contratenor bassus
vocal music
Quick Summary
In 13th–16th century polyphonic music, the contratenor bassus was a voice part that developed into the modern bass range. It emerged alongside the contratenor altus (modern alto) from the earlier contratenor part, which was written above the tenor part that held the main melody, or cantus firmus. As four-part writing became common, these distinct bass and alto parts solidified. The term tenor itself evolved from referring to the melody-holding part to denoting the vocal range between alto and bass.1
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