(kləʊs) or close-harmony singing (ˌkləʊsˈhɑːmənɪ ˈsɪŋɪŋ)
noun
a type of singing in which all the parts except the bass lie close together and are confined to the compass of a tenth
close harmony in American English
(klous)
noun
Music
harmony in which the voices, excluding the bass, occur within an octave or, sometimes, within the interval of a tenth
Word origin
[1875–80]This word is first recorded in the period 1875–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Diaspora, authoritarian, hat trick, knockabout, slime mold
Examples of 'close harmony' in a sentence
close harmony
Each departing client is serenaded with a close-harmony farewell.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The title track is an irresistible close-harmony belter.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They sing in delicious close harmony, providing much of the pleasure of the show - but they have no place in the world of the play.
The Times Literary Supplement (2008)
Here there are two repeated elements: a chanted litany, sung in astringent close harmony, and a slow-moving hymn-like theme, murmured underneath.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The backing is spare and spirited; the close-harmony singing brings energy to even the more generic pieces.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But it was the close-harmony singing, perfect in every detail, that initially captured the attention.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
As the choir began to sing in close harmony the cat ambled off oblivious, as if it were just a noise.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The orchestra play their own part in this set's pleasures, sprinting or sighing in close harmony with their soloist and director.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Yet all the time they are getting to work on you, wrapping you in a sonic blanket of close-harmony pastoral pop, alternately upbeat and melancholic.