antiphonal

views updated May 23 2018

an·tiph·o·nal / anˈtifənl/ • adj. (in traditional western Christian liturgy) (of a short sentence or its musical setting) sung, recited, or played alternately by two groups.• n. another term for antiphonary.DERIVATIVES: an·tiph·o·nal·ly adv.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

Antiphonal

views updated May 21 2018

Antiphonal, Antiphonary, Antiphoner. Properly, the RC Church's coll. of trad. plainsong antiphons, but the word has come to be more comprehensively used as meaning the book containing all plainsong for the Divine Office, as distinct from the Gradual, which contains the plainsong for the Mass.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE