fauxbourdon

[ foh-ber-don; French foh-boor-dawn ]

/ ˈfoʊ bərˌdɒn; French foʊ burˈdɔ̃ /

noun

Music. a 15th-century compositional technique employing three voices, the upper and lower voices progressing an octave or a sixth apart while the middle voice extemporaneously doubles the upper part at a fourth below.

the use of progressions of parallel sixth chords.

Nearby words

fauvism, fauvist, faux, faux pas, faux-naïf, fauxbourdon, fava bean, fave, favela, favelado, favella

Origin of fauxbourdon

1875–80; < French: literally, false bourdon