1. Mélodie.
2. Hymne.
ETYM Italian canto, from Latin cantus singing, song. Related to Chant.
1. A major division of a long poem.
2. The highest part (usually the melody) in a piece of choral music.
(Homonym: carrel).
Joyful religious song, usually celebrating the birth of Christ; SYN. Christmas carol.
Song that in medieval times was associated with a round dance; today carols are associated with festivals such as Christmas and Easter.
Christmas carols were common as early as the 15th century. The custom of singing carols from house to house, collecting gifts, was called wassailing. Many carols, such as ‘God Rest You Merry Gentlemen’ and ‘The First Noel’, date from the 16th century or earlier.
ETYM French chant, from Latin cantus singing, song, from canere to sing. Related to Chant.
A repetitive song in which as many syllables as necessary are assigned to a single tone.
Singing of a formula, usually by a group, for confidence or spiritual improvement. Chants can be secular or religious, both Western and Eastern. Ambrosian and Gregorian chants are forms of plainsong.
ETYM Old Fren. descant, deschant, French déchant, discant, Late Lat. discantus, from Latin dis + cantus singing, melody, from canere to sing. Related to Chant, Descant, Discant.
A decorative accompaniment (often improvised) added above a basic melody; SYN. discant.
Music, simple counterpoint sung by trebles above melody; counterpoint; treble.
In music, a high-pitched line for one or more sopranos, added above the normal soprano line (melody) of a hymn tune; a high-pitched instrument of a family, such as the descant recorder (US soprano recorder); also, an improvised melody sung against a written voice part (see discant).
ETYM Old Eng. eg, egge, AS. ecg; akin to Old High Germ. ekka, German ecke, Icel. and Swed. egg, Dan. eg, and to Latin acies, Greek ake point, Skr. açri edge. Related to Egg, Eager, Ear spike of corn, Acute.
1. A sharp side formed by the intersection of two surfaces of an object.
2. A slight competitive advantage.
3. A strip near the boundary of an object; SYN. margin.
4. The attribute of urgency; SYN. sharpness.
5. The boundary of a surface; SYN. border.
ETYM as. song, sang, from singan to sing; akin to Dutch zang, German sang, Icel. söngr, Goth. saggws. Related to Sing.
1. A distinctive or characteristic sound.
2. A short musical composition with words.
3. The act of singing; SYN. strain.
4. A very small sum.
A setting of words to music for one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment. Song may be sacred, for example a psalm, motet, or cantata, or secular, for example a folk song or ballad. In verse song, the text changes in mood while the music remains the same; in lied and other forms of art song, the music changes in response to the emotional development of the text.