View source for Heterophony

A '''heterophonic''' musical texture is one in which several instruments play (or several voices sing) a different version of the same melody simultaneously. Usually, this occurs while one instrument plays the simplest version of the melody. Heterophony is a defining characteristic of much of the world's music, including most traditional East Asian music (notably in Japanese ''Gagaku''), which did not have harmony or [[polyphony]] before contact with Western music. It was also a characteristic of one tradition of [[Hymn]]ody in the 17th and 18th centuries, a tradition called "lining out" in which a song leader would sing a line of a hymn, and the congregation would answer, every member singing in the speed or style of their choice. Most notably, this style was adopted in early [[New Orleans]] [[jazz]].

==Bibliography==
''Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: Volume 7: East Asia: China, Japan, and Korea'', 2003.<br />
''New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2001.

[[Category:Musical Style]]
[[Category:Musical Terms]]