organum

American  

[awr-guh-nuhm] / ˈɔr gə nəm /

noun

plural

organa, organums

1. an organon.

2. Music.

   1. the doubling, or simultaneous singing, of a melody at an interval of either a fourth, a fifth, or an octave.

   2. the second part in such singing.

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organum British  

/ ˈɔːɡənəm /

noun

1. a form of polyphonic music originating in the ninth century, consisting of a plainsong melody with parts added at the fourth and fifth

2. a variant of organon

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Etymology

Origin of organum

From Latin, dating back to 1605–15; organ

Example Sentences

Bacon never uses the word in its modern meaning in English in print, and he uses factum three or perhaps four times in print, but the crucial text, the Novum organum of 1620, was not translated into English in time to have any influence.

From Literature

Medieval church musicians called the technique of running two notes in parallel - which they improvised on the spot - ‘organum’, because to their ears it sounded like an organ.

From Literature

Organum became very popular across Europe - and, dare I say it, formulaic to the point of tedium.

From Literature

But the heady excitement of turning one tune into two at no extra cost had another spin-off: organum where one voice stood still instead.

From Literature

As time went on, more adventurous musicians, such as the ninth-century Byzantine composer Kassia of Constantinople, began mixing the parallel organum style with the drone style.

From Literature

Related Words

• arrangement
• chord
• composition
• melody
• tune
• unity