Texture

Texture results from the way voices and/or instruments are combined in music.

Device	Song	Artist	Time of Event	Listen Now	Album	Publisher/Label	Explicit Lyrics
Mono/Homo/Polyphonic	Farandole from the L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2	Bizet	One of the BEST PIECES EVER WRITTEN to show textural changes! This piece changes between these three textural styles many times and the changes are quite easy to hear.	YouTube			N
	Hallelujah Chorus Submitted	Handel	This amazing piece of music changes between mono/homo/polyphonic texture at various times. Listen for monophonic texture at “for the lord God omnipotent reigneth” (0:39), homophony during the “Hallelujah” exclamations (0:45) and polyphony when the male vocalists sing a different melody to the female vocalists (1:02)	YouTube			N
Monophonic	Australian National Anthem		Whether it’s a solo singer or 50,000 fans at a footy match. One melodic line means monophonic texture.	YouTube
	Your House	Alanis Morissett	Throughout	YouTube	Jagged Little Pill (Hidden Track)	Maverick/Reprise	N
	The Last Post		Throughout	YouTube			N
	Mercedes Benz	Janis Joplin	Throughout	YouTube	Pearl	Columbia	N
	Amazing Grace	Hymn	Throughout	YouTube			N
	Beautiful (a capella version)	Christina Aguilera	Throughout	YouTube	Unknown	Unknown	N
	Meet Me In The Middle Of The Air	Paul Kelly	First Verse – After the first verse, accompanying voices are introduced, creating homophonic texture	YouTube	Unknown	Unknown	N
	Prelude to L’Arlesienne	Bizet	The first 45-50 seconds is entirely monophonic texture	YouTube			N
	Agnus Dei	Verdi	Two solo voices in unison, followed by a four-part choir and harmony	YouTube			N
	The People That Walked In Darkness from ‘Messiah’	Handel	Some long sections in this piece, the strings and harpsichord are playing the same melodic line as the voice.	YouTube			N
Homophonic	In The Still Of The Night	Boys II Men	Throughout. Many hear this a capella style and assume it’s polyphonic texture.	YouTube	Cooleyhighharmony	Motown	N
	Baby On Board	Homer’s Babershop Quartet	Throughout. Many hear this a capella style and assume it’s polyphonic texture.	YouTube	Episode 82	Season 5	N
Polyphonic Texture/Counterpoint	Feeling This	Blink-182	Last few seconds of song. Not the best example, but several different melodies heard without accompaniment	YouTube	Blink-182	Geffen	Y
	Faust	The Human Abstract	3:15 – A contrapuntal exchange between the guitars	YouTube	Digital Veil	E1	N
	Empty Walls Submitted	Serj Tankian	The countermelodies performed by the voices in the outro create a polyphonic aspect to this texture. It is important to note however, that this is sung over the top of a chordal accompaniment.	YouTube	Elect the Dead	Serjical Strike/Reprise	N
Heterophonic	Lonesome Valley from ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou’ soundtrack	The Fairfield Four	There are heterophonic passages in this piece at times, where each of the voices sing a slight variation on the main melody	YouTube	‘O Brother, Where Art Thou’ soundtrack	Lost Highway / Mercury	N
Contrary Motion	Crying In The Chapel	The Orioles (Artie Glenn)	At the start of the 2nd verse you can hear the bass playing a descending line underneath the ascending vocal	YouTube	Unknown	Unknown	N
Oblique Motion	I Feel Love	Donna Summer	Any melody accompanied by a drone, will create oblique motion, but it is heard clearly in this awesome 70’s example!	YouTube	I Remember Yesterday	Casablanca	N
Parallel Motion	The Morrow from ‘Gattaca’	Michael Nyman	The cellos play in parallel 5ths and shift up and down a major 2nd. An amazing piece of music!	YouTube	Gattaca Soundtrack	Virgin Records America	N
	Road To Perdition main theme	Thomas Newman	In this short section, the lower strings move in easy to hear parallel motion, an octave apart.	YouTube	Road To Perdition Soundtrack	Unknown	N
	Sandstorm	Darude	Parallel triads are played throughout on the synthesizer. Heard easiest during intro.	YouTube	Before The Storm	16 Inch	N
	In Bloom	Nirvana	Main riff moves in parallel fifths. For first two vocal phrases, voice and bass also move in parallel fifths.	YouTube	Nevermind	GDC	N
Doubling of melody	If You Seek Amy	Britney Spears	Electronic melody doubles main melody during intro	YouTube	Circus	Jive	N but questionable content
	I Want To Be Left To My Own Devices Submitted	Unknown Mortal Orchestra	After first verse and chorus guitar doubles vocal melody	YouTube	Unknown	Fat Possum Records	N
Riff	Back In Black	AC/DC	Ooooh Yeeeeeeah.	YouTube	Back in Black	Albert – Atlantic	N
	Enter Sandman	Metallica	Rock on.	YouTube	Metallica	Elektra	N
	Smoke On The Water	Deep Purple	Yea-ah!!!!	YouTube	Machinehead	EMI / Warner Bros	N
	Smells Like Teen Spirit	Nirvana	Anger and angst all rolled into one.	YouTube	Nevermind	DGC	N
	Sweet Child O’ Mine	Guns N’ Roses	Bi-di-di-di-di-di-di-di, Bi-di-di-di-di-di-di-di etc. etc	YouTube	Appetite For Destruction	Geffen	N
	Walk This Way	Aerosmith	Wigada Wigada!	YouTube	Toys In The Attic	Columbia	N
	Sunshine Of Your Love	Cream	Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-dooo-do	YouTube	Disraeli Gears	Atco	N
	Start Me Up	Rolling Stones	A man has never looked so good in purple!	YouTube	Tattoo You	Rolling Stones	N
Thin building to thick	Welcome to the Black Parade	My Chemical Romance	Texture builds from solo piano over length of the first verse	YouTube	The Black Parade	Reprise	N
	Wayfaring Stranger Submitted	Ed Sheeran	A great example of adding extra layers through the use of a looping device	YouTube	Unknown	Unknown	N
Changes in texture	Chop Suey Submitted	System of a Down	Texture is varied through the addition or subtraction of layers, as well as the introduction of effects on guitars	YouTube	Toxicity	American	N