Des'cant, in medieval music, was the art of adding a part or parts to a melody or subject. The latter being almost invariably given to the tenor, descant came to signify generally the upper part, or air, of a piece. See COUNTERPOINT.
Des'cant
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 3: Catarrh to Dion, p. 771
Source scan(s): p. 0784