Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [polyphony]

The term deriving from the greek means "multiple voices".

Multiple voices often confuse beginners if notated within the same system, where convention uses different stem directions (which is impossible for whole notes).

In the stricter sense not different voices alson don't qualify for polyphony, but they have also to relate to each other,which is also called counterpoint. In 16th century this was taken to the extreme, e.g. in the mass with 40 voices by Striggio, but typically just a few voices exist as in three- or four-part fugues by J. S. Bach.

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How does one maintain voice integrity when longer and shorter notes of the same pitch occur in two voices

Here is an excerpt from Bach's BWV 796, measures 8–9. (Unfortunately, ABCjs renders the ties in exactly the wrong direction!) X:1 T:Sinfonia No. 10 in G Major, BWV 796 M:3/4 C:J.S. Bach %%staves [(1 2)…
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Is the polyphony limit on a Digital piano tied to the sound engine?

I don't want to end up paying more for a digital piano for a higher polyphonic capability if I don't need it. I was wondering if the polyphony limit on digital pianos is tied to the sound engines they possess, or to the actual physical key presses…
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Why is f natural used in m. 8 of J.S. Bach's Sinfonia in C Major (BWV 787)?

This is an excerpt of the Sinfonia Nr. 1 in C major by J.S. Bach. I thought this were a "clean" modulation to G major, but to my surprise, Bach uses an f natural in the lower voice of m. 8. Is there a harmonic meaning/justification behind this? I…
AGuyCalledGerald
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I need a help about polyphony, will 128 be enough

I’m going to buy a digital piano, I’m a classical pianist, so I would like to know will 128 polyphony be enough to play everything like Rachmaninoff or Liszt, because they have a lot of notes?
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can lilypond generate this, connect beam on every other note - use voices?

Can lilypond generate this (see attached image), connect the beam on every other note - use voices? It also has slurs between the 'voices.'
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In counterpoint, is there a name for when a single voice can be understood as multiple different voices?

In French Suite II, Air (mm. 3) it sounds like the upper voice can be separated into two parts: the upper part being Eb up to G, down to F; and the lower part being C down to Bb, down to Ab. In counterpoint, is there a name for when a single voice…
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Are Canons heterophonic? What about Canonic ENTRIES (not strictly a Canon)

Heterophonic texture is when the same melody is played and it overlaps in other voices. I'm pretty sure canons do this to, but the web did not say anything about this.
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pieces that stand alone *and* intended to be played together

I just learned that Milhaud wrote two string quartets which can be played separately or can be combined into a single octet performance. Would this count as an example of polyphony, or is music like this in its own special category? Perhaps it's…
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Issues with formatting multiple voices in 6/8 time signature

I have been transcribing a piece in 6/8 time which has two voices. I am worried that it is difficult to read the rhythm and was wondering if there is any other way to format this to make it clearer. Is this a matter of opinion or is there a…
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Are voices that have very big pitch difference always independent and less dissonant?

Voices can be "blended" or be independent. Independent voices are very distinct, the listener can hear each voice separately. On the other hand, "blended" voices are those which sound like a single voice, the listener can't tell apart instruments…
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Note and dotted note on the same line - Lilypond

I have a note here: What do these notes (a quarter note and dotted quarter note on the same line) mean? It's note a, in LilyPond, bottom of the bass clef. How is this coded in LilyPond? Full measure score here:
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Why did it take a millennium to use harmony/polyphony (900 AD) when Pythagoras discovered perfect fourth and fifth around 500 BC?

Considering the fact that Pythagoras formulated the properties of Perfect Fifth and Fourth around 500 BC, why did it take so long to include them in Music?. The first instance of using the Fifth in Polyphony was in Organum around 900 AD. Why did it…
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When was the beginning of polyphony?

I've read a lot about Greek and ancient music. The history books say this music was only monophonic and we know only from iconical research (studying pictures from ancient times) of the practice of the ancient period. My assumption is that the…
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Polyphonic singing techniques (singing multiple notes at once)

I'm basically looking for the possessed oracle sound with my voice. I want 2 distinct notes and I want to be able to speak it. I've tried a bit of stuff already with no success: Subharmonics (relaxed, low larynx vocal fry; drops the voice an…
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Bach's WTC Edition; Fugues with Separated Voices

I know that there is an edition of Bach's WTC, in which every voice in the fugues is written in a seperate voice. This edition makes it easier to understand and practice the polyphony in the fugues. Unfortunately I couldn't find this anywhere…
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