Which term refers to the added voice sounding a fifth away from the cantus?

Which term refers to the added voice sounding a fifth away from the cantus?

• A. Vox Organalis
• B. Vox Principalis
• C. Organum
• D. Trouvere

Answer: (A)

In this musical texture, the added line that accompanies the cantus firmus is called the Vox Organalis. This voice, which often sits at an interval like a perfect fifth above the cantus, provides the harmonic color of organum by moving against or in parallel with the cantus. The cantus firmus itself is referred to as the Vox Principalis—the main melody. Organum is the general genre of this early polyphony, and Trouvere is unrelated to the concept of the added voice. So the term for the added voice sounding a fifth away from the cantus is Vox Organalis.

In this musical texture, the added line that accompanies the cantus firmus is called the Vox Organalis. This voice, which often sits at an interval like a perfect fifth above the cantus, provides the harmonic color of organum by moving against or in parallel with the cantus. The cantus firmus itself is referred to as the Vox Principalis—the main melody. Organum is the general genre of this early polyphony, and Trouvere is unrelated to the concept of the added voice. So the term for the added voice sounding a fifth away from the cantus is Vox Organalis.