polyphony

Meanings

1. 1noununcountablemusicformal

   A musical texture in which two or more independent melodic lines are performed at the same time.

   Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the style in general: 'The piece uses polyphony.'

   Patterns

   • polyphony in something
   • use polyphony
   • a piece of polyphony

   The choir performed a Renaissance mass full of rich polyphony.

   Bach's fugues are famous examples of polyphony.

   The composer studied polyphony in Venice.

2. 2noununcountabletechnical

   The simultaneous combination of multiple sounds or voices, especially in speech or electronic devices.

   Grammar: Used more generally for any layered sounds, not just music.

   Patterns

   • polyphony of something
   • digital polyphony

   The polyphony of city noises made it hard to concentrate.

   This synthesizer offers 64-note polyphony.

   The recording captures the polyphony of birds at dawn.

Common combinations

Renaissance polyphony

Renaissance polyphony often features overlapping vocal lines.

rich polyphony

The choir is known for its rich polyphony.

note polyphony

The keyboard has 32-note polyphony.

study polyphony

Music students study polyphony to understand counterpoint.

Synonyms and how they differ

counterpoint

Counterpoint is the technique of combining melodies, while polyphony is the resulting texture.

multivocality

A rare term for multiple voices, not usually used for music.

Opposites

Word family

polyphonic adjective

Describing music with multiple independent lines.

polyphonically adverb

In a polyphonic manner.

Commonly confused: polyphony or polygamy?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “polyphony”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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