| 释义 |
unison, n. and a.|ˈjuːnɪsən, -zən|
Also 6 unisonne, vnisone, unizon (vnisson), 7 unisone.
[a. OF. unison (Oresme), later and mod.F. unisson (16th c.), or ad. late L. unison-us (whence It., Sp., and Pg. unisono (also as n.), It. † unissono, Sp. unison) of the same sound as something else, f. L. ūni- uni- and sonus sound n.3
The apparently early example in the York Mystery Plays xxv. 262 is probably a scribal error for ‘vrysoune’ (= orison).]
A. n.
1. Mus. and Acoustics.
a. A sound or note of the same pitch as another; also loosely, a note taken as a starting-point from which intervals are reckoned. Now rare, or taken as transf. from b.
1574F. Ketr. A. Le Roy's Instr. Lute 17 You must..haue recourse to an other stryng, that maketh the vnisson with that. 1609Douland Ornithoparcus' Microl. 17 An Vnison is..a Voyce so qualified, that it neither tendeth to depth nor to height. 1660Boyle New Experiments Phys. Mech. 211 A string tun'd (as Musicians speak..) to an Unison with it. 1694Holder Harmony iv. 54 By Unison is meant, some⁓times the Habitude or Ration of Equality of two Notes compared together, being of the very same Tune. Some⁓times (as here) for the given single Note to which the Distance, or the Rations of other Intervals are compared. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Interval, Unisons, 'tis plain, cannot possibly have any Variety. 1881Nature XXIV. 358 When the higher note has reached a point about half-way between unison and the octave note.
transf.1677Phil. Trans. XVIII. 840 Not the whole of that other string doth thus tremble, but the several parts severally, according as they are Unisons to the whole.
fig.1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1792) I. 181 The muscles of Harry's expressive countenance, like an equally⁓tuned instrument, uttered unisons to every word he heard.
b. Identity in pitch of two or more sounds or notes; the agreement or consonance of the sounds of two or more bodies vibrating at equal rates; the relation of two notes of the same pitch reckoned as one of the musical ‘intervals’.
1575Gascoigne Weedes Wks. 1907 I. 381 At Musickes sacred sounde, my fansies eft begonne, In concordes, discordes, notes and cliffes, in tunes of unisonne. 1596Bathe Brief Introd. Skill of Song C, A concord is diuided into an Vnizon, Third, Fift, Sixt [etc.]. 1626Bacon Sylva §103 The Diapason or Eight in Music is the sweetest Concord; insomuch as it is in effect an Unison. 1694[see a]. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Octave, The most simple Perception the Soul can have of true Sounds, is that of Unison. 1749J. Mason Numbers in Poet. Comp. 21 Those [metrical] Feet..are in Proportion of the Unison in Musick... And they are said to answer to the Unison. 1806J. W. Callcott Mus. Gram. ii. i. 90 The Unison,..although it cannot properly be reckoned an Interval, is always considered as such. 1873Banister Music §103 Two, or more, perfect 5ths, perfect 8ves, or perfect unisons, are forbidden between the same two parts. 1896W. G. Woolcombe Pract. Work Physics iii. Pref., The nearest approach to unison between two musical notes.
c. A combination of melodies at the same pitch (or, loosely, one or more octaves apart) in different parts, i.e. performed by different voices or instruments. Also in fig. context.
In quot. 1730 used loosely for each of such melodies (in this case on different sets of strings of the same instrument: cf. unison string in 5).
[1724Short Explic. For. Wds. in Mus. Bks., Unissono, a Unison... This word is also used when in Symphonies of Songs Two Violins both play the same Thing, or the Violin and Song, or the Bass and Song, &c.] 1730in Abridgm. Specif. Patents, Music (1871) 1 A new invented harpsichord upon which (having only two sets of strings) may be performed either one or two unisons, or two unisons & one octave together. 1795Mason Ch. Music i. 82 Every ear felt the stupendous effect both of unison and harmony. 1799Kollmann Ess. Mus. Composition iii. 18 In Unisons, or passages where all instruments play the same melody, though in different Octaves. 1855Pusey Doctr. Real Presence 721 When the Holy Spirit..swept over the discordant strings of human tongues and thoughts..and blended all their varying notes into one holy unison of truth. 1869Ouseley Counterp. xiv. 83 When the number of parts exceeds four, unisons may be used.
d. In the phrase in (..) unison (in sense b or c).
1616W. Browne Brit. Past. ii. ii. 546 Not suffering her shrill waters, as they run, Tun'd with a whistling gale in unison. 1749J. Mason Numbers in Poet. Comp. 21 Two Strings of equal Length (supposing their respective Tensions and Thickness to be equal) being put in Motion, will be in Unison, or give exactly one and the same Sound. 1765Sterne Tr. Shandy vii. xliii, The nymphs joined in unison, and their swains an octave below them. 1795Mason Ch. Music iii. 208 What old Calvin meant to be sung in unison, they chose should be performed in counter⁓point, or in four parts. 1856Mrs. C. Clarke tr. Berlioz' Instrument. 32 To violoncellos..is ordinarily given the part of the double bass, which they double in the octave above or in unison. 1873Hale In His Name vi. 58 As the three voices, in strict unison, closed the little song.
transf.1828Scott F.M. Perth xxvii, The cry from the numberless boats..rose in wild unison up to the Tom-an-Lonach. 1876Holland Seven Oaks xi. 149 ‘Not at all,’ was responded almost in unison.
e. ellipt. for ‘unison string’ (see 5).
1820Q. Mus. Mag. II. 306 He tried the octaves, and found them..all flat..; the unisons, generally speaking, were in tune. 1889[see unison-tuning in 5].
2. A single unvaried tone; a monotone. ? Obs.
1609Douland Ornithoparcus' Microl. 26 The prayers..are read in an Vnison. 1742Pope Dunc. iv. 612 Lost was the Nation's Sense, nor could be found, While the long solemn Unison [sc. a yawn] went round.
3. A union or combination of concordant sounds; a united and unanimous declaration or utterance.
1806Wordsw. ‘Loud is the Vale’ 3 A mighty unison of streams! Of all her Voices, One! 1871Palgrave Lyr. Poems 135 That cry has been heard By a nation's unison swelled.
4. fig.
a. Something perfectly agreeing or consonant with another; an utterance or expression of perfect agreement or assent; something that responds sympathetically as a string tuned to a corresponding note. Now rare or Obs.
1650Bulwer Anthropomet. 63 A forehead which keeps its natural magnitude is one of the Unisons of the face. 1658W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. ii. 205 Adam indeed had such a righteousnesse made to his hand, his heart and the Law were unisons. 1702C. Mather Magn. Chr. iii. iii. (1852) 539 He thought that ministers and market-men were not unisons. 1796E. Hamilton Lett. Hindoo Rajah (1811) II. 218 The tender sigh..in vibrating on the ears of Miss Ardent, seemed to touch some pleasant unison, that over⁓spread her countenance with a smile. 1812Coleridge in Lit. Rem. (1836) I. 375 To make the intellectual faith a fair analogon or unison of the vital faith.
b. Exact or perfect agreement, concord, or harmony; harmonious combination or union.
1654Whitlock Zootomia 454 Physitians..are at Discord the best, but at Unisons the worst; for they do all so disagree [etc.]. 1674Playford Skill Mus. A 5, Friendship the Vnison of well tun'd Hearts. 1744Thomson Summer (ed. 5) 1375 Social Friends, Attun'd to happy Unison of Soul,..Now call'd abroad enjoy the falling Day. 1796F. Burney Camilla I. 4 This exemplary couple was bound to each other by the most perfect unison of character. 1819Keats Vis. Hyperion i. 418 Nor could my eyes And ears act with that unison of sense Which marries sweet sound with the grace of form. 1858Sears Athan. ix. 77 Thence life and health spread through our animal frames, restoring them to a unison with divine laws. 1871Farrar Witn. Hist. v. 183 That beautiful unison of noble manhood, stainless womanhood, joyous infancy, and uncontaminated youth.
†c. at unison (also at..unisons), = next. Obs.
1665Glanvill Scepsis Sci. xiii. 76 Reason and Faith are at perfect Unisons. 1772Test Filial Duty II. 173 The sensations of friendship have not enough of fire in them, to warm the heart into that proper temperature, requisite to render it at unison with the delirium of lovers. Ibid. 238 Set all my affections at unison.
d. in unison, in agreement or harmony, concordant, consonant, harmonious. Freq. in unison with.
1780Cowper Parrot 36 Each character in ev'ry part Sustain'd with so much grace and art, And both in unison. 1782V. Knox Ess. xxviii. ⁋8 It is the more tranquil style which is most frequently in unison with our minds. 1815Jane Austen Emma xli, It was all in unison; words, conduct, discretion and indiscretion told the same story. 1836W. Irving Astoria I. 287 A mode of redress perfectly in unison with the character of the man. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 26 Dumb inanimate nature seems to rejoice and to be in unison with our sense of joy. 1879Farrar St. Paul I. 312 When such allies were in unison..it was easy to strike a deadly blow at the Nazarenes.
5. attrib.: unison stop, (a) in an organ, a stop of the same pitch as the diapasons; (b) in a harpsichord (see quot. 1896); unison string, in a pianoforte or other instrument, a string tuned to the same pitch as another (or, loosely, to a pitch an octave higher); unison tune, a tune to be sung in unison, as distinct from harmony or ‘parts’; unison-tuning, the tuning of strings (of a pianoforte, etc.) in unison.
1840Penny Cycl. XVI. 493/1 Trumpet and Oboe stops, being what are called *unison stops,..take their lengths from the open diapason. 1896A. J. Hipkins Pianoforte 122 Unison Stop, properly the second foundation register in a harpsichord; the shorter of the unison strings in a double keyboard one, and sounding on the lower keyboard only.
1685Boyle Effects Motion vii. 80 A certain impulse of Air, made by one of the *Unison-strings of a musical Instrument, may suffice to produce a visible motion in another. 1732Berkeley Alciphr. iii. §4, I feel an affection in my soul, like the trembling of one lute, upon striking the unison strings of another. 1896[see unison stop above].
1869Pall Mall G. 7 July 12/2 Mr. John Goss, Mr. E. J. Hopkins, and Mr. J. Baptiste Calkin have composed *unison tunes for this volume.
1889Brinsmead Hist. Pianoforte 186 The same plan as that for learning the *unison-tuning may be adopted for the octave, but care must be taken that the unison of the note is tuned afterwards.
B. adj.
†1. Sounding at once or together. Obs.—1
1582Stanyhurst æneis iii. (Arb.) 73 Thus God Apollo cryed; but wee with an vnison outcrye..demaunded, what place God Phœbus apoincted.
†b. fig. United and consenting, as the pronouncement of a number of persons; expressing complete agreement; unanimous, concordant, consonant, harmonious. Obs.
1650W. Charleton Paradoxes Prol. f 4 b, By the unisone vote of the multitude. 1651H. L'Estrange Answ. Mrq. Worcester 51 Is the Church of Rome so unison, so all of a piece, as to afford no jarres? a1662Heylyn Laud ii. (1671) 447 The first branch [of a Bill] was carried in the Negative by..an Unison-consent in the Lords then present. 1760–2Goldsm. Cit. W. xxx, I only beg you'll endeavour to make your souls unison with mine.
†c. Concordant or consonant to something. Obs.
1710R. Ward Life H. More 234 Some Circumstances.., or Particulars of his Writings, are not so unison to my Slower Faculties. 1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1792) V. 10 This doctrine sounded unison to the secret feelings of our young Englishman.
†d. Like-sounding; equivalent. Obs.—1
1759Sterne Tr. Shandy i. xix, Tristram!—Melancholy dissyllable of sound! which, to his ears, was unison to Nincompoop.
2. Mus. and Acoustics. Identical in pitch; singing, sounding, etc., in unison; unisonal, unisonous. Now rare or Obs.
1614Jackson Creed iii. xviii. §4 As a string, though untouched, and unable to begin motion of itself, will yet raise it selfe to an vnison voice. 1622Peacham Compl. Gent. xi. 104 Two Lutes of equall size being laid vpon a Table, and tuned Vnison, or alike in..any..string; the one stricken, the other untouched shall answer it. 1667Milton P.L. vii. 599 All sounds on Fret by String or Golden Wire Temper'd soft Tunings, intermixt with Voice Choral or Unison. 1694Holder Harmony iv. 51 The Unison Concord..is no Space or Interval, but an Identity of Tune. 1721A. Malcolm Treat. Mus. 580 When Two Voices sing together one Song, 'tis more agreeable that they be 8ve than unison with one another, in every Note. 1893S. Gee Auscult. & Percussion (ed. 4) i. iii. 69 A unison vibration, convibration, or consonance of the wall is required to the production of tone. |