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- a medieval form of church singing; chant Also calledcanto 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
What is a cantus firmus in music? - Classical Music
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In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed melody") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition. The plural of this Latin term is cantus firmi, although the corrupt form canti firmi (resulting from the grammatically incorrect treatment of cantus as a second- rather than a fourth-declension noun) can also be found
cantus firmus, preexistent melody, such as a plainchant excerpt, underlying a polyphonic musical composition (one consisting of several independent voices or parts).
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
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Cantus firmus literally means “fixed melody” which just means the main melodic line that all other voices will be based on. Think of it as the first layer in a multilayer music composition.
A cantus firmus is a preexistent melody that forms the basis of a larger musical work. Source melodies in the cantus firmus tradition have generally been selected from the vast corpus of plainchant, but secular tunes also provide a supply of monophony for use. The term is synonymous with cantus prius factus, canto fermo, and fester Gesang ...
Cantus Firmus refers to a pre-existing melody, often taken from Gregorian chant or other sources, that serves as the foundation for composing polyphonic music. It remains unchanged while other voices are added around it.
The meaning of CANTUS FIRMUS is the plainsong or simple Gregorian melody originally sung in unison and prescribed as to form and use by ecclesiastical tradition.