Which texture is exemplified by canons, fugues, and inventions?

• A. Monophony
• B. Homophony
• C. Equal-voice polyphony
• D. Heterophony

Answer: (C)

These textures center on multiple independent melodic lines sounding together. In equal-voice polyphony, no single line dominates; each voice contributes an equally important strand. A canon uses a melody that other voices imitate at fixed time intervals, creating overlapping lines that are all equally audible. A fugue extends this idea with a subject stated in one voice and then imitated by others, developing counterpoint so every line remains active and on par with the others. Inventions are short counterpoint pieces, typically for two or more voices, where each voice has its own distinct melodic line that interweaves with the rest. Because these forms rely on several independent, equally significant lines, the texture best described is equal-voice polyphony.