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A choir (/ ˈ k w aɪər / KWIRE), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin chorus, meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words is the music performed by the ensemble.
Chorale melodies are often in Bar form, that is, consisting of a repeated first phrase, called Stollen, and a concluding second phrase. The harmonisation of such a chorale melody may repeat the same harmonisation for both passes of the Stollen, or may present a variant harmonisation on the second pass of the first phrase of the melody.
The place where the singers are based is sometimes called the ritual choir, as opposed to the architectural choir or constructional choir. [ 4 ] The back-choir or retroquire is a space behind the high altar in the choir of a church, in which there may be a small altar standing back to back with the other.
Song structure is the arrangement of a song, [1] and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs.Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and the 12-bar blues.
For example, the listing "STB solos, SATB choir" of Bach's Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, indicates that a performance needs three soloists: soprano, tenor and bass, and a four-part choir. [5] "SATB/SATB" is used when a double choir is required, as in Penderecki's Polish Requiem.
The chorale motet was a type of musical composition in mostly Protestant parts of Europe, principally Germany, and mainly during the 16th century. It involved setting a chorale melody and text as a motet .
Hector Berlioz was the first to use the term "choral symphony" for a musical composition—his Roméo et Juliette.. A choral symphony is a musical composition for orchestra, choir, and sometimes solo vocalists that, in its internal workings and overall musical architecture, adheres broadly to symphonic musical form. [1]
In musical theatre, the ensemble or chorus are the on-stage performers other than the featured players. Ensemble members typically do not play named characters and have few or no spoken lines or solo parts; rather, they sing and dance in unison. An ensemble member may play multiple roles through the course of a show.