antiphony

[ an-tif-uh-nee ]

noun,plural an·tiph·o·nies.
  1. alternate or responsive singing by a choir in two divisions.

  2. a psalm, verse, etc., so sung; antiphon.

  1. a responsive musical utterance.

Origin of antiphony

1
First recorded in 1585–95; antiphon + -y3

Other words from antiphony

  • an·ti·phon·ic [an-tuh-fon-ik], /ˌæn təˈfɒn ɪk/, adjective
  • an·ti·phon·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby antiphony

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How to use antiphony in a sentence

  • Oh, never more for me shall winds intone With all your tops a vast antiphony, Demanding and responding in God's praise!

    Browning's England | Helen Archibald Clarke
  • He consumed the cleansings and turned to read the antiphony with resonant voice.

    Under the Witches' Moon | Nathan Gallizier
  • Trinidad recited his appeal and the Judge boomed out his ponderous antiphony.

  • The revival of 1851–2 was a local one, but was believed by many to have been inspired by a celestial antiphony.

    The Story of the Hymns and Tunes | Theron Brown and Hezekiah Butterworth
  • antiphony was the ancient mode of rendering music, in which two sets of voices sang alternately.

British Dictionary definitions for antiphony

antiphony

/ (ænˈtɪfənɪ) /


nounplural -nies
  1. the antiphonal singing of a musical composition by two choirs

  2. any musical or other sound effect that answers or echoes another

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012