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descant
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descant

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Also spelled:
discant
Related Topics:
melody
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descant, (from Latin discantus, “song apart”), countermelody either composed or improvised above a familiar melody. Descant can also refer to an instrument of higher-than-normal pitch, such as a descant recorder. In late medieval music, discantus referred to a particular style of organum featuring one or more countermelodies added to a newly rhythmicized plainsong melody. Discantus in this sense is usually spelled discant in English translation.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.