Texture and timbre - the beauty of melody

No fancy harmony, counterpoint, chord progression, or modulation, just pure melody. This is the style of traditional Chinese music and Claude Vivier's music. In Vivier's Et je reverrai cette ville étrange, the ensemble always plays in unison or strict parallel motion, monophony, one single melody only. This less-is-more approach emphasis on the timbre of the instruments and the timbre combine. Listen to how different instruments combine together, trumpet, viola, piano, cello, double bass, and percussion. The instrumentation itself is wired enough. Listeners do not have harmony or counterpoint distraction. 

 Vivier's Et je reverrai cette ville étrange

This approach echoes the aesthetic of Chinese music. Only monophony in music is boring, so through the process of Jiahua (ornamenting the main melody), there is a great deal of interplay, rhythmic variation, and imitative figuration in the parts. The musicians rely on their innate musical sense and skill to create an interesting accompaniment. According to Mok (1966), in Chinese music, accompaniment is highly heterophonic. Although the harmony is simple, the overall effects are greatly enhanced by the tonal colors of the instruments. Since instruments of different timbres are used, each instrument tends to stand out against the others. 

Here is an example of Vivier's Lonely Child, there is heterophonic style influence. In m 113 (the youtube link also plays at the same spot), the main melody is the soprano the violins are imitating the soprano. They are assigned in the harmonic series layout. (For more info, I wrote about how Vivier built his harmonic series chord vertically.) It is mimicking the melody rather than a strict parallel. The sustained notes at the lower string and woodwind in contrast to the melody and heterophonic imitation create a greater biphonic texture in the section.


  Mok, R. T. (1966) Heterophony in Chinese Folk Music. Journal of the International Folk Music Council. [Online] 1814–23.

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