Re: Chordal polyphony - suggestion

[Steve D]

On Sat, Jan 13, 2007 at 12:59:04PM -0700, Steve D wrote:
> 
> [...] Piano music,
> like Tomas writes, often splits into temporary voices within a single
> staff, all played with the same hand, lasting only a fraction of a
> measure for instance, that resolve into a single note or chord in one
> voice, often tied to one or more notes from one or more of those
> temporary voices.

To be less ambiguous, I should have written--

"...that resolve into a single voice composed of either a single note or
a chord, in which the single note or notes of that single-voice chord
are often tied to notes from one *or more* of the voices of the
preceding (or following) multi-voice section."

This type of multi-voice polyphony is distinct from more formal
structured multi-voice music in that it is often used for the sake of
convenience and clarity. When the notes played by either the right or
left hand of a pianist are notated with multiple voices at times, it
both simplifies the appearance of the score considerably, and gives cues
to the performer as to how the music should be performed, making
melodies that move within a chord structure more obvious, for example,
and with fewer tied notes for the portion of a chord that is sustained
while the melody moves and changes.

-Steve D
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