What does polyphony mean?
Definitions for polyphony
pəˈlɪf ə nipo·lypho·ny
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word polyphony.
Princeton's WordNet
polyphony, polyphonic music, concerted musicnoun
music arranged in parts for several voices or instruments
Wiktionary
polyphonynoun
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).
ChatGPT
polyphony
Polyphony, in music, refers to the style of simultaneously combining a number of individual but harmonizing melodies. This term is in contrast to monophony, which refers to music with a single melodic line, and homophony, in which all parts move together to create a chordal texture. Polyphony can be found in a variety of musical genres and periods, from classical to contemporary.
Webster Dictionary
Polyphonynoun
multiplicity of sounds, as in the reverberations of an echo
Polyphonynoun
plurality of sounds and articulations expressed by the same vocal sign
Polyphonynoun
composition in mutually related, equally important parts which share the melody among them; contrapuntal composition; -- opposed to homophony, in which the melody is given to one part only, the others filling out the harmony. See Counterpoint
Etymology: [Gr. .]
Wikidata
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords. Within the context of the Western musical tradition, the term is usually used to refer to music of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance. Baroque forms such as the fugue, which might be called polyphonic, are usually described instead as contrapuntal. Also, as opposed to the species terminology of counterpoint, polyphony was generally either "pitch-against-pitch" / "point-against-point" or "sustained-pitch" in one part with melismas of varying lengths in another. In all cases the conception was likely what Margaret Bent calls "dyadic counterpoint", with each part being written generally against one other part, with all parts modified if needed in the end. This point-against-point conception is opposed to "successive composition", where voices were written in an order with each new voice fitting into the whole so far constructed, which was previously assumed.
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- [["1712","1"],["1805","1"],["1814","3"],["1842","2"],["1844","2"],["1845","1"],["1848","4"],["1854","20"],["1855","7"],["1856","26"],["1858","1"],["1860","6"],["1863","132"],["1865","30"],["1866","6"],["1867","1"],["1869","1"],["1870","3"],["1871","6"],["1873","12"],["1874","2"],["1875","5"],["1876","8"],["1877","17"],["1878","4"],["1879","10"],["1880","47"],["1881","19"],["1882","14"],["1883","57"],["1884","50"],["1885","25"],["1886","269"],["1887","10"],["1888","78"],["1889","18"],["1890","15"],["1891","73"],["1892","68"],["1893","59"],["1894","103"],["1895","38"],["1896","44"],["1897","66"],["1898","241"],["1899","158"],["1900","149"],["1901","93"],["1902","332"],["1903","84"],["1904","165"],["1905","179"],["1906","162"],["1907","266"],["1908","275"],["1909","163"],["1910","137"],["1911","221"],["1912","187"],["1913","233"],["1914","115"],["1915","470"],["1916","215"],["1917","225"],["1918","146"],["1919","104"],["1920","162"],["1921","180"],["1922","151"],["1923","342"],["1924","153"],["1925","342"],["1926","218"],["1927","489"],["1928","431"],["1929","198"],["1930","421"],["1931","325"],["1932","342"],["1933","271"],["1934","327"],["1935","575"],["1936","207"],["1937","322"],["1938","436"],["1939","737"],["1940","439"],["1941","575"],["1942","304"],["1943","430"],["1944","406"],["1945","416"],["1946","1070"],["1947","781"],["1948","1021"],["1949","1261"],["1950","947"],["1951","729"],["1952","549"],["1953","949"],["1954","699"],["1955","991"],["1956","1455"],["1957","1073"],["1958","1546"],["1959","1521"],["1960","1477"],["1961","1379"],["1962","1925"],["1963","1659"],["1964","1409"],["1965","1972"],["1966","2532"],["1967","1583"],["1968","2140"],["1969","2169"],["1970","2147"],["1971","1681"],["1972","2272"],["1973","2543"],["1974","2089"],["1975","2468"],["1976","2063"],["1977","1881"],["1978","2567"],["1979","2277"],["1980","2322"],["1981","2051"],["1982","1933"],["1983","3383"],["1984","2659"],["1985","2566"],["1986","3355"],["1987","2699"],["1988","2928"],["1989","4224"],["1990","4112"],["1991","3126"],["1992","4623"],["1993","3394"],["1994","3908"],["1995","4347"],["1996","4233"],["1997","5532"],["1998","4486"],["1999","5094"],["2000","4858"],["2001","4227"],["2002","5766"],["2003","5643"],["2004","6284"],["2005","6260"],["2006","5957"],["2007","7282"],["2008","6619"]]
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of polyphony in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of polyphony in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Popularity rank by frequency of use
Translations for polyphony
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- تعدد الأصواتArabic
- polyfonieCzech
- polyfoniDanish
- Mehrstimmigkeit, PolyfonieGerman
- πολυφωνίαGreek
- polifoníaSpanish
- پلیفونیPersian
- polyfoniaFinnish
- polyphonieFrench
- polyphonyHindi
- polifóniaHungarian
- polifoniIndonesian
- pólýfónía, fjölröddunIcelandic
- polifoniaItalian
- פּוֹלִיפוֹנִיָהHebrew
- ポリフォニーJapanese
- 다음Korean
- polyphoniaeLatin
- polyfonieDutch
- polyfoniNorwegian
- polifoniaPolish
- polifoniaPortuguese
- polifonieRomanian
- полифония, многоголосиеRussian
- polifonijaSlovene
- polyfoniSwedish
- பண்ணிசைTamil
- భిన్నTelugu
- การมีหลายเสียงThai
- çok seslilikTurkish
- поліфоніяUkrainian
- پالفونیUrdu
- đa âmVietnamese
- פּאָליפאָניYiddish
- 複音Chinese
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"polyphony." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 10 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/polyphony>.
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