Fauxbourdon

Fauxbourdon (or Faburden). Although this term has a number of distinct technical meanings in relation to polyphonic music of the Medieval and Renaissance eras, with regard to hymn-singing (particularly in the 17th century) it specifically implied a style of performance where the melody of the hymn was placed in the tenor as part of a four-part texture in which the treble provided a descant. One of the best known examples of this practice can be observed in John Dowland*'s two settings of the OLD HUNDREDTH* which appeared in modern hymnals such as A&M, EH, SofP and NEH, and it was also included in Vaughan Williams*'s setting used at the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953, appearing there...