Definition of "monody" [mon•o•dy]

• An ode for one voice or actor, as in Greek drama. (noun)
• A poem in which the poet or speaker mourns another's death. (noun)
• Music A style of composition dominated by a single melodic line. (noun)
• Music A style of composition having a single melodic line; monophony. (noun)
• Music A composition in either of these styles. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It is sometimes called monody, although the term "monody" can also refer to a particular type of solo song with instrumental accompaniment that was very popular in the 1600's."
• "Bach is essentially a "monody," a composition of one idea, which preponderates so decidedly as to enforce its character and individuality upon the work; nay, it is the work."
• "There have been many histories of Jerusalem, from Jeremiah's sixth century B.C. monody to "For Jerusalem," a premature happy ending written in the 1970s by a successful mayor, Teddy Kollek."