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It defines descant and faux-bourdon, traces the Tenor custom of holding the melody, and compares practical requirements and musical effects. The text provides guidance on where to apply descant within hymn structures and verses, including settings for schools, preparations for congregations, and rehearsal methods for unison singing.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":45,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/religion-spirituality/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-descanthymn-tune-book-book-2-preface/566365/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-descanthymn-tune-book-book-2-preface/566365.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Logic","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-14","2026-10-13",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does the preface say descant generally means today?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"A descant is understood as a counter-theme sung against the melody of a hymn or song.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How does faux-bourdon differ from descant in typical usage?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Faux-bourdon refers to a harmonized setting, usually in four parts, where the melody is given to the tenor.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How should descant be applied within hymn verses?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Generally, one descant verse is enough for four or five verses; two for six or seven verses; and never more than three or four in any hymn, with the chosen verse text suited to special treatment.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},566365,1791935605,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":44,"category_name":45,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},1099513958762,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","^口  \nTHE DESCANTHYMN-TUNE BOOK  \narranged byGEOFFREY SHAW  \nBOOK 2  \nNOVELLO  \n(  \nPREFACE.  \nRECENT years have seen in Church music a widespread revival of methods andmaterial from the past—in some cases from a remote past.Striking instances that atonce come to mind are the increased use of plainsong in its purest forms;the collectionand editing for practical purposes of the Church music of the Tudor and Elizabethanperiods;a growing appreciation of the beauty of unaccompanied singing;&c.But theserevivals,in the nature of things,can affect only a proportion of churches.The use ofplainsong,for example,is not possible everywhere;the polyphonic masterpieces of Byrdand Gibbons can be sung only where there is a well-equipped and highly trained choir·and unaccompanied and four-part singing,even of the simplest music,calls for a choralbalance and efficiency not always available.Happily,one of the most popular andsimplest revivals,\"Descant,\"is of a type that can be undertaken successfully in any churchwhere a few capable trebles are available.That this practicability is now being widelyrealised is shown by the steadily increasing use of the device.Nor is its vogue confinedto churches.In many schools descant is being applied to national and folk-songs.  \nHistorians differ as to the original and precise meaning of“descant”and itskindred term\"faux-bourdon.\"Probably the signification varied with certain countries andcomposers.To-day,however,a “descant”is generally understood to be a counter-themesung against the melody of a hymn or song;while the term“faux-bourdon”is appliedto a harmonized setting(usually in four parts)in which the melody is given to thetenor.  \nThe practice of putting the melody of a hymn in the tenor part was an oldcustom that continued until fairly recent times—indeed,the tenor part was so-calledbecause it held the melody(Lat.,tenere,“to hold”).Descant often arose naturallyfrom such an arrangement.Thus,if the treble of the parts that accompanied the tenormelody was itself of a melodious character,it became a counter-theme rather than a mereharmonic element.Hence a good many faux-bourdon settings of hymn-tunes have beendesigned in such a way that,when four-part vocal harmony is not available,the treble ofthe faux-bourdon may be used as a descant against the hymn-tune in the tenor,theorgan playing the four voice-parts.  \nOf the two forms,descant seems to be more generally used than faux-bourdon,chiefy because it calls for less ample choral means.In order to give faux-bourdon itsfull effect,the singing should be unaccompanied—a risky expedient when the treble,alto,and bass parts necessarily differ,even slighty,from those that the singers know practicallyby beart.  \nDescant is by far the easier of the two methods,because the men of the choirhave merely to sing the hymn melody,and little or no extra practice is needed on their part.Descant is also the more effective,as it allows of greater freedom not only in thetreble counter-theme,but also in the organ part.In fact,there appears to be no devicein choral music that yields so striking a result in return for so little trouble.  \nThe chief object in the use of descant is the embellishment of hymn-singing,andthe provision of relief in long hymns.The principle of decoration in music is prettymuch the same as in the ordinary affairs of life:it must never be overdone.Better too  \nlittle than too much.So,in a hymn of four or five verses one descant verst willgenerally be enough;in six or seven verses two may have the descant;and no hymnhowever long should be given more than'three or four.Obviously,the text ofthe chosen verse or verses should be of a type that calls for such special treatment.Thus,when a short hymn ends with a doxology,but contains no other verse of markedcharacter,we should use the descant for the last verse and no other.In a somewhatlonger hymn,with no specially important verse apart from the doxology,the descant maybe used also for the middle verse,with a somewh","cbCaispnGso9F3zW","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaispnGso9F3zW","pdf",3230972,58,"English","# Preface\n## Meaning and origins of descant and faux-bourdon\n## Practical comparison and musical effect\n## When to use descant in hymns\n## Rehearsal, congregational preparation, and school settings","[{\"question\":\"What does the preface say descant generally means today?\",\"answer\":\"A descant is understood as a counter-theme sung against the melody of a hymn or song.\"},{\"question\":\"How does faux-bourdon differ from descant in typical usage?\",\"answer\":\"Faux-bourdon refers to a harmonized setting, usually in four parts, where the melody is given to the tenor.\"},{\"question\":\"How should descant be applied within hymn verses?\",\"answer\":\"Generally, one descant verse is enough for four or five verses; two for six or seven verses; and never more than three or four in any hymn, with the chosen verse text suited to special treatment.\"}]","THE DESCANTHYMN-TUNE BOOK - BOOK 2 - PREFACE | PDF",1791862088,146]