heterophony
- noun
- /ˌhɛtəˈrɒfəni/
- Specialized
- The performance showcased heterophony, as the violinist and pianist played different interpretations of the same tune.
Examples
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Call-and-response or antiphonal singing in monophony, polyphony, and heterophony is commonly heard.
Academic text (2015) -
For instance, European homophony can be contrasted with Chinese heterophony.
Academic text (1997) -
In traditional Japanese music, heterophony allows individual musicians to embellish the same melody in their unique styles.
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During the ensemble, heterophony emerged as the singers added their own variations to the well-known song.
How Polyphonic
Surface Forms
Morphology
heterophony = phony (semi-transparent) = hetero + phony
The prefix 'hetero-' indicates difference or variation, but the specific musical application may not be immediately clear to learners.
Etymology
The word heterophony comes from Greek parts hetero- meaning 'different' and -phony meaning 'sound', like in telephone. So heterophony describes music where several players sing or play the same melody at the same time but with small individual differences, creating a rich, mixed sound.