The words antiphon and antiphony, are very indistinctly separated in use. It would be better to use antiphon of the actual responses, or alternately sung verses; and antiphony, in form an abstract sb. like symphony, euphony, of antiphonal composition, arrangement, or effect, and concretely of an antiphonal composition or anthem.
1. Opposition of sound; or harmony thereby produced.
1603. Holland, Plutarch, 228 (R.). The harmonie of musicke, whether it be in song or instrument, hath symphony by antiphony (that is to say) the accord ariseth from discord.
1776. Burney, Hist. Mus., I. 137 (Jod.). Antiphony is more agreeable than Homophony.
1868. Chambers, Encycl., I. 297. Antiphony, a name given by the ancient Greeks to a species of musical accompaniment in the octave, by instruments or voices, in opposition to that executed in unison, which they called Homophony.
2. A musical response; a responsive musical utterance, the answer made by one voice or choir to another. = ANTIPHON 1.
1592. trans. Junius on Rev. xix. 3. The song of the Antiphonie or response.
1637. Jackson, Creed, Wks. VI. 83. The antiphony unto it would have been ‘No evil can come upon us.’
1751. Chambers, Cycl., Antiphony, the answer made by one choir to another, when the psalm or anthem is sung between two.
1849. De Quincy, Mail-coach, in Misc., II. 311. One after another, like the antiphonies in the choral service.
3. Alternate singing or chanting by a choir divided into two parts; antiphonal singing. Also fig.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., Antiphony differs from responsorium, in that in this latter the verse is only spoke by one person, whereas in the former, the verses are sung by the two choirs alternately.
1782. Priestley, Corrupt. Chr., II. VIII. 122. Singing by antiphony or anthem.
1847. Mrs. Browning, in Blackw. Mag., LXI. 555.
| Life answering life across the vast profound, | |
| In full antiphony, by a common grace? |
1883. Athenæum, 30 June, 836/1. ‘Israel in Egypt’ … depends so largely … upon the antiphony of double choruses.
4. concr. A composition in prose or verse, consisting of verses sung alternately by two choirs in worship; = ANTIPHON 2.
1868. Chambers, Encycl., I. 297. The dividing of the antiphonies into verses, with rules regarding the same, is attributed to Pope Cœlestin in 432.
† 5. = ANTIPHON 3. Obs.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp.
6. transf. A response or echo.
1657. Trapp, Comm. Esth. viii. 15. The joyful Jews then by way of antiphony answer.
1714. Shaftesb., Charac., III. 300. The eccho or antiphony, which these elegant exclaimers hope … to draw necessarily from their audience.
1841. De Quincey, Rhet., Wks. XI. 45. It is not … any such bravura, that will make a fit antiphony to this sublime rapture.
