(à capella or unaccompanied) composed by Palestrina and his
contemporaries for the Roman Catholic Liturgy. Up to this
point the whole texture of music had been conceived in con-
nection with voices; but with the development of the organ, so
admirably suited for polyphonic style, and the perfection of the
family of stringed instruments, the principles of polyphony were
carried over and applied to instrumental treatment. The com-
poser who, through his constructive genius, most fully embodied
these principles[34] was John Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). We
are now prepared to explain the characteristics of polyphonic
music and then to analyze some typical examples from Bach
and other polyphonic composers. The essential difference be-
tween homophonic and polyphonic style is implied by the terms
themselves. When there is but one melody, the skill of the com-
poser and the attention of the listener are concentrated upon
this single melodic line; and even if there be an accompaniment,
it is so planned that the chief melody stands out in relief against
it. The pre-eminence of this chief melody is seldom usurped, al-
though the accompaniment often has interesting features of its
own. As soon as we have more than one melody (whether there
be two, three or still others) all these voice-parts may be of
coequal importance, and the musical fabric becomes an inter-
woven texture of a number of strands. The genius and skill of
the composer is now expended on securing life and interest for
each of these voices—soprano, alto, tenor, bass—which seem
to be braided together; and thus a much more comprehensive
attention is required of the listener. For instead of the single
melody in the soprano, or upper voice, of the Folk-song, we now
must listen consciously to the bass and to both of the inner
voices.[35] Too much emphasis cannot be laid upon the recom-
mendation that, in appreciating music, the first task is to train
the ear to a wide range of listening. These differences in style
are often apparent just as a pattern of design—to be seen from
the following examples:
[Music: Homophonic Style. Irish Folk-Song]
[Music: Polyphonic Style. BACH: Fugue in C Minor]
[Footnote 32: The statement might be qualified by saying that,
since Beethoven, instrumental style has become a happy mix-
ture of homophony for the chief melodies and polyphony for the
supporting harmonic basis. Stress is laid in the above text on
the polyphonic aspect merely to emphasize the matter under