Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A style of composition having a single melodic line.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Same as monody, 1.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun music the characteristic of a piece that has only a primary melody and no secondary melody or accompaniment

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun music consisting of a single vocal part (usually with accompaniment)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[mono– + (poly)phony.]

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Examples

  • Apparently Handel associates monophony with "walking in darkness"!

    Archive 2009-05-01 Lu 2009

  • Meanwhile the growth of the individual led to the growth of monophony in music, in which one voice stands out prominently, with an accompaniment of other voices.

    For Every Music Lover A Series of Practical Essays on Music Aubertine Woodward Moore 1885

  • Before the 10th or 11th century, all Western music was [[monophony | monophonic]], or consisting of only one voice, which was usually a liturgical [[Gregorian chant | chant]].

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • Before the 10th or 11th century, all Western music was [[monophony | monophonic]], or consisting of only one voice, which was usually a liturgical [[Gregorian chant | chant]].

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • The wind continued to carry its load of lonesome song " a lowing, an unceasing monophony that drew a cold white chalk line down Ethan's spine.

    Icerigger Foster, Alan Dean, 1946- 1974

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