Monophony

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In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompaning harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave (such as often when men and women sing together). Monophony may also have a complex rhythmic element, as when percussion accompanies a melody in some types of Chinese or Hindu music. Most Medieval music was monophonic, including the Gregorian chant.

Plainchant with its single unaccompanied vocal melody is one of the principle examples of monophony. Sung by multiple voices in unison (i.e. the same pitch and rhythm), this music is still considered monophonic.

According to Adris Butterfield (1997), monophony "is the dominant mode of the European vernacular genres as well as of Latin song...in polyphonic works, it remains a central compositional principle."

DeLone et al. (1975, p.99) more loosely defines monophony as "passages, movements, or sections thereof in which notes sound alone, despite instrumental doubling" even if "such passages may involve several instruments or voices."

Textures in Stravinsky's Renard, such as the first bars of the opening "March", border on heterophony, being “ragged unison”.

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

Ardis Butterfield (1997). "Monophonic song: questions of category", Companion to Medieval & Renaissance Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-816540-4.
Copland, Aaron. "What to Listen for in Music". Published by Signet Classic, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY, 10014. Library of Congress catalogue 98-53893.
DeLone et. al. (Eds.) (1975). Aspects of Twentieth-Century Music. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-049346-5.