What's the difference between monophonic and polyphonic?

Monophonic


Definition:

  • (a.) Single-voiced; having but one part; as, a monophonic composition; -- opposed to polyphonic.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) 2) Continuous adventitious lung sounds in asthmatic patients were divided into monophonic tones and polyphonic tones, according to sound spectrographic findings.
  • (2) In addition to the ST-segment elevation and hyperacute T waves, the patient's ECG displayed increase in the R wave voltage, decrease and final disappearance of the S wave, merging of the R wave with the elevated ST-segment and formation of monophonic curves.
  • (3) From the results of the coherence analysis, the monophonic tones were considered to be generated in the right or left lung, and were well transmitted to the neck over the trachea.

Polyphonic


Definition:

  • (a.) Having a multiplicity of sounds.
  • (a.) Characterized by polyphony; as, Assyrian polyphonic characters.
  • (a.) Consisting of several tone series, or melodic parts, progressing simultaneously according to the laws of counterpoint; contrapuntal; as, a polyphonic composition; -- opposed to homophonic, or monodic.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The power of polyphonic vocal in a reverberant space – it’s simple and transcendent.
  • (2) Greece is and must remain a democratic, well-ruled, tolerant and polyphonic society which claims an equal place in Europe.
  • (3) We can absorb written stuff in different ways, and in polyphonic ways.
  • (4) What we really desire is the polyphonic cacophony of real democracy, the one we could hear in the post-punk explosion.
  • (5) Although house music was driven by outdated electronic technology, principally Roland drum machines and rudimentary polyphonic synthesisers, Knuckles's intentions revealed him as someone more ambitious than the average bedroom producer.
  • (6) In the second half, as the story neared its climax, the structure was cleared, and the final scenes played out under arc lights on the vast amphitheatre of the Barbican stage , with each Johan and Marianne shadowing each other – sometimes chanting the text in unison, sometimes splintering polyphonically into pairs or groups.
  • (7) 2) Continuous adventitious lung sounds in asthmatic patients were divided into monophonic tones and polyphonic tones, according to sound spectrographic findings.
  • (8) Hecker turned these polyphonic templates into fresh scores, then gave them to the Icelandic Choir Ensemble at a recording session in Reykjavík, with instructions to “imagine you’re Chewbacca and you have a saxophone, and you just drunk 8,000 litres of codeine – now sing 10 times slower than that.” The aim was to drain their voices of any expression – “to become, like, dead, basically.” Some of the choir were hungover.
  • (9) But the ravages of deindustrialisation only encouraged Nyman to hook up with Christopher Monks, artistic director of the Armonico Consort – a polyphonic choral group – to bring Hillfields and Monteverdi together: this month, children from Frederick Bird will be involved in a project called Monteverdi's Flying Circus, singing the Ave Maris Stella from the Italian master's 1610 Vespers.
  • (10) This pool of virtuoso musicians has seeded a music scene that’s the envy of much larger cities, producing acts such as Norah Jones, the Polyphonic Spree, Neon Indian and Midlake .
  • (11) Everywhere you went in Paris during the revolt in Tunisia , portable televisions blared at top volume in shops, takeaways and cafes, broadcasting a polyglot, polyphonic babble from Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and the French-speaking channels from the Maghreb.
  • (12) The origin of the polyphonic tones was unknown, but they were also relatively well transmitted to the neck over the trachea.

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