Fauxbourdon, or Faburden
From the French, meaning “false bass,” this fifteenth-century term is used to describe a style of composition in which the melody, usually a plainsong tune, is moved to a lower voice, often the tenor. Since much early chant-based music found the melody in the lower or bass voice, music in this style was given the name “fauxbourdon.” Early examples of what later became known as Anglican chant were written as fauxbourdon.
Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors.