disarmonico

adj. ( dez-ar-mo'-ni-kd ) It. A combination of tones that is in Discordant; inharmonious, itself disagreeable to the ear. It is discant n. and v. also used in speaking of what is more Literally, singing apart, singing in properly termed a di onant chord, two. i. e., one which requires another 1. The form of polyphony, or music chord to follow it in order to satisfy of two or more independently treated the ear. parts used in the Twelfth Century, in discord, prepared which two melodies were sung simul- A discord for which the ear is pretaneously, one ascending and the pared by bin at i on a of chord other descending. At first there were sounds preceding it: a to com unendurable the only two separate parts; later, more musical sense, but for which one is were added and finally any number prepared by a preceding harmonious of parts were improvised around a combination of sounds which con given melody and discant was evolved. tains the same note which is inhar- In combination with the still earlier monious in the following chord, form of harmony known as organum discordantemente (dis - kor - dan - teor diaphony, it developed into counmen'-te) It. adv. terpoint. In organum the different Discordantly. parts progre ed in parallel motion, Discord, that is, all ascended or all descended. discords of irregular transition 2. The highest part in a compos i- Pa ing notes introduced between tion for several voices (Fr. de us, two other notes in the accented part soprona); the soprano; or treble; of a measure. They are not nece ary hence, also, the highest part of an to the harmony but serve to soften instrumental composition; the highest the pa age. of an allied group of instruments, as discords of regular transition the violin among stringed instru- Notes introduced in the weak part ments; and the highest register of an of a measure, between two other instrument. notes, for the purpose of softening or 3. In connection with the last melodizing a pa age. Such pa ing named use of the word, the term has mony, notes are not e ential to the harbeen applied in Germany to the cla of organ stops which extend through discords of suspension only the treble half of the keyboard. A discord of suspension is one pro- Discant, as a verb, to make a disduced by one of the notes of a chord cant, to sing or play two parts simul being held over, while another chord taneously, one of which goes up while foreign to the suspended note is the other goes down, played or sung. discant clef discords of syncopation The soprano clef, the C A discord of syncopation is one proclef placed on the first line duced by the movement of one part of the staff; now obsolete. of a piece of music; for example, the Discant ist (dis-kant-tesf) Ger. n. treble, in syncopated, irregularly A soprano singer. accented time, while another moves Discantsaite (dis-kant'-zi'-te) Ger. n. smoothly in the regular rhythm. In A treble string. this way a note in the treble may give place to another note, forming a dis-