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14 bytes added ,  22:51, May 25, 2009
clarified definition as per talk page
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A '''heterophonic''' musical texture is one in which one or more instruments play (or one or more voices sing) a variation on the main melody simultaneously. Usually, this occurs while one instrument plays the melody unadorned. Heterophony is a defining characteristic of much of the world's music, including most traditional East Asian music (notably in Japanese [[Gagaku|''Gagaku'']]), which did not have harmony or [[polyphony]] before contact with Western music. It was also a characteristic of one tradition of [[Hymn|Hymnody]] 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]].
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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|''Gagaku'']]), which did not have harmony or [[polyphony]] before contact with Western music. It was also a characteristic of one tradition of [[Hymn|Hymnody]] 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]].
    
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