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

“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

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

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)

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)

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)