Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In medieval music: The rudest kind of polyphony, consisting of a melody or cantus firmus with the third and sixth added to each tone: not radically different from organum.
- n. Later, the process or act of adding a simple counterpoint to a cantus, especially by improvisation.
- n. A drone-bass or a refrain; a burden.
- Monotonous.
Wiktionary
- n. music A kind of counterpoint with a drone bass.
- n. music A succession of chords of the sixth.
- n. obsolete A monotonous refrain.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. obsolete, obsolete A species of counterpoint with a drone bass.
- n. obsolete A succession of chords of the sixth.
- n. obsolete A monotonous refrain.
Etymologies
- French faux bourdon. See false, and burden a verse. (Wiktionary)
Examples
“The term ‘faburden’ originally designated the lowest voice in an English technique of polyphonic vocal improvisation that enabled a group of soloists or a choir to sing at sight a three-part harmonization of plainchant, derived from the notes of the chant itself.”
“There was something beautifully human in the way the professor turned the traditional stiff and starched catechism into a delightfully informal chat, in which the faburden, the Netherland School, early notation, the great clavichord players, suites and sonatas, formed the main topics.”
“Superseding the primitive unisonous plain-song, the old parallel concords, and the simple faburden (faux bourdon) counterpoint that succeeded Gregory, they taught how musical tones can better assist worship with the beauty of harmony and the precision of scientific taste.”
“Green, in 1588, says he had been 'had in derision' by 'two gentlemen poets' because I could not make my verses get on the stage in tragical buskins, every word filling the mouth like the faburden of Bow-bell, daring God out of heaven with that atheist tamburlane, or blaspheming with the mad priest of the sun.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘faburden’.
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phrontistery - f
from phrontistery.info
fabaceous, fabiform, fabulist, faburden, face-cord, facetiae, facia, facinorous, factious, factitious, factitive, factive and 418 more...
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Gone, But Not Forgotten...Yet
Ay, ay, the best terms will grow obsolete: damns have had their day. -- Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816)
Obsolete, rare, and obscure words culled from my Wordie/Wordnik Curio Cabi...rouzie-bouzie, knuckylbonyard, ferrups, defease, malahane, accinge, venundate, pinguidity, preterlapsed, wlatsome, emuscation, atbraid and 427 more...
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The Other Side of Silence
A sound garden.
I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world. --Walt Whitmantin cry, chark, gride, scroop, crepitation, stridulation, swazzle, death-ruckle, cronk, rumble, borborygmus, crowling and 165 more...
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string alongs (and shorts too)
string instruments and instrumentation
zither, guitar, bouzouki, rebec, violin, cithara, fiddle, fidicinal, twang, fret, gadulka, maqui and 54 more...
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perhapsolutely's Words
polyradiculoneuro..., abulia, abubble, abscission, abaft, zareba, abatis, abigail, abiogenesis, ablate, ablaut, abo and 1705 more...
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