bourdons

Bourdons is the plural form of bourdon, a French term with several related meanings in biology and music. In French, bourdon can refer to a bumblebee (the large, fuzzy bee in the genus Bombus) and, more specifically, to the drone, the male bee produced by a honeybee colony. In English-language contexts, bourdon or bourdons is often used to describe either the drones of bees or a musical drone: a sustained pitch or set of pitches that underpins a melody.

In entomology, bourdons are drones, the male bees in honeybee colonies. Drones are typically larger and have eyes that meet along the top of the head. They do not forage or sting and their primary role is to mate with virgin queens from other colonies. Drones are usually produced seasonally and are often expelled from the hive as winter approaches or when resources are scarce.

In music, bourdon denotes a sustained drone or pedal point. It functions as a continuous harmonic foundation beneath a melody or multiple parts. The term is used in organ music, medieval and Renaissance polyphony, and in descriptions of related techniques such as fauxbourdon, which involve parallel or linked drone-like lines. When used in plural, bourdons can refer to multiple drone parts or voices sounding simultaneously.

Bourdons thus covers both a biological sense associated with male bees and a musical sense associated with a continuous tonal foundation, reflecting a common thread of sustained presence in both domains.