cantus firmus

Noun

Meaning

a pre-existing melody used as the basis for a polyphonic composition; originally drawn from plainchant, but later drawn from other sources

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Examples

Blackburn, p. 63 While based on a cantus firmus, it is also a paraphrase mass, for fragments of the tune appear in all voices. Source: Internet

Inside of his chansons, he often used a cantus firmus, sometimes a popular song whose origin can no longer be traced, as in Si j'avoye Marion. Source: Internet

He rarely used the cantus firmus technique, preferring the then-new Venetian polychoral manner, yet he was equally conversant with earlier imitative techniques. Source: Internet

Cantus-firmus masses Prior to Josquin's mature period, the most common technique for writing masses was the cantus firmus, a technique which had been in use already for most of the 15th century. Source: Internet

First species In first species counterpoint, each note in every added part (parts being also referred to as lines or voices) sounds against one note in the cantus firmus. Source: Internet

Increasingly in the 14th and 15th centuries, motets tended to be isorhythmic ; that is, they employed repeated rhythmic patterns in all voices not only the cantus firmus which did not necessarily coincide with repeating melodic patterns. Source: Internet

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