In music,homophony (/həˈmɒf(ə)niː,hoʊ-/;[1][2],Greek:ὁμόφωνος,homóphōnos, fromὁμός,homós, "same" andφωνή,phōnē, "sound, tone") is atexture in which a primarypart is supported by one or more additional strands that provide theharmony.[3] One melody predominates while the other parts play either single notes or an elaborate accompaniment. This differentiation of roles contrasts with equal-voicepolyphony (in which similar lines move with rhythmic and melodic independence to form an even texture) andmonophony (in which all parts move in unison or octaves).[4] Historically, homophony and its differentiated roles for parts emerged in tandem withtonality, which gave distinct harmonic functions to the soprano, bass, and inner voices.
A homophonic texture may behomorhythmic, which means that all parts have the same rhythm.[5][6]Chorale texture is another variant of homophony. The most common type of homophony ismelody-dominated homophony, in which one voice, often the highest, plays a distinct melody, and the accompanying voices work together to articulate an underlying harmony.[7]
Initially, inAncient Greece, homophony indicated music in which a single melody is performed by two or more voices inunison oroctaves, i.e. monophony with multiple voices. Homophony as a term first appeared in English withCharles Burney in 1776, emphasizing the concord of harmonized melody.[8]
Homophony first appeared as one of the predominant textures inWestern classical music during theBaroque period in the early 17th century, when composers began to commonly compose with vertical harmony in mind, the homophonicbasso continuo becoming a definitive feature of the style.[7] In Western music, homophony may have originated in dance music, in which a simple and direct rhythmic style was needed for the prescribed bodily movements of individual dances. Homophony and polyphony coexisted in the 1600s and 1700s. Polyphony was the common melody during the Renaissance period. During the Baroque period, monophony became the new modern style. The choral arrangement of four voices (soprano,alto,tenor, andbass) has since become common in Western classical music.[7] Homophony began by appearing insacred music, replacing polyphony and monophony as the dominant form, but spread to secular music, for which it is one of the standard forms today.
Composers known for their homophonic work during the Baroque period include Claudio Monteverdi, Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
In20th-century classical music some of the "triad-oriented accompanimental figures such as theAlberti bass [a homophonic form of accompaniment] have largely disappeared from usage and, rather than the traditional interdependence of melodic and chordal pitches sharing the same tonal basis, a clear distinction may exist between the pitch materials of the melody and harmony, commonly avoiding duplication. However, some traditional devices, such as repeated chords, are still used.[9]
Jazz and other forms of modern popular music generally feature homophonic influences, followingchord progressions over which musicians play a melody or improvise.[citation needed]
Homophony has appeared in several non-Western cultures,[10] perhaps particularly in regions where communal vocal music has been cultivated. When explorerVasco da Gama landed in West Africa in 1497, he referred to the music he heard there as being in"sweet harmony".[11] While the concept of harmony in that time was not necessarily the same as the concept of homophony as understood by modern scholars,[11] it is generally accepted that homophonic voice harmonies were commonplace inAfrican music for centuries before contact with Europeans and is common in African music today. Singers normally harmonize voices in homophonic parallelism moving inparallelthirds orfourths. This type of harmonic model is also implemented in instrumental music where voices are stacked in thirds or fourths. Homophonic parallelism is not restricted to thirds and fourths, however all harmonic material adheres to the scalar system the particular tune or song is based on. The use of harmony in sixths is common in areas where a hexatonic scale system is used .[12] For instance, theFang people ofGabon use homophony in their music.[13]
In easternIndonesia (i.e. in the music of theToraja inSouth Sulawesi, inFlores, inEast Kalimantan and inNorth Sulawesi), two-part harmonies are common, usually in intervals of thirds, fourths or fifths.[14] 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.[15]
In melody-dominated homophony, accompanying voices provide chordal support for the lead voice, which assumes the melody.[7] Somepopular music today might be considered melody-dominated homophony, voice typically taking on the lead role, while instruments like piano, guitar and bass guitar normally accompany the voice. In many cases, instruments also take on the lead role, and often the role switches between parts, voice taking the lead during averse and instruments subsequently takingsolos, during which the other instruments provide chordal support.
Monody is similar to melody-dominated homophony in that one voice becomes the melody, while another voice assumes the underlying harmony. Monody, however, is characterized by a single voice with instrumental accompaniment, whereas melody-dominated homophony refers to a broader category of homophonic music, which includes works for multiple voices, not just works for solo voice, as was the tradition with early 17th century Italian monody.[16]
Melody dominated homophony inChopin'sNocturne in E Op. 62 No. 2. The left hand (bass clef) provides chordal support for the melody played by the right hand (treble clef).
