monody

monody
—monodist /mon"euh dist/, n.
/mon"euh dee/, n., pl. monodies.
1. a Greek ode sung by a single voice, as in a tragedy; lament.
2. a poem in which the poet or speaker laments another's death; threnody.
3. Music.
a. a style of composition in which one part or melody predominates; homophony, as distinguished from polyphony.
b. a piece in this style.
c. monophony (def. 1).
[1580-90; < LL monodia < Gk monoidía a solo, monody, equiv. to monoid(ós) singing alone (see MON-, ODE) + -ia -Y3]

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Accompanied solo song style of the early 17th century.

It represented a reaction against the contrapuntal style (based on the combination of simultaneous melodic lines) of the 16th-century madrigal and motet. Ostensibly in an attempt to emulate ancient Greek music, composers placed renewed emphasis on proper articulation as well as expressive interpretation of texts, and they thus replaced counterpoint with simply accompanied recitative. This resulted in a decisive distinction between melody and accompaniment, which coincides with the early appearance of basso continuo. A collection of songs published by Giulio Caccini in 1602 exemplifies early monody. See also opera; recitative.

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▪ music
      style of accompanied solo song consisting of a vocal line, which is frequently embellished, and simple, often expressive, harmonies. It arose about 1600, particularly in Italy, as a response to the contrapuntal style (based on the combination of simultaneous melodic lines) of 16th-century vocal genres such as the madrigal and motet. Ostensibly in an attempt to emulate ancient Greek music, composers placed renewed emphasis on proper articulation as well as expressive interpretation of often highly emotional texts. These effects could be achieved only by abandoning counterpoint and replacing it by simply accompanied recitative.

      This new monodic style, pioneered by the Florentine Camerata and other humanistic circles in Italy, quickly grew into the dramatic stile rappresentativo of early opera as well as the style (concertato style) that revolutionized sacred music shortly after 1600. In both instances the dense textures of 16th-century polyphony yielded to the polarization of treble parts and the ubiquitous basso continuo, or figured bass, played by an instrumentalist or instrumentalists who were free to play any notes that they liked as long as they followed the harmonic figures written above the bass part. Giulio Caccini (Caccini, Giulio)'s Le nuove musiche (1602; The New Music), a collection of solo songs with continuo accompaniment, exemplifies early monody, as do many solo compositions of Claudio Monteverdi (Monteverdi, Claudio). The use of the word monody to designate an unaccompanied melodic line, properly called monophony, is confusing, despite its long tradition, especially in Great Britain.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Monody — Mon o*dy, n.; pl. {Monodies}. [L. monodia, Gr. ?, fr. ? singing alone; mo nos single + ? song: cf. F. monodie. See {Ode}.] A species of poem of a mournful character, in which a single mourner expresses lamentation; a song for one voice. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • monody — [män′ə dē] n. pl. monodies [LL monodia < Gr monōidia < monōidos, singing alone < monos, alone (see MONO ) + aeidein, to sing: see ODE] 1. in ancient Greek literature, an ode sung by a single voice, as in a tragedy; lyric solo, generally… …   English World dictionary

  • Monody — For the band of the same name, see Monody (band). Caccini, Le Nuove musiche, 1601, title page In poetry, the term monody has become specialized to refer to a poem in which one person laments another s death. (In the context of ancient Greek… …   Wikipedia

  • monody — monodia лат., ит. [моноди/а] monodie, Monodie фр., нем. [моноди/] monody англ. [мэ/нэди] монодия …   Словарь иностранных музыкальных терминов

  • monody — mon•o•dy [[t]ˈmɒn ə di[/t]] n. pl. dies 1) pro mad a Greek ode sung by a single voice, as in a tragedy; lament 2) pro mad a poem in which the poet or speaker laments another s death 3) mad a) a musical style in which one melody predominates;… …   From formal English to slang

  • Monody on the Death of Chatterton — was composed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1790 and was rewritten throughout his lifetime. The poem deals with the idea of Thomas Chatterton, a poet who committed suicide, as representing the poetic struggle. Contents 1 Background 2 Poem 2.1 1790 …   Wikipedia

  • Monody (band) — This article is about the US electronic music group. For the musical reference, see Monody. Monody Monody band logo, circa 2008 (used with permission) Background information Origin …   Wikipedia

  • monody — noun (plural dies) Etymology: Medieval Latin monodia, from Greek monōidia, from monōidos singing alone, from mon + aeidein to sing more at ode Date: circa 1623 1. an ode sung by one voice (as in a Greek tragedy) 2. an elegy or dirge performed by… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • monody — noun /ˈmɒnədi/ a) An ode, as in Greek drama, for a single voice, often specifically a mournful song or dirge. b) Any poem mourning the death of someone; an …   Wiktionary

  • monody — Synonyms and related words: English sonnet, Horatian ode, Italian sonnet, Petrarchan sonnet, Pindaric ode, Sapphic ode, Shakespearean sonnet, accord, accordance, alba, anacreontic, attune, attunement, balada, ballad, ballade, bucolic, canso,… …   Moby Thesaurus

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