Everything about Antiphon totally explained
» This article is about the musical term. See Antiphon (person) the orator of ancient Greece.
An
antiphon is a response, usually sung in
Gregorian chant, to a
psalm or some other part of a religious service, such as at
Vespers or at a
Mass. This meaning gave rise to the
antiphony style of singing, see
call and response.
The word is of
Greek origin, αντί (opposite) + φωνη (voice).
A piece of music which is performed by two semi-independent
choirs interacting with one another, often singing alternate musical phrases, is known as
antiphonal. In particular,
antiphonal psalmody is the
singing or musical playing of
psalms by alternating groups of performers. The peculiar mirror structure of the Hebrew
psalms renders it probable that the antiphonal method originated in the services of the ancient Israelites. According to the historian Socrates, its introduction into Christian worship was due to
Ignatius of Antioch (died
107), who in a vision had seen the angels singing in alternate choirs. In the Latin Church it wasn't practised until more than two centuries later, when it was introduced by
Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who compiled an
antiphonary, or collection of works suitable for antiphonal singing (also known as an
antiphonal). The antiphonary still in use in the Roman
Roman Catholic Church was compiled by
Gregory the Great (
590).
Antiphony is particularly common in the
Anglican musical tradition, where the choir divides into two equal halves on opposite sides of the
quire as
Decani and
Cantoris.
Antiphons are an used as an integral part of the worship in the
Greek Orthodox church and the
Eastern Catholic churches.
The
Indian concept
sawal-jawab ("question" and "answer") can be considered antiphonal. The alteration of individual notes or pitches is
hocket.
Antiphon can also be used outside of a strict musical or
liturgical context to mean a more general response. When used in this way the word often maintains its
religious connotation.
Polychoral Antiphony
When two or more groups of singers sing in alternation the style of music can also be called
polychoral. Specifically, this term is usually applied to music of the late
Renaissance and early
Baroque. Polychoral techniques are a definitive characteristic of the music of the
Venetian school, exemplified by the works of
Giovanni Gabrieli; this music is often known as the
Venetian polychoral style. The Venetian polychoral style was an important innovation of the late
Renaissance, and this style, with its variations as it spread across Europe after 1600, helps to define the beginning of the
Baroque era. Polychoral music wasn't limited to
Italy in the Renaissance; it was popular in Spain and Germany, and there are examples from the 19th and 20th centuries, from composers as diverse as
Hector Berlioz,
Igor Stravinsky and
Karlheinz Stockhausen.
The Greater Advent Antiphons
O sapientia:
(External Link
)
O Adonai:
(External Link)
See
O AntiphonsFurther Information
Get more info on 'Antiphon'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://antiphon.totallyexplained.com">Antiphon Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
