Cantus firmus
Dufay – mass cantus firmus, derived from "Se la face ay pale". [1] Play ( help · info ) In music, a cantus firmus ("fixed song") 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. The Italian is often used instead: canto fermo (and the plural in Italian is canti fermi ). Contents 1 History 2 As a teaching tool 3 As metaphor 4 References 5 Further reading History The term first appears in theoretical writings early in the 13th century (e.g., Boncampagno da Signa, Rhetorica novissima , 1235). [2] The earliest polyphonic compositions almost always involved a cantus firmus, typically a Gregorian chant, although by convention the term is not applied to music written before the 14th c...