fauxbourdon

views updated

fauxbourdon (Fr.). Literally ‘false bass’. Way of singing improvised polyphony in 15th-cent. mus., particularly that by Burgundian composers. Plainsong melody in treble is acc. by two lower parts, one in parallel sixths, the other a fourth below melody. Similar to but not identical with Eng. faburden and derivation one from another is disputed.

More From encyclopedia.com