hocket
A medieval technique in which a melody is shared between two voices, with each voice resting while the other sings
In Depth
In hocket, a single melodic line is split between two or more voices in rapid alternation, creating a hiccupping effect (the word comes from the Latin ochetus, to hiccup). The technique was prominent in 13th- and 14th-century motets and was revived by 20th-century composers including Stravinsky, Webern, and the American minimalists. Steve Reich's phasing techniques and the interlocking patterns of Balinese gamelan are related to the hocket principle.
The hocket technique appears independently in the musical traditions of sub-Saharan Africa, Bali, and medieval Europe — a striking case of parallel invention.