Antiphonía

Antiphonía is a term used in liturgical and choral music to describe a short chant or refrain that is sung before and after a text such as a psalm or canticle. It derives from the Greek antíphonía, meaning “opposite sounding,” and originally indicated a dialogue or alternating response between groups of singers.

In Western Christian liturgy, antiphons frame the psalms and canticles in the Divine Office (the Liturgy of the Hours) and in the Mass. They are typically sung by the choir, or by alternating choirs, and serve as a thematic or seasonal link to the feast or text. Antiphons may appear as the Introit, as feast-specific refrains, or as recurring refrains that introduce or conclude psalms.

Antiphony, the performance practice behind antiphons, often involves two choirs or groups located in different places, delivering a call-and-response texture. This spatially distributed singing emphasizes the antiphonal relationship between the groups and creates a characteristic surround of sound.

Eastern Christian traditions, particularly within Byzantine and other Eastern rites, employ antiphons in the psalmody of the liturgical hours as well. The antiphons in these contexts similarly function as refrains that frame scriptural or liturgical texts and reflect the liturgical calendar.

Historically, antiphons appear in medieval manuscript sources and became an established feature of monastic and cathedral rites. In later European polyphony, antiphonal structures influenced the development of framed, alternating-chorus textures. In modern practice, antiphons continue to be used in Catholic and Anglican worship and are performed in both liturgical settings and concert repertoires.