FABURDEN

Faburden: translation

A technique of improvising three-voicedhomorhythmic polyphonydescribed circa 1430 in England. One singer takes a traditionalchantmelody. Another sings the same melody a perfect fourth above. The third, the "faburdener," sings either a third or a perfect fifth below the chant. The result is a series of open fifth chords, mandatory at the beginning and end, and first-inversion triads.

In 16th-century England faburden referred to a melody composed incounterpointto a traditional chant, which was then discarded.

See alsoDiscant; Falsobordone; Fauxbourdon.