The lowest voice part in medieval and Renaissance vocal music, or the singer who performs this part.
From Medieval Latin 'bassus,' meaning low, the Latin root that gave rise to 'bass,' 'basso,' and related terms across European languages.
In Renaissance motets and mass settings, 'bassus' was the fundamental voice that other parts were built upon—it literally means 'the low one' and is the ancestor of all our modern bass terminology.
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