antiphony

American  

[an-tif-uh-nee] / ænˈtɪf ə ni /

noun

plural

antiphonies

1. alternate or responsive singing by a choir in two divisions.

2. a psalm, verse, etc., so sung; antiphon.

3. a responsive musical utterance.

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antiphony British  

/ ænˈtɪfənɪ /

noun

1. the antiphonal singing of a musical composition by two choirs

2. any musical or other sound effect that answers or echoes another

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Other Word Forms

• antiphonic adjective
• antiphonically adverb

Etymology

Origin of antiphony

First recorded in 1585–95; antiphon + -y ³

Example Sentences

The massive space of the Albert Hall was perfect for this work, evoking not just the strophic religious responses on which Boulez based the piece but the antiphony of the Italian baroque, too.

From The Guardian • Jul. 25, 2012

In nagging antiphony he and his pouter-pigeon wife, Barbara Bel Geddes, sing the have-not-got-enough blues of a deceptively affluent suburbia.

From Time Magazine Archive

During the long weeks of rehearsals, the salesmen, backed by a full orchestra, chanted an intricate number called Rock Island, passing phrases from one to the other in complex antiphony.

From Time Magazine Archive

And if nothing else, his antiphony intellectualism procedures show that there are some men in the educational field who understand the plight of the ordinary college student.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Gabrielis also experimented with placing clusters of singers and instrumentalists in different pockets of the building, a technique known as antiphony, meaning ‘voices against each other’, or poly choral, ‘many choirs’.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall