The descant is one of the most beautiful aspects of choral music. Many of us know the descant from hearing it in church sung by the choir during a hymn, or from singing a choral piece with a descant written for the sopranos. The word descant can be broken down to help explain its purpose. The word originated from the Latin words dis and cantus, meaning separate song. The word later became discantus then descaunt and then the Middle English dyscant. The prefix des- in today’s word comes from Latin’s dis, meaning separate. This indicates that the descant is separate from the main melody of the piece. The descant is typically also set above the melody which distinguishes it from typical counterpoint. 

The practice of writing a descant originated in the early days of the medieval period. Chants were embellished with improvised counter-melodies that were later developed by Bach into counterpoint. The descant is also a distinct musical feature because it is inherently separate from many arrangements. Many composers write and rewrite the descant long after the original piece is composed. The descant is also a feature of many hymns that are centuries old and is added far after the initial composition. The first instances of the descant being written can be found in the 11th century through the church works of the French composer of sacred music, Pérotin. Today, descants are sung in church over the hymns during major holidays such as Christmas or easter. They are typically sung on the final verse to provide an exciting climax to the piece. Descants, though they can be haunting in quality, provide a thrilling addition to choral works by soaring over the melody adding further depth and dimension to the piece.