Choir
A choir (or chorus) is a body of singers performing as a group, usually, but not always, singing in harmony. A
modern choir consists usually of 4
sections of singers, who sing the Soprano Alto, Tenor and Bass parts.
Choirs date back to ancient history, they are described by the Greek writer
Homer in 850 BC. Before the renaissance,
most choral singing was monophonic, that is all voices sang in unison. Church
choirs consisted of men and boys only, as women were prohibited from
participating by the church authorities.
Polyphonic music for choirs with 4 or more parts reached a peak with
Palestrina
in the renaissance In the
classical
period there was a revival of baroque choral music, and town and village choirs
sprang up to sing Handel's choral works,
especially the Messiah. These choirs most definitely did include women! Such
amateur choirs flourish today, singing a broad variety of music including
Gilbert and Sullivan's operettas,
popular musicals such as Oklahoma, as well as the traditional choral favourites
such as the Bach and
Handel
oratorios.