homophonic texture, sounding together, the melodic point is the main line, and the other voices create a harmonic accompaniment. If you are sitting with a guitar, strumming and singing, that is a homophonic texture, or listen to the chorales of Bach, which have the Lutheran hymn in the soprano and the other voices fill out the harmonic texture.

In polyphonic textures, many sounds, all of the lines work individually, moving at different intervals from a main line, which is called the cantus firmus. They can move with imitation, parallel movement, contrary motion, or a florid line. It is more than one melodic line happening at the same time. Josquin's masses are a great example. see Missa de Beata Virgine, the end of the 'Gloria' is stunning.

dang, some of you guys are really eloquent in music theory. You basically summed up the first few weeks in my music theory class in high school :p. and i forgot most of it...

props to you.
 
Gotcha, but is counterpoint a single linear melody with alternating high and low notes, so that it appears to be two melodies?

And is there a word for it in audio physics? : )
 
Gotcha, but is counterpoint a single linear melody with alternating high and low notes, so that it appears to be two melodies?)

Counterpoint needs to have more than one line, a second or more line that works against (counter) the first line (point).
 
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