descant
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A pair of harps, placed antiphonally in boxes at opposite sides of the stage, plus a theorbo, offer an otherworldly descant, as do the sounds of the celesta and chimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The Hynde storyline, which includes her messing around with songs on an acoustic guitar, runs as a kind of descant against the personal and professional noise of the Pistols.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2022
With no lines to address it, this extension of the theme of assumed privilege can only serve as a descant to the others, but sometimes that’s enough.
From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2018
On the one hand a piece of garage-rock r'n'b, on the other a platter of disorienting descant in which lines from the poem are picked up at random and repeated as a series of conflicting refrains.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 16, 2010
Attention is naturally drawn to high notes, so a part that is higher than the melody is sometimes given a special name such as "descant."
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Vocabulary lists containing descant
Music - Middle School
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Music - High School
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 2
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