Interpolation (music)

Interpolation (from the Latin interpolar " remodel, distort, garble " ) in the understanding of musicology is a plug-in which is not foreseen at the relevant point of the work or the musical form. In contrast to the philological and text-critical manner of use of the term it is not a pre-given disfiguring or erroneous, but the defining character of the interpolation in the foreground.

Sacred music and opera

In the liturgical music is called interpolation on the one hand, the expanding and embellishing Tropierung one of the fixed or variable according to the occasions of the liturgical year parts of the Mass, on the other hand, the inclusion of self- chants or songs, which lead to given parts or make their statements. In the latter meaning, the interpolation is distinguished from the substitution, as it happens for example in the replacement of a unanimously sung part by the polyphonic version of the same text or other text, and then in addition to the interpolation of the two possibilities, motets in the liturgical ceremony to integrate.

In the same way the terms interpolation and substitution are also needed for the up in the middle of the 19th century common practice of opera performance, add additional or replacing factory foreign arias in the staging of an opera to a prominent singers the opportunity to talk one of his bravura to offer, or to meet the public taste by inserting particularly popular pieces.

Popular music forms

In a manner similar to the tropisierenden interpolations of sacred music is also called in folk or popular musical contexts of interpolations, if interjections, onomatopoetic ornaments or non- meaningful supporting sound sequences are to be marked as insets in the actual lyrics. In terms of blues, jazz and pop music, the term interpolation is used particularly for racks that have the character of a melodic and possibly both textual quotation from private or foreign repertoire.

Serial and twelve-tone music

In the twelve-tone music and other serial twelve-tone technique with non- rows is called an interpolation when an interval or segment is added, which comes from another series or behaves to the current row in a different way strange.