Christian Cyclopedia

(Fr. for “false bass”; Middle Eng.: faburden; It.: falso bordone; Sp.: fabordone). Term for 3-voice setting in which the lowest voice mostly falls a 3d higher than the root of the chord, or true bass; the middle voice is consistently a 4th lower than the top voice. Date of origin unknown; some hold as early as the 10th c.; in MSS of ca. 1300. Often used in connection with plainsong (see Gregorian Music); used by such masters as J. S. Bach,* L. v. Beethoven,* J. Brahms,* and W. A. Mozart.*