heterophony

The simultaneous statement, especially in improvised performance, of two or more different versions of what is essentially the same melody (as distinct from *polyphony). It often takes the form of a melody combined with an ornamented version of itself, the former sung and the latter played on an instrument. The technique is widely found in musics outside the tradition of Western art music, especially in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Near and Middle East. The term was coined by Plato (Laws, vii.812D), but whether his use of it coincides with the modern use of the term described here remains in doubt.