polyphony

Musical texture consisting of several independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony).

Noun

  1. Musical texture consisting of several independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony).
  2. The quality of a text of being able to be read in more than one way.
    • the polyphony of a biblical passage

Origin

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πολυφωνία (poluphōnía); equivalent to poly- + -phony.

Forms

polyphonies

Related

cacophony heterophony polyphonal polyphonic symphony orchestration

Derived

micropolyphony polyphonist