harmony
HAHR-muh-nee
/ˈhɑː.mə.ni/
The combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and pleasing tonal progressions.
Focuses on vertical pitch relationships sounding together, as well as general state of agreement or congruity.
The story behind the word. Traced to Ancient Greek 'harmonia', meaning 'joint, latch, or agreement'. Early Greek philosophers viewed harmony as the underlying order keeping the universe in balance.
Word relationships
- concord: Concord emphasizes peaceful agreement, while harmony covers musical structure and general fit.
- euphony: Euphony refers broadly to pleasing acoustic sound, whereas harmony refers to structural chord relationships.
- dissonance: Dissonance refers to clashing, unresolved musical tension.
- discord: Discord denotes active conflict or harsh acoustic collision.
Commonly confused with
- homonym: A homonym is a word with the same spelling or sound, unrelated to musical agreement.
Word family
- harmonious (adjective): Tuneful or forming a pleasingly consistent whole.
- harmonize (verb): To add accompanying notes to form satisfying chords.
Collocations
- vocal harmony
- in harmony with
- rich harmony
Idioms & expressions
- in harmony with
Example sentences
- "The three vocalists sang in perfect harmony, blending their distinct voices into a rich sound." Choral concert
Memory hook
HARMONY happens when notes HARNESS their sounds to fit neatly together. Notes fitting together in agreement.
When not to use
Do not use to describe a single, isolated note or a purely solo rhythmic line.
Fun facts
- Pythagoras developed early music theory after discovering that striking strings of mathematically proportional lengths produced harmonious musical intervals.
Related words
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