1875–80; < French: literally, false bourdon
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
fauxbourdon
musical texture prevalent during the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, produced by three voices proceeding primarily in parallel motion in intervals corresponding to the first inversion of the triad. Only two of the three parts were notated, a plainchant melody together with the lowest voice a sixth below (as e below c'); occasional octaves (as c-c') occurred as well. The middle part was realized by the singer at the interval of a fourth below the plainchant melody (as g below c'). The result was a particularly "sweet" sound in contrast to the mixture of passing dissonants and open sonorities favoured in earlier music.
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