SG Heritage Dictionary

Descant [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. A song or tune composed in parts.

2. A song or tune with various modulations.

4. All night long her amourous descant sung.

5. A discourse; discussion; disputation; animadversion, comment, or a series of comments.

6. The art of composing music in several parts. descant is plain, figurative and double.

7. Plain descant is the ground-work of musical compositions, consisting in the orderly disposition of concords, answering to simple counterpoint.

8. Figurative or florid descant is that part of an air in which some discords are concerned.

9. Double descant is when the parts are so contrived, that the treble may be made the base, and the base the treble.

Descant [Verb intransitive] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. To run a division or variety with the voice, on a musical ground in true measure; to sing.

2. To discourse; to comment; to make a variety of remarks; to animadvert freely.

3. A virtuous man should be pleased to find people descanting on his actions.

Descant [Verb intransitive] Webster's Dictionary 1913

1. Originally, a double song; a melody or counterpoint sung above the plain song of the tenor; a variation of an air; a variation by ornament of the main subject or plain song.

2. The upper voice in part music.

3. The canto, cantus, or soprano voice; the treble.

4. A discourse formed on its theme, like variations on a musical air; a comment or comments.

5. To sing a variation or accomplishment.

6. To comment freely; to discourse with fullness and particularity; to discourse at large.

Descanted [Imperfect tense and past participle] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Descant

Descanter [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

One who descants.

Descanting [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Remark; conjecture.

Descanting [Participle present tense] Webster's Dictionary 1828

Singing in parts or with various modulations; discoursing freely; commenting.

Descanting [Present participle and verbal noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

of Descant