What does organum mean?
Organum is the name used for early forms of polyphonic vocal music, particularly those associated with the medieval period. In an organum, a principal melody or chant is accompanied by one or more additional vocal lines, often moving in parallel motion and sometimes diverging into more independent melodic writing. The development of organum was an important step in the growth of Western harmony and counterpoint, because it demonstrated that several distinct voices could be organized simultaneously as a musical whole. The term is most common in historical musicology, where it may identify either an individual composition or the broader tradition of early polyphony. It should not be confused with the organ, which is a musical instrument rather than a compositional style. Although organum is now associated chiefly with sacred and courtly repertory, its techniques helped establish the melodic independence and harmonic vocabulary later used in Renaissance polyphony and Baroque music.
nounIn medieval music, a polyphonic vocal composition in which the main melody is accompanied by one or more additional melodic lines, often sung in parallel motion. The term can also refer more broadly to the tradition of early polyphonic vocal music.
- A medieval polyphonic vocal composition, especially one built around a chant or a principal melody.
- The early medieval tradition of polyphonic vocal music, regarded as a precursor to Western classical counterpoint.
"The manuscript preserves an organum in which the choir sings a slow chant-like melody above it."
"The scholars compared the gradual's organum with later forms of polyphonic writing."
"The concert presented a sequence of organa composed in the early medieval period."
The plural organa is used for individual polyphonic compositions or pieces in the organum tradition. The singular organum is also used collectively for the tradition itself.
"The manuscript contains several organa for the festival."
Long before the era of modern orchestras, organum made a single choir sound like a conversation woven from several voices.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does organum come from?
The English word comes through Latin from the Greek organon, meaning “tool” or “instrument.” The musical sense developed from the idea of voices or parts being combined as an organized musical instrument. The related English word organ has the same underlying Greek and Latin source, while organic and organon preserve the broader sense of a tool, structure, or means of organization.
Related word forms
How organum is actually used
The word is chiefly used in musicology and historical discussions of medieval music. It is more specific than the general term polyphony, since it usually refers to early forms of vocal polyphony in which added voices move in parallel or closely related motion.
Easily confused with organum
Organum is a form of polyphonic vocal music, whereas an organ is a keyboard instrument that produces sound with pipes or electronic means.