RESPONSORIAL SINGING

style of singing in which a leader alternates with a chorus. Responsorial singing is found in the folk music of many culturese.g., American Indian, African, and African American. One example from the rural United States is the lining out of hymns in churches: a leader sings a hymn line, which is then repeated by the congregation. Responsorial singing of the psalms was practiced in ancient Hebrew and early Christian liturgies. Compare antiphonal singing.