[ri-spon-suh-ree] 
| an anthem sung after a lection by a soloist and choir alternately. |
| re·spon·so·ry (rĭ-spŏn'sə-rē) n. pl. re·spon·so·ries A chant or anthem recited or sung after a reading in a church service. [Middle English responsorie, from Late Latin respōnsōrium, from Latin respōnsus, past participle of respondēre, to respond; see respond.] re·spon·so'ri·al (-sôr'ē-əl, -sōr'-) adj. |
responsory
plainchant melody and text originally sung responsorially-i.e., by alternating choir and soloist or soloists. Responsorial singing of the psalms was adopted into early Christian worship from Jewish liturgical practice. Most frequently the congregation sang a short refrain, such as Amen or Alleluia, between psalm verses sung by a cantor. As medieval plainchant developed, more elaborate refrains (R) were sung by a choir alternating with soloists singing psalm verses (V), producing a musical form R V1 R V2R. The responsory, or refrain, was frequently abbreviated on its repetition. Its text usually related to the meaning of the feast day or the content of the psalm. Only a few such chants survive in this long form, which is now normally curtailed.
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