Term, derived drom the
Greek for 'many-sounding', used for
music in which two or more strands
sound simultaneously. It is used in distinction with
monophony ('one-sounding', for music consisting of one line) and
homophony ('like-sounding' implying music in which the
melody is accompanied by voices in the same
rhythm.
In fact, polyphony strictly comprehends homophony, though in common usage there is a distinction between them.
The term 'polyphonic era' is generally applied to the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance; the late Renaissance (the time of Palestrina and Lassus) is regarded as the 'golden age of polyphony'. The kind of polyphony used in the Baroque era, by Bach and Handel, is usually described by the term counter-point.