Texture and Type
Musical texture is a most important factor in selecting the registrational type for a section or a piece of music. Musical texture refers to the nature and relative function of the vertical and horizontal elements. In determining the musical texture for purposes of organ registration, you can focus on two musical characteristics:
- the NUMBER of manual parts
- the RELATIVE PROMINENCE and nature of the parts
The word PARTS usually refers to the horizontal lines; comparable to the various voice parts (soprano, alto, tenor, or bass). For example, the left-hand accompaniment highlighted in yellow to the right could be considered two parts; that is, two single lines that combine to make up the accompaniment. We would say that the piece has four parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
A part can also refer to a SET OR PARTS or a series of chords. The highlighted area, for example, could just as easily be considered a single “part,” consisting mostly of a series of two-note diads. We would say that the piece has three parts: solo, accompaniment, and pedal. We could also say that the piece is constructed in TWO-part texture: solo (right-hand part) and accompaniment (left hand and pedal).
