Monophony is defined as musical notes that are sung or played without a harmonic component. They are instead a single melody or song section. Monophony, according to some experts, can also be sung in different octaves with multiple voices as long as the notes remain the same. Some Gregorian Chants are in this category.
Monophony can also be defined as a section of a musical piece in which a single note can be held alone. This can be played or sung, and the same note can be played on multiple instruments. In this definition, the note must be the only sound in the piece of music at that time, whether played one musician or many. Monophony is a long held note in an opera with no harmonic accompaniment.
Monophony can be found in a variety of chants, including Gregorian Chants. Monophonic chants include Byzantine Chant and Ambrosian Chant. Plainchant, or plainsong, was developed early in Italy, Ireland, France, and Spain, where voices sing in unison. Monophony was also used in troubadour songs in the Middle Ages. With the end of the Middle Ages and the introduction of many more types of secular music, the desire to provide harmony grew stronger, and many forms of monophony faded away.
Monophony is not exclusively found in Western music. Ragas are chants from India that can be used to activate the chi, or the body’s energy sources, during Kundalini Yoga. This is a type of musical therapy that predates the use of musical therapy in modern psychology a long time. Ragas, like many Christian chants, invoke the divine.
Monophony is used on a regular basis in some parts of the world. Young children in choirs are usually taught to sing in this manner. In fact, when a parent sings an a cappella song to a baby, such as “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider,” the bais first exposed to monophony. Because they are teaching children to sing in tune, choirs for very young children frequently focus on all children singing in unison. The same melody played on the piano with no harmonic elements is frequently used to accompany choirs of young children; this is true monophony.