

Simultaneous Composition: The process of considering and writing all voice parts of a musical composition at the same time, which allows for imitation, better voice leading to control dissonance, and consideration of a fundamental harmonic bass line. Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practical Music: An important English musical treatise published by Thomas Morley in 1597. Orchesographie : The most detailed instructions on dance choreography and dance music of the Renaissance are contained in this 1588 source. Old Hall Manuscript: This mid-14th-century royal collection contains nearly 150 pieces of English sacred polyphony.

Odhecaton A: This set of 96 pieces published by Petrucci in 1501 is the first collection of polyphonic music printed entirely with movable type. Musica Transalpina: ("Music across the Alps") A printed anthology of Italian popular music translated into English and published in England in 1588. Musica Reservata: This term applies to High/Late Renaissance composers who "suited the music to the meaning of the words, expressing the power of each affection." A section of freer echoing in this manner if often referred to as a "point of imitation" strict imitation is called "canon." Imitation: A polyphonic musical texture in which a melodic idea is freely or strictly echoed by successive voices. Homophonic: A polyphonic musical texture in which all voices move together note-for-note in chordal fashion, and when there is a text it is rendered at the same time in all voices. Glogauer Liederbuch: This German part-book from the 1470s is a collection of 3-part instrumental arrangements of popular French songs (chanson). Only two of the three voices were notated (the chant/cantus firmus, and a voice a sixth below) the third voice was "realized" by a singer a 4th below the chant. Send us feedback about these examples.Cantus firmus: ("Fixed song") The process of using a pre-existing tune as the structural basis for a new polyphonic composition.Ĭhoralis Constantinus: A collection of over 350 polyphonic motets (using Gregorain chant the cantus firmus) written by the German composer Heinrich Isaac and his pupil Ludwig Senfl.Ĭontenance angloise: ("The English sound") A term for the style or quality of music that writers on the continent associated with the works of John Dunstable (mostly triadic harmony, which sounded quite different than late Medieval music).Ĭounterpoint: Combining two or more independent melodies to make an intricate polyphonic texture.įauxbourdon : A musical texture prevalent in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, produced by three voices in mostly parallel motion first-inversion triads. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'polyphonic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. 2022 Instead, Smith offers an idea in a contemplative way: a polyphonic passage, a drone or a melody that starts, pauses and repeats with a slight but crucial change. 2022 The many varied ensembles-a polyphonic streetscape, a protest chant- made for a consistently energetic atmosphere, and the seven supporting singers, all playing multiple roles, were excellent. 2022 The balanced and well-blended choir of 17 voices offered both luminous hymns and polyphonic passages evoking holy dread. Rachel Riederer, The New Yorker, 26 Dec. 2023 Joshua Seftel’s polyphonic documentary explores that relationship from all sides, featuring interviews with McKinney, his family, and many members of the religious community at the center of his plot. 2021 Today a musician can create any type of sound response (and keep in mind that an instrument is more than just sounds) while using any type of controller (albeit there is still work to be done to create a good polyphonic midi guitar). 2023 Theirs is music that inspires obsessive fandom and repeat plays for all its polyphonic catchiness and unexpected puzzlebox lyrics. Jennifer Wilson, The New Republic, 8 Mar.

2023 The testimonies contained within Saint Omer give it a polyphonic quality, allowing Diop to tell Laurence’s story as one of many castaways, daughters handed over to the arms of the sea, to the rising tides of aspiration. Ed Park, The New York Review of Books, 14 Mar. Recent Examples on the Web The absence compels you to read the whole thing in sequence, to regard it as a polyphonic magnum opus tilting at the monoculture, born under Bush I and stretching into Clinton’s second term.
