Plural of descant; high ornamental melodic lines sung or played above the main melody in music.
From Old French 'deschant' ultimately from Latin 'discantus' (singing apart). The musical technique emerged in medieval Europe when singers began improvising independent melodic lines above liturgical chants.
The invention of descants in medieval times was literally the birth of harmony—before then, most music was just one line, but descants created the beautiful layering we now hear in everything from pop to classical music.
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