heterophony

American  

[het-uh-rof-uh-nee] / ˌhɛt əˈrɒf ə ni /

noun

Music.

1. the simultaneous performance of the same melodic line, with slight individual variations, by two or more performers.

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heterophony British  

/ ˌhɛtəˈrɒfənɪ /

noun

1. the simultaneous performance of different versions of the same melody by different voices or instruments

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Other Word Forms

• heterophonic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of heterophony

First recorded in 1940–45; hetero- + -phony

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heterophony

In heterophony, there is only one melody, but different variations of it are being sung or played at the same time.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

You can also try simply searching for "heterophony" at YouTube or other sites with large collections of recordings.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones