La Matanza Church, Chaco, Argentina (7296998772)

Congregational singing is the practice of the

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship * Congregation (Roman Curia), an adminis ...

participating in the music of a church, either in the form of

hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn' ...

or a

metrical Psalms A metrical psalter is a kind of Bible translation: a book containing a verse translation of all or part of the Book of Psalms in vernacular poetry, meant to be sung as hymns in a church. Some metrical psalters include melodies or harmonisatio ...

or a free form Psalm or in the form of the office of the liturgy (for example

Gregorian chants Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term ...

). It is contrasted with music being sung exclusively by a

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

or cantor(s). Congregational singing was largely the invention of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. Before then, singing in churches, especially in larger urban churches, was largely left to professionals. The reformationists in Strasbourg, in particular, reduced the church service largely to a sermon bookended by congregational singing and prayers.

References

External links

Search me, O God, and know my heart today
- example of congregational singing in a Presbyterian church Church music {{Christian-music-stub