organum

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organum

organum , in music, compositional technique, developed in Europe during the 10th cent., in which each note of Gregorian chant melody was doubled by another note. In the earliest examples, called parallel organum, the doubling interval was constant, usually the lower fourth or fifth. In the 12th cent., composers began to apply a rapidly moving voice against the slow moving chant melody; the resulting compositions had two or more independent melodies and can be considered the beginning of polyphonic music.

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organum

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music | 1996 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

organum. An early form of melodic harmonization which flourished from c.900 to 1200. In plainchant the melody was harmonized by addition of 1, 2, or 3 parts, usually parallel.

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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "organum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 17 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "organum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (December 17, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-organum.html

MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "organum." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved December 17, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-organum.html

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The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature entry for Novum Organum

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