Homophony is the classic “melody plus accompaniment” model. It has been the foundation of musical thinking from the late 18th century to our day.
A song with guitar accompaniment, a sonata theme with chordal support, a jazz standard — all of these are homophonic structures. Unlike polyphony, homophony is easier to perceive: there is a clear “main action,” with the rest as décor. That is why most popular genres — from variety to rock — are built on it.
Homophony took hold at the turn from the Baroque to the Classical era, when the intricate interweaving of equal voices gave way to a clear hierarchy of “melody plus accompaniment.” This made music more accessible to a broad public and opened the way to the sonata, symphony, and opera of the Classical age. A distinct variety is homorhythmic (chordal) texture, where all voices move in the same rhythm, as in a chorale, subordinate to a single vertical of chords.
