A hocket is a musical term that refers to a rhythmic linear technique in which two voices or players alternate between each other. The two singers or musicians do not sing or play at the same time, but rather one after the other, with little or no pause in between. It’s also possible to use it with more than two players or voices. The voices don’t seem to interrupt each other, instead picking up right after the previous one ends, creating short bursts of rhythmic music. In contrast to traditional melodic phrases, the hocket technique is sometimes used with one voice, where one singer sings alone but with short phrases or notes sung with short rests.
Hocketing dates back to the 13th century and is closely associated with Notre Dame Cathedral’s music. A pattern of long notes combined with short notes is the most common hocket combination. The hocket technique would be interspersed with traditional rhythmic notes to create a long piece of music. Six different pre-set rhythmic patterns were usually used in larger compositions. Hocketing could be found in motets, conductus, and organa in general.
Hockets were the name given to motets and other short pieces in the mid-thirteenth century. The hocketing is present throughout these songs. At this time, a new technique called “modal trunsmution” emerged. This technique was associated with a single rhythm, also known as a mode, that transitioned smoothly into another mode.
Beginning in the 14th century, hocketing became very popular. Because hockets were quick and simple to write, they became a popular technique among composers. Because of its widespread use in mainstream music, conservative churches shunned music that used the hocket technique.
The hocket method was featured in some French music, particularly chaces, canons, and chansons. Hocketing can also be found in caccias and madrigals from Italy. Hocketing was sometimes used in a minor role in musical compositions to mimic stuttering, cries, or animal noises, though it was sometimes used extensively throughout songs. By the end of the 14th century, hocketing had fallen out of favor, and had been replaced by more smooth, melodic music.
Hocketing can be heard in some classical music from the later centuries. The hocket technique, which uses drums, xylophones, and other musical instruments, is used in some types of African music. The technique has been used by a few other cultures, and it can be heard in some Swiss Alps songs and New Guinean dance music.