351:
132:
35:
510:’s late 12th-century settings. These settings are often punctuated with passages in discant style, where both the tenor and upper voice move in modal rhythms, often the tenor part in mode 5 (two long notes) and the upper part in mode 1 (a long then short note). Therefore it is easier to imagine how discant style would have sounded, and we can make a guess as to how to recreate the settings. It is suggested by scholars such as
539:, around 1200. The parts in these three and four past settings were not necessarily related to each other. Evidence suggests that the parts were either related to the tenor part, or composed independently. Either way, this formed the first ‘composition’, and provided a foundation for development, and a new style,
291:
The term continued to be used down to modern times with changing senses, at first for polyphony in general, then to differentiate a subcategory of polyphony (either in contrast to organum, or for improvised as distinct from written polyphony). By extension it became the name of a part that is added
299:
is three-voice parallelism in first-inversion triads." However, because it allowed only three, four, or at most five such chords in succession, emphasizing contrary motion as the basic condition, it "did not differ from the general
European discant tradition of the time". Because English discant
525:
Current research suggests that the word 'discantus' was formed with the intention of providing a separate term for a newly developed type of polyphony. If true, then it is ironic that the newer term, "discantus", ended up being applied to the older note-against-note style, while the older word
526:"organum" was transferred to the more innovative style of florid-against-sustained-note polyphony. This may have been partly because the 12th century was an era that believed in progress, so that the more familiar "organum" was kept for the style then considered to be the most up-to-date.
292:
above the tenor, and later as the name of the highest part in a polyphonic setting (the equivalent of "cantus", "superius", and "soprano"). Finally, it was adopted as the name of the highest register of instruments such as recorders, cornets, viols, and organ stops.
501:
throughout each part. In earlier types of organum, rhythm was either not notated as in organum purum, or notated in only the upper voice part, however Notre Dame composers devised a way of notating rhythm using ligatures and six different types of rhythmic
534:
The development of modal rhythms enabled the progression from two part discant style to three and four part discant style. This is because, only voices, confined to a set rhythm can be combined effectively to make a set phrase. This was mainly related to
475:(an approximately equal rate of movement in all the voices) with between one and three notes in the upper part to every note in the tenor part. At the end of a phrase however, in discant style, the upper part may have more notes, thus producing a more
344:, who wrote "The effect is thrilling; it gives the curious impression of an ethereal choir joining in the worship below; and those who hear it for the first time often turn and look up at the roof!". An example of a descant from this collection (for
318:. A second hypothesis, that an unwritten tradition of this kind of parallel discant existed in England before 1500, "is supported neither by factual evidence nor by probability".
256:
In modern usage, especially in the context of church music, descant can also refer to a high, florid melody sung by a few sopranos as a decoration for a hymn.
329:
descants are counter-melodies, generally at a higher pitch than the main melody. Typically they are sung in the final or penultimate verse of a hymn.
383:
During the last quarter of the twentieth century, new editions of hymnals increased the number of included descants. For example, the influential
641:, fourth edition, edited by Don Michael Randel, Harvard University Press Reference Library 16 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003)
901:, fourth edition, edited by Don Michael Randel. Harvard University Press Reference Library 16. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
284:
without the requirement of a plainchant tenor. It is sometimes contrasted with the organum in a more restricted sense of the term (see
928:
875:
757:
340:, served as a source of tunes for which the earliest known hymn tune descants were published. These were in collections compiled by
300:
technique has commonly been associated with such a succession of first-inversion triads, it has inevitably become confused with
906:
667:
646:
374:, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Several of their descants appear in what is possibly the earliest hymnal to include descants,
354:
846:
Der
Discantussatz im Magnus liber und seiner Nachfolge: mit Beiträgen zur Frage der sogenannten Notre-Dame-Handschriften
786:
A Collection of Faux-bourdons and
Descants for the French Ecclesiastical Melodies and Other Tunes in the English Hymnal
712:
Geschichte des englischen
Diskants und des Fauxbourdons nach den theoretischen Quellen, mit zahlreichen Notenbeispielen
99:
891:
723:
607:
118:
71:
171:
and a variant of discant. Throughout the Middle Ages the term was used indiscriminately with other terms, such as
78:
56:
246:
306:, with which it has "no connection whatsoever". This misinterpretation was first brought forward in 1936 by
969:
860:
634:
350:
85:
67:
569:
424:
376:
371:
52:
241:
Descant can also refer to the highest pitched of a group of instruments, particularly the descant
886:, 91–122. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Reprinted, New York: Da Capo Press, 1980.
449:
357:
45:
806:, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).
686:, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001).
559:
403:
337:
311:
919:
Spiess, Lincoln B. 1955. "Discant, Descant, Diaphony, and
Organum: a Problem in Definitions".
598:
964:
848:. Wiener musikwissenschaftliche Beiträge 8. Vienna, Cologne, and Graz: H. Böhlaus Nachfolger.
554:
188:
519:
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Descant is a type of medieval polyphony characterized by relatively strict note-for-note
20:
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Music that features a fixed vocal melody set to improvisations, often in counterpoint
511:
483:
307:
625:, "Discant ", §I. Discant in France, Spain and Germany, 1. Etymology, Definition,
336:
of 1906 did not include descants, this influential hymnal, whose music editor was
784:
445:
389:
341:
200:
851:
Flotzinger, Rudolf, Ernest H. Sanders, and Peter M. Lefferts. 2001. "Discant ".
498:
428:
333:
180:
175:. In the 17th century it took on special connotations in instrumental practice.
159:, depending on the period in question; etymologically, the word means a voice (
866:
Hughes, Andrew. 1966. "Mensural
Polyphony for Choir in 15th-Century England",
958:
912:
Scott, Ann Besser. 1970. "The
Performance of the Old Hall Descant Settings".
856:
740:
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574:
491:
482:
Throughout the discant passages, the two parts interchange between consonant
227:
771:
265:
235:
219:
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702:
45, no. 1 (January 1959): pp. 26–48. Citation on pp. 26 and 41.
682:
Ernest H. Sanders and Peter M. Lefferts, "Discant: II. English
Discant",
432:
380:(London: Oxford University Press, 1925, enlarged, 1931, reprinted 1971).
302:
231:
215:
had specific rules governing the improvisation of the additional voices.
131:
163:) above or removed from others. The Harvard Dictionary of Music states:
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273:
536:
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Both the tenor and upper parts move at about the same rate, using the
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204:
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34:
415:(GIA Publications, 1994) offers 254 descants by composers such as
873:
Hughes, Andrew. 1967. "The Old Hall Manuscript: a Re-appraisal".
515:
476:
269:
223:
837:
Crocker, Richard L. 1962. "Discant, Counterpoint, and Harmony".
637:. (London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001); Janet Knapp, "Discant",
487:
184:
882:
Kenney, Sylvia W. 1964. "The Theory of Discant". Chapter 5 of
698:
Sylvia W. Kenney, "'English Discant' and Discant in England",
156:
830:
Clark Kimberling, "Hymn Tune Descants, Part 2: 1935–2001",
819:
Clark Kimberling, "Hymn Tune Descants, Part 1: 1915–1934",
802:, "Organum, §6: ‘Organum’ and ‘Discant’: New Terminology".
452:" has contributed to the enduring popularity of the genre.
250:
242:
662:(Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1976), p. 128.
545:
was developed from the three and four part discant ideas.
467:, and can be identified by the following characteristics:
387:(Episcopal) contains no descants, whereas its successor,
356:
Audio playback is not supported in your browser. You can
783:
Riley, Athelstan (1916). "No. 560 The National Anthem".
238:. Nowadays the counterpoint meaning is the most common.
744:
Musikwissenschaftliches Seminar der Universität München
203:
in which only the melody is notated but an improvised
366:
Among composers of descants during 1915 to 1934 were
935:
Waite, William. 1952. "Discantus, Copula, Organum".
455:
285:
249:. Similarly, it can also be applied to the soprano
393:, contains 32. Among other currently used hymnals,
59:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
926:Trowell, Brian. 1959. "Faburden and Fauxbourdon".
529:
448:and others to well known Christmas tunes such as "
823:54 (no. 3) July 2003, pages 20–27. (Reprinted in
755:"Cantilena and Discant in 14th-Century England".
678:
676:
956:
716:Sammlung musikwissenschaftlicher Abhandlungen 21
310:, but has been proved invalid, first in 1937 by
853:The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
804:The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
684:The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
627:The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
673:
618:
616:
460:This style was dominant in early 12th century
937:Journal of the American Musicological Society
921:Journal of the American Musicological Society
868:Journal of the American Musicological Society
839:Journal of the American Musicological Society
825:Journal of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society
694:
692:
497:Discant style is characterised by the use of
226:singer in any group of voices, or the higher
199:(descant "above the book"), and is a form of
191:. The word in this sense comes from the term
613:
209:
193:
149:
689:
884:Walter Frye and the "Contenance Angloise"
714:(Strasbourg: Heitz); Reprint edition, in
518:style in order to mirror the grandeur of
506:Examples of this can be found in some of
438:In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, the
259:
119:Learn how and when to remove this message
772:http://www.servicemusic.org.uk/descants/
130:
444:collection, which features descants by
957:
155:is any of several different things in
834:55 (no. 1) January 2004, pages 17–22.
782:
411:, 21. The Vocal Descant Edition for
218:Later on, the term came to mean the
57:adding citations to reliable sources
28:
602:, p.228. Harvard University Press.
230:line in a song. Eventually, by the
13:
813:
14:
981:
943:
789:. A.R. Mowbray. pp. 104–105.
456:12th-century Aquitanian polyphony
183:in which one singer sang a fixed
718:(Baden-Baden: V. Koerner, 1973)
314:, and then by Sylvia Kenney and
234:, descant referred generally to
33:
897:Knapp, Janet. 2003. "Discant".
863:. London: Macmillan Publishers.
793:
776:
530:Discant in three or four voices
286:12-century Aquitanian polyphony
44:needs additional citations for
19:For the literary magazine, see
764:
749:
729:
705:
652:
587:
187:, and others accompanied with
1:
580:
950:Selection of hymnal descants
855:, second edition, edited by
629:, second edition, edited by
514:, that Léonin used this non-
353:
7:
923:8, no. 2 (Summer):, 144–47.
916:56, no. 1 (January): 14–26.
899:Harvard Dictionary of Music
639:Harvard Dictionary of Music
599:Harvard Dictionary of Music
548:
346:the British national anthem
321:
10:
986:
844:Flotzinger, Rudolf. 1969.
827:29 (February 2004) 17–20.)
18:
939:5, no. 2 (Summer): 77–87.
870:19, no. 3 (Fall): 352–69.
570:Last verse harmonisation
450:O come, all ye faithful
399:The Presbyterian Hymnal
358:download the audio file
276:tenor (i.e. low voice;
179:A descant is a form of
560:Congregational singing
413:Worship, Third Edition
404:The New Century Hymnal
397:contains 29 descants;
338:Ralph Vaughan Williams
312:Thrasybulos Georgiades
260:Origin and development
211:discantus supra librum
210:
195:discantus supra librum
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167:Anglicized form of L.
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136:
660:The Analysis of Music
555:Anglican church music
479:passage at a cadence.
395:The Worshiping Church
268:. It is found in the
165:
134:
520:Notre Dame Cathedral
207:is understood. The
53:improve this article
970:Musical terminology
473:equalitas punctorum
348:) goes as follows:
137:
929:Musica Disciplina
914:Musical Quarterly
907:978-0-674-01163-2
876:Musica Disciplina
800:Rudolf Flotzinger
761:, 19 (1965):7–52.
758:Musica Disciplina
700:Musical Quarterly
670:. Emphasis added.
668:978-0-13-033233-2
647:978-0-674-01163-2
623:Rudolf Flotzinger
441:Carols for Choirs
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109:January 2009
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51:Please help
46:verification
43:
21:
594:Apel, Willi
433:Carl Schalk
385:Hymnal 1940
303:fauxbourdon
232:Renaissance
959:Categories
581:References
565:Hymn tunes
516:melismatic
477:melismatic
462:Aquitanian
421:David Hurd
417:Hal Hopson
274:plainchant
79:newspapers
24:(magazine)
879:21:97–129
742:(Munich:
542:conductus
484:intervals
465:polyphony
368:Alan Gray
327:Hymn tune
282:conductus
205:polyphony
169:discantus
151:discantus
68:"Descant"
932:8:43–78.
832:The Hymn
821:The Hymn
596:(1969).
549:See also
522:itself.
322:In hymns
288:below).
247:recorder
537:Pérotin
488:octaves
272:with a
270:organum
228:pitched
224:soprano
173:descant
145:discant
141:descant
93:scholar
22:Descant
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508:Léonin
502:modes.
492:fifths
431:, and
407:, 10;
401:, 19;
220:treble
185:melody
161:cantus
95:
88:
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575:Organ
512:Grout
157:music
147:, or
100:JSTOR
86:books
903:ISBN
888:ISBN
859:and
720:ISBN
664:ISBN
643:ISBN
633:and
604:ISBN
251:clef
243:viol
72:news
253:.
245:or
222:or
55:by
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