1. Rise and fall of the voice pitch
   "The intonation of his voice indicated surprise";
   - modulation, pitch contour, cadence
    
2. The production of musical tones (by voice or instrument); especially the exactitude of the pitch relations
   "The violinist's perfect intonation impressed the judges";
   - cadence
    
3. The act of singing in a monotonous tone
   "The monks' intonation echoed through the monastery";
   - chanting
    
4. Singing by a soloist of the opening piece of plainsong
   "The monk's intonation of the chant set the mood for the service"

Derived forms: intonations

Type of: inflection, music, prosody, singing, vocalising [Brit]

Encyclopedia: Intonation