cantus

[ kan-tuh s ]

/ ˈkæn təs /

noun, plural can·tus.

cantus firmus.

Nearby words

Origin of cantus

From Latin, dating back to 1580–90; see origin at canto

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cantus

To cantus firmus c write third species mixed in the other three parts.
A Treatise on Simple Counterpoint in Forty Lessons|Friedrich J. Lehmann
Six notes may be written to one of the cantus firmus, as in Fig. 52.
A Treatise on Simple Counterpoint in Forty Lessons|Friedrich J. Lehmann
The motifs were often taken from the Cantus firmus itself, in a rhythmical, diminished form.
Life Of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3)|Otto Jahn
To cantus firmus b write third species in one part and fourth in the other.
A Treatise on Simple Counterpoint in Forty Lessons|Friedrich J. Lehmann

When writing second species in both parts no cantus firmus is used, both parts being original.
A Treatise on Simple Counterpoint in Forty Lessons|Friedrich J. Lehmann

British Dictionary definitions for cantus

cantus

/ (ˈkæntəs) /

noun plural -tus

a medieval form of church singing; chant

Also called: canto the highest part in a piece of choral music

(in 15th- or 16th-century music) a piece of choral music, usually secular, in polyphonic style

Word Origin for cantus

Latin: song, from canere to sing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012