Choral Music

If the urge to sing has always been something primal, then the urge to sing
with others has been just as strong. From ritualistic chanting to ecstatic
expressions of religious feeling, choral singing is an essential part of the
Western musical tradition. The repertory of music for multiple voices is
enormous, beginning with Gregorian chant, moving through the
development of polyphony in the Renaissance , and extending to the
present day.

It was in the Renaissance that the "standard" four-part choral
configuration (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) was established, allowing for
a full, rich musical texture. Up until as late as the 19th century, most choirs
were exclusively male--thanks to a dictum from Saint Paul. So, boys
(and later castrati) were used to sing the soprano and alto parts.

In the Medieval and Renaissance eras, sacred choral music was sung a
capella (literally, "in the chapel"), meaning that there was no instrumental
accompaniment. Most of the choral music performed in our concert halls
is choral-orchestral, a tradition that began in the Baroque

Choral music is still primarily sacred, even today, but beginning in the 19th
century, a repertory of secular music was developed. Much of this secular
music is for small vocal ensembles in which there is only one singer per
part. Schubert and Brahms, for example, wrote songs for three or four
voices that follow the tradition of the German art song.