Polyphony, Choral
Contrapuntal, or “many voiced,” choral compositions in which the vocal lines are conceived as independent melodies that are woven together into a complex whole. This style of music is “linear” in contrast to vocal settings (including hymns) which are conceived chordally with a melody in the upper voice and with an accompaniment provided by the lower voices.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.