thumb|right|400px|Homophony in [[Thomas Tallis|Tallis' "If Ye Love Me", composed in 1549. The soprano sings the melody (the primary line) while the lower voices fill out the harmony (as supporting lines). The rhythmic unison in all the parts makes this passage an example of homorhythm.File:If ye love me.ogg]]
In music, homophony (;, Greek: , homóphōnos, from , homós, "same" and , phōnē, "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that provide the harmony. One melody predominates while the other parts play either single notes or an elaborate accompaniment. This differentiation of roles contrasts with equal-voice polyphony (in which similar lines move with rhythmic and melodic independence to form an even texture) and monophony (in which all parts move in unison or octaves). Historically, homophony and its differentiated roles for parts emerged in tandem with tonality, which gave distinct harmonic functions to the soprano, bass, and inner voices.
A homophonic texture may be homorhythmic, which means that all parts have the same rhythm. Chorale texture is another variant of homophony. The most common type of homophony is melody-dominated homophony, in which one voice, often the highest, plays a distinct melody, and the accompanying voices work together to articulate an underlying harmony.
Initially, in Ancient Greece, homophony indicated music in which a single melody is performed by two or more voices in unison or octaves, i.e. monophony with multiple voices. Homophony as a term first appeared in English with Charles Burney in 1776, emphasizing the concord of harmonized melody.
History
European music
Homophony first appeared as one of the predominant textures in Western classical music during the Baroque period in the early 17th century, when composers began to commonly compose with vertical harmony in mind, the homophonic basso continuo becoming a definitive feature of the style.
Jazz and other forms of modern popular music generally feature homophonic influences, following chord progressions over which musicians play a melody or improvise.
African and Asian music
Homophony has appeared in several non-Western cultures, perhaps particularly in regions where communal vocal music has been cultivated. When explorer Vasco da Gama landed in West Africa in 1497, he referred to the music he heard there as being in "sweet harmony". While the concept of harmony in that time was not necessarily the same as the concept of homophony as understood by modern scholars, For instance, the Fang people of Gabon use homophony in their music.
In eastern Indonesia (i.e. in the music of the Toraja in South Sulawesi, in Flores, in East Kalimantan and in North Sulawesi), two-part harmonies are common, usually in intervals of thirds, fourths or fifths. Additionally, Chinese music is generally thought to be homophonic, since instruments typically provide accompaniment in parallel fourths and fifths and often double the voice in vocal music, heterophony also being common in China.
Melody-dominated homophony
In melody-dominated homophony, accompanying voices provide chordal support for the lead voice, which assumes the melody.
:<score sound="1"> {
\new PianoStaff <<
\new Staff { \relative c' { \key e \major \tempo "Lento" \partial 4 b4_\markup{ \italic "sostenuto"}(| gis'4. a8 b dis e cis b2 fis4.
gis8^\markup{ \bold "Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne, Op. 62 No. 2"}
e2\< fis8 gis a b cis2) r8\! cis4(\> b8 b4 a\!)} }
\new Staff { \relative c, { \key e \major \clef "bass"
\partial 4 r4 | e\sustainOn <e' gis cis>\sustainOff(<b gis' b>\sustainOn <gis' cis e>\sustainOff)
b,,\sustainOn <fis dis'>(<a dis> <dis b,>)\sustainOff <cis, cis,>\sustainOn
<e gis cis>\sustainOff <b b,>\sustainOn <e gis d'>\sustainOff <a, a,>\sustainOn <e' cis'>\sustainOff
<gis, gis,>\sustainOn <eis' cis' b>\sustainOff <fis, fis,>\sustainOn <cis' cis'>\sustainOff } }
>> }
</score>
Melody dominated homophony in Chopin's Nocturne in E Op. 62 No. 2. The left hand (bass clef) provides chordal support for the melody played by the right hand (treble clef).
See also
- Counterpoint
References
fr:Homophonie#Musique