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.