Lessons · Musicianship

Texture

Monophony to polyphony: how many musics at once

% TEXTURE is how many musics happen at once. One is MONOPHONY: a bare
% line, where every claim the music makes is in its shape. Ante climbs to
% 5 and stops open on 2; Cons pushes past it to the octave, which sounds
% once in the whole tune and is never risen to again.
 
bpm 75
instrument swell
meter 8
unit 1/4
key e min
 
Ante  ::= 1 _4 2 _2 3 _2 5 _4 4 _2 3 _2 2 _8
Cons  ::= 5 _4 6 _2 5 _2 7 _4 '1 _8 7 _2 6 _2 5 _4 3 _2 2 _2 1 _8
Chant ::= Ante Cons
 
Chant
 
 
% Doubling is not a second music. Parallel ORGANUM shadows the chant
% four scale steps down, a fifth under every note but the 6, where the
% scale hands back a tritone. Under an octave too it is still one tune.
 
Organum ::= {Chant, Chant@~-4}
 
Organum
{Organum, Chant@-12}
 
 
% HOMOPHONY: one tune, chords moving WITH it. Dia builds each triad from
% the key, so the antecedent takes i VII v and the consequent walks down
% i VII VI v iv i with no quality written anywhere. Halve the chords and
% state the cycle twice: the texture is a relation, not a rate.
 
Hymn ::= .1Dia _8 .7Dia _8 .5Dia _8
Amen ::= .1Dia _8 .7Dia _8 .6Dia _8 .5Dia _8 .4Dia _4 .1Dia _4
 
{Chant, Hymn Amen}
{Chant, {Hymn Amen}/2 {Hymn Amen}/2}
 
 
% POLYPHONY: two melodies, both real. Counter waits four units and comes
% in with the chant's own head an octave down (imitation) then goes
% free, moving under all three of the chant's long holds and arriving
% only at the close, an octave under it. Swap the registers and neither
% line turns into the accompaniment.
 
Entry  ::= - _4 Ante[:4]@-12
Weave  ::= .7 _2 .5 _2 .4 _2 .5 _2 .3 _4 .4 _2 .5 _2 .2 _2 .3 _2 .4 _2 .5 _2
Weaveb ::= .6 _2 .5 _2 .4 _4 .3 _4 .4 _4 .5 _4 .1 _4
 
Counter ::= Entry Weave Weaveb
 
assert Entry == - _4 .1 _4 .2 _2 .3 _2 .5 _4
 
{Chant, Counter}
{Counter@12, Chant@-12}
 
 
% HETEROPHONY: one tune, two versions of it at once. Both players take
% Ante in unison, then Second breaks into DIVISIONS: every note of Cons
% still on its own beat, the gaps between them filled with neighbours.
% The drone changes nothing: a held note is not a voice.
 
Divs   ::= 5 _2 6 5 6 7/2 6/2 5 _2 7 _2 '1 7 '1 _4 7 _2 '1 _2
Divsb  ::= 7 6/2 7/2 6 5/2 6/2 5 _2 4 5 3 4/2 3/2 2 _2 1 _4 2 _2 1 _2
Second ::= Ante Divs Divsb
Drone  ::= ..1 _64
 
{Chant, Second}
{Chant, Second, Drone}
 
 
% All four in order, and not a rule in it is new: the bare line, the
% fifths, the chords, the two melodies, the two versions. The last
% statement is what music actually does: a tune, a countermelody and
% the chords under both, three textures sounding at once.
 
Chant
{Organum, Chant@-12}
{Chant, Hymn Amen}
{Chant, Counter}
{Chant, Second, Drone}
{Chant, Counter, Hymn Amen}

% TEXTURE is how many musics happen at once. One is MONOPHONY: a bare
% line, where every claim the music makes is in its shape. Ante climbs to
% 5 and stops open on 2; Cons pushes past it to the octave, which sounds
% once in the whole tune and is never risen to again.

bpm 75
instrument swell
meter 8
unit 1/4
key e min

Ante  ::= 1 _4 2 _2 3 _2 5 _4 4 _2 3 _2 2 _8
Cons  ::= 5 _4 6 _2 5 _2 7 _4 '1 _8 7 _2 6 _2 5 _4 3 _2 2 _2 1 _8
Chant ::= Ante Cons

Chant

% Doubling is not a second music. Parallel ORGANUM shadows the chant
% four scale steps down, a fifth under every note but the 6, where the
% scale hands back a tritone. Under an octave too it is still one tune.

Organum ::= {Chant, Chant@~-4}

Organum
{Organum, Chant@-12}

% HOMOPHONY: one tune, chords moving WITH it. Dia builds each triad from
% the key, so the antecedent takes i VII v and the consequent walks down
% i VII VI v iv i with no quality written anywhere. Halve the chords and
% state the cycle twice: the texture is a relation, not a rate.

Hymn ::= .1Dia _8 .7Dia _8 .5Dia _8
Amen ::= .1Dia _8 .7Dia _8 .6Dia _8 .5Dia _8 .4Dia _4 .1Dia _4

{Chant, Hymn Amen}
{Chant, {Hymn Amen}/2 {Hymn Amen}/2}

% POLYPHONY: two melodies, both real. Counter waits four units and comes
% in with the chant's own head an octave down (imitation) then goes
% free, moving under all three of the chant's long holds and arriving
% only at the close, an octave under it. Swap the registers and neither
% line turns into the accompaniment.

Entry  ::= - _4 Ante[:4]@-12
Weave  ::= .7 _2 .5 _2 .4 _2 .5 _2 .3 _4 .4 _2 .5 _2 .2 _2 .3 _2 .4 _2 .5 _2
Weaveb ::= .6 _2 .5 _2 .4 _4 .3 _4 .4 _4 .5 _4 .1 _4

Counter ::= Entry Weave Weaveb

assert Entry == - _4 .1 _4 .2 _2 .3 _2 .5 _4

{Chant, Counter}
{Counter@12, Chant@-12}

% HETEROPHONY: one tune, two versions of it at once. Both players take
% Ante in unison, then Second breaks into DIVISIONS: every note of Cons
% still on its own beat, the gaps between them filled with neighbours.
% The drone changes nothing: a held note is not a voice.

Divs   ::= 5 _2 6 5 6 7/2 6/2 5 _2 7 _2 '1 7 '1 _4 7 _2 '1 _2
Divsb  ::= 7 6/2 7/2 6 5/2 6/2 5 _2 4 5 3 4/2 3/2 2 _2 1 _4 2 _2 1 _2
Second ::= Ante Divs Divsb
Drone  ::= ..1 _64

{Chant, Second}
{Chant, Second, Drone}

% All four in order, and not a rule in it is new: the bare line, the
% fifths, the chords, the two melodies, the two versions. The last
% statement is what music actually does: a tune, a countermelody and
% the chords under both, three textures sounding at once.

Chant
{Organum, Chant@-12}
{Chant, Hymn Amen}
{Chant, Counter}
{Chant, Second, Drone}
{Chant, Counter, Hymn Amen}

running…edit it and it re-runs as you type

Texture · Musicianship