Monody Definition

A Greek ode sung by a single actor and lamenting a person's death. A modern example is Monody on the Death of a Platonist Bank Clerk by John Betjeman.

Monody Poem Example

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[n] music consisting of a single vocal part (usually with accompaniment)

Synonyms

monophonic music

See Also...

music

Related Terms

accord, accordance, alba, anacreontic, attune, attunement, balada, ballad, ballade, bucolic, canso, chanson, chime, chiming, clerihew, concentus, concert, concord, concordance, consonance, consonancy, consort, coronach, dead march, death knell, death song

Misc. Definitions

\Mon"o*dy\, n.; pl. {Monodies}. [L. monodia, Gr. ?, fr. ? singing alone; ? 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.