Voice (polyphony) facts for kids
In music, voice refers to several melodic lines being sung or played at the same time. These lines are called "voices", even if they are not being sung but being played on instruments. Another word for the same thing is "part", but the word "part" can also mean a "section" of a piece, so it can be confusing.
The word "part" meaning "voice" is often used when describing polyphonic music. For example: a 3-part fugue would have three "voices". It might be sung by three people, or it might be played by three instruments, or just by one keyboard instrument playing all three parts.
Related pages
Images for kids
-
A score with four parts, for Mendelssohn's opus 13 string quartet. It may be noted that the second violin and the alto "parts" above often include two or three simultaneous notes: in some sense, these parts assemble several parts, played by a single player.
-
A bar from J.S. Bach's "Fugue No.17 in A flat", BWV 862, from Das Wohltemperierte Clavier (Part I), an example of contrapuntal polyphony. The two parts, or voices, on each staff may be distinguished by the direction of the stems. , , , & separately.
See also
In Spanish: Particella para niños
