Chorale

Chorale

A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character.

Chorales tend to have simple and singable tunes, because they were originally intended to be sung by the congregation rather than a professional choir. They generally have rhyming words and are in a strophic form (with the same melody being used for different verses). Within a verse, most chorales follow the AAB pattern of melody that is known as the German Bar form.

Martin Luther posited that worship should be conducted in German rather than Latin. He thus saw an immediate need for a large repertory of new chorales. He composed some chorale melodies himself, such as A Mighty Fortress. For other chorales he used Gregorian Chant melodies used in Catholic worship and fitted them with a new German text. A famous example is Christ lag in Todes Banden, which is based on the tune of the Catholic Easter Sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes.

Chorales were at first monophonic tunes (melody only). However, as early as 1524, Johann Walter published a book of these chorales arranged for four or five voice parts.

Today, many of the Lutheran chorales are familiar as hymns still used in Protestant churches, sung in four-voice harmony. Often the harmonizations are taken from the final movements of cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach. The melodies of the chorales were only in a few instances composed by Bach; the large majority of melodies were already familiar to his congregation.

Chorale tunes also appear in chorale preludes, pieces generally for organ designed to be played immediately before the chorale in worship. A chorale prelude includes the melody of the chorale, and adds other contrapuntal lines. One of the first composers to write chorale preludes was Samuel Scheidt. Bach's many chorale preludes are the best-known examples of the form. Later composers of the chorale prelude include Johannes Brahms and Max Reger.

Derived from his understanding of musical settings of liturgy and Johann Sebastian Bach's chorale preludes, the symphonies, masses and motets of Anton Bruckner make frequent use of the chorale as a compositional device, often in contrast to and combination with the fugue.

Chorales have been the subject of many different musical treatments, most but not all from the German Baroque. See chorale setting for a description and a list of all the different types of musical setting and transformation that this important liturgical form has undergone.

References and further reading

  • "Chorale", in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1-56159-174-2
  • The New Harvard Dictionary of Music, ed. Don Randel. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 1986. ISBN 0-674-61525-5

See also

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chorale — et orchestre en disposition historique …   Wikipédia en Français

  • chorale — [ kɔral ] n. f. • v. 1926; du lat. chorus « chœur » ♦ Société musicale qui exécute des œuvres vocales, des chœurs. ⇒ chœur; 2. ensemble (vocal). Faire partie d une chorale. La chorale de la paroisse. Diriger une chorale. ⊗ HOM. Choral, corral. ●… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Chorale — ist Namensbestandteil von Café Chorale, Chor in Costa Rica. Chorale Roanne Basket, französischer Basketballverein Siehe auch Choral Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • chorale — 1841, sacred choral song, from Ger. Choral metrical hymn in Reformed church, shortened from Choralgesang choral song, translating M.L. cantus choralis, from L. cantus (see CHANT (Cf. chant)) + choralis (see CHORAL (Cf. choral)). The e was added… …   Etymology dictionary

  • chorale — is derived from German Choral(gesang) and means a stately hymn tune. In AmE it also means a choir or choral society. The final e was added to reinforce the pronunciation with stress on the second syllable (kǝ rahl); compare locale and morale …   Modern English usage

  • chorale — ► NOUN 1) a simple, stately hymn tune, or a composition consisting of a harmonized version of one. 2) chiefly US a choir or choral society. ORIGIN from Latin cantus choralis …   English terms dictionary

  • chorale — or choral [kə ral′, kəräl′] n. [< Ger choral (gesang), choral (song), hymn] 1. a hymn tune, esp. in the Lutheran service, with a simple melody and rhythm 2. a choral or instrumental composition based on such a tune 3. a group of singers; choir …   English World dictionary

  • chorale — /keuh ral , rahl , kaw , koh ; kawr euhl, kohr /, n. 1. a hymn, esp. one with strong harmonization: a Bach chorale. 2. a group of singers specializing in singing church music; choir. [1835 45; < G Choral, short for Choralgesang, trans. of L… …   Universalium

  • Chorale —    Borrowed from the German, where it connotes sacred singing, in English it refers more precisely to Lutheran congregational vernacular hymns and their four voice harmonizations. Martin Luther enthusiastically promoted the chorale as a central… …   Historical dictionary of sacred music

  • chorale — Choral Cho ral, chorale chorale, n. (Mus.) A stately hymn tune; a simple sacred tune, sung in unison by the congregation, used mostly in Protestant (especially Lutheran) churches; as, the Lutheran chorals. [Sometimes written {chorale}.] [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”