hexachord

American  

[hek-suh-kawrd] / ˈhɛk səˌkɔrd /

noun

Music.

1. a diatonic series of six tones having, in medieval music, a half step between the third and fourth tones and whole steps between the others.

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hexachord British  

/ ˈhɛksəˌkɔːd /

noun

1. (in medieval musical theory) any of three diatonic scales based upon C, F, and G, each consisting of six notes, from which solmization was developed

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Etymology

Origin of hexachord

First recorded in 1685–95, hexachord is from the Late Greek word hexáchordos having six strings. See hexa-, chord ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hexachord

“I used the hexachord, but transposed, that I had used to generate the old String Trio, which is now 50 years old,” he said.

From New York Times ● May 25, 2018

Observing the third hexachord on our list we see that in order to make it identical in structure with the first and second, the B had to be lowered a semitone.

From Critical and Historical Essays Lectures delivered at Columbia University by Baltzell, W. J. (Winton James)

Running longitudinally, there are four channels in it if it is a tetrachord; six, if it is a hexachord; eight, if it is an octachord.

From The Ten Books on Architecture by Vitruvius Pollio

When the voice had to go beyond la, the sixth note, to B♮, that sixth note was always called re, and was considered the second note of a new hexachord.

From Critical and Historical Essays Lectures delivered at Columbia University by Baltzell, W. J. (Winton James)

For the fourth hexachord, which was called hard, this B was again raised a semitone.

From Critical and Historical Essays Lectures delivered at Columbia University by Baltzell, W. J. (Winton James)