What is a choir?
In music, the word “choir” generally has three meanings: a group of performers, music for a group of singers, and the part of a song that is repeated after a verse.
Chorus in drama
The chorus can be traced back to the dramas of ancient Greece, where a group of actors danced, sang, and delivered.Initially, the choir sang lyrical hymns to honor Dionysus, the god of ecstasy and wine.These lyrical hymns are known as dithyramb.During the 6th century BC, Thespis, a poet also known as “the inventor of tragedy,” was said to be an instrument in the birth of the dramatic chorus.Since then, the number of performers in a chorus has changed:
- The playwright Aeschylus reduced the number of choir members from 50 to 12. Originally, there was only a choir director, but he also added a second actor.
- The tragic playwright Sophocles, known for his play Oedipus the King, added 15 actors to the choir, but their roles were diminished.He also added a third actor.
- In the 3rd century BC, the tragic chorus no longer existed, but the comedy chorus was still present, although the number of performers shrank to only 7.
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