Monochoral

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or characterized by a single choir or group of singers performing together in unison or harmony
2. Pertaining to one musical chorus or ensemble that delivers a piece without multiple vocal groups or interweaving parts
3. Concerning a single vocal ensemble that performs collectively as one, without the presence of contrasting or multiple choirs

Etymology: Monochoral is a modern musicological coinage built from Greek roots. "Mono-" means "one" or "single," and "choral" comes from "chorus," which in English has meant a group of singers since the sixteenth century, ultimately from Greek "khoros," a dancing and singing ring. Music historians use the adjective to contrast a single choir performing a work with polychoral music, where separate choirs answer or alternate with one another, as in the Venetian works of Giovanni Gabrieli around 1600. The term is not a word of ancient Greek or Roman music, which had no concept of a polychoral work to set it against. It was formed in the modern era, when scholars needed precise labels for different performance textures in the history of sacred and Renaissance music.