Harmony (music)

Etymology

From Greek "harmonia," meaning a joint, a fitting-together, or agreement, from "harmozein" (to fit together) — originally a carpenter’s word for joinery. The sense traveled from physical joining to concord of sounds, then to the specific stacking of simultaneous notes.

noun · /HAR-muh-nee/
The effect of multiple notes sounding at the same time to support or color a melody.
What it names
The vertical dimension of music — the chords and blended voices underneath the tune — giving you a word for why the same melody can feel triumphant, tender, or uneasy.
Example
The melody never changed, but the darker harmony underneath turned the whole verse mournful.
Related idea
Harmony is notes sounding together; counterpoint is two or more independent melodies woven together so each keeps its own shape. Harmony asks how notes blend at one instant; counterpoint asks how separate lines behave over time.
noun · /HAR-muh-nee/
A state of peaceful agreement and cooperation.
What it names
concord among people or things.
Example
The neighbors lived in harmony for decades.
Related idea
The musical sense — parts sounding well together — generalized to relationships.