hocket
techniquesHOK-et
A medieval technique in which a melody is shared between two voices, with each voice resting while the other sings
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.