Choir is a Musical Ensemble Led by a Conductor, Here's its History, Benefits, and Types

Kapanlagi.com - There are various terms in the world of music that are generally known. One of them is a choir, also known as a 'chorus'. A choir is a musical ensemble in one group led by a conductor, singer, and player or musical instrument.

A choir is often performed in various events such as commemorations of national holidays or religious ceremonies. Unlike other music groups, a choir is led by a conductor who guides the musical performance and sometimes also serves as a coach.

In addition to the conductor, a choir also consists of several singers and musicians who play together in groups. That is why a choir produces diverse and beautiful harmony of voice and music. However, there are also types of choirs that do not use instruments and rely solely on vocal sounds.

Before we get to know it until now, a choir has a quite long history. If you are interested in exploring it further, there are also benefits and types of choirs.

Here is an explanation of the meaning of a choir, its history, benefits, and types, as compiled by kapanlagi.com from various sources.

1. Understanding Choirs

(credit: unsplash.com)

As an introduction, it feels incomplete if you do not know the understanding of choirs. Although it has been mentioned in the previous review, it doesn't hurt to remember the understanding of choirs.

A choir is a musical ensemble consisting of a number of singers and music as accompaniment performed by the ensemble. According to the Great Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), an ensemble means a group of musicians who play together regularly.

In other terms, choirs are also known as 'koor'. This term is taken from the Dutch language. There are also other terms in Greek, namely 'choros' and 'choir' in English. However, essentially, choirs have the same meaning, which is a group of musicians that present beautiful harmony with vocal music.

2. The History of Choirs Journey

(credit: unsplash.com)

Based on its history, choir was known 3000 years ago before the ancient Greek era. At that time, choir was mostly performed in religious ceremonies by singing praise songs. These included praise songs to the Sumerian gods, praise songs in the Jewish Synagogue, or praise songs sung in churches. This was done as a form of honoring God by giving praises. That's why the sung praise songs mostly took themes from the Bible. However, as time went by, choir was not only performed as part of religious ceremonies but also non-religious ones. The songs sung started to develop with general themes and varied accompanying music. Although choir music is not as popular as other genres, until now choirs still exist and are performed in various events. Indonesian choirs performed by the nation's children have even achieved many proud achievements.  

3. Understanding Types of Choirs

(credit: unsplash.com)

There are several types of choirs that you can get to know. The following types of choirs are grouped based on singers, voice, genre, or age. Here is a review of the types of choirs.

1. Choirs Based on Voice Type

- Mixed choir is a choir of men and women with soprano, alto, tenor, bass voices (SATB), SSAATTBB, SATBSATB, or satbarb voice types.

- Women's choir is a choir with soprano and alto voices (SSAA). There are also other voice types consisting of three voices: soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto (SMA).

- Men's choir is a choir with tenor, baritone, bass voices (TTBB). Or other voice types according to their technique.

- Children's choir is a choir with SA or SSA voices.

2. Choirs Based on Number of Singers

- Vocal ensemble choir consists of 3 to 12 singers.

- Chamber choir, also known as chamber choir, consists of 12 to 28 singers.

- Grand choir consists of more than 28 singers.

3. Choirs Based on Genre

- Symphonic choir.

- Opera choir.

- Religious song choir.

- Popular song choir.

- Jazz choir.

- Folk song choir.

- Musical performance choir.

4. Benefits of Choir Singing

(credit: unsplash.com)

There are various benefits of choir singing that you should also know. Especially if you are interested in choir singing, knowing what the benefits are can enrich your knowledge in this field of music. Let's take a look at the following explanation about the benefits of choir singing:

- Choir singing can relieve excessive anxiety and stress.

- Calms the brain due to anxiety.

- Individuals who participate in choir singing have lower levels of anxiety compared to those who do not.

- Individuals who participate in choir singing have better physical health because it can improve oxygen circulation.

So that's the understanding of choir singing along with its history, benefits, and types. Of course, by understanding the explanation about choir singing above, it can enrich your knowledge about the world of music, especially choir singing.

Source: liputan6.com, p2k.itbu.ac.id

(kpl/gen/nlw)