Faburden: translation
A technique of improvising three-voiced homorhythmic polyphony described circa 1430 in England. One singer takes a traditional chant melody. Another sings the same melody a perfect fourth above. The third, the "faburdener," sings either a third or a perfect fifth below the chant. The result is a series of open fifth chords, mandatory at the beginning and end, and first-inversion triads.
In 16th-century England faburden referred to a melody composed in counterpoint to a traditional chant, which was then discarded.
See also Discant; Falsobordone; Fauxbourdon.