vierstimmig

Vierstimmig denotes a piece written for four independent vocal lines or parts. The term comes from German: vier means four and Stimme means voice, and it is commonly used to describe four‑part choral music. In practice, the four parts are typically soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, often abbreviated as SATB in English-language usage.

In performance, vierstimmig works may be sung a cappella or with instrumental accompaniment. The voices may share melodic material through polyphonic textures such as canons or fugues, or maintain a clear melody in the soprano with harmonic support from the lower voices. Notation can present four staves, one for each voice, or a condensed two-staff system with multiple voices on each staff.

Historically, the four‑part texture became standard in Renaissance church music and remained dominant through the Baroque period and beyond in choral repertories. It is characteristic of many sacred cantatas, motets, and mass settings, as well as secular choral arrangements. While later pieces sometimes expanded to five or more parts, vierstimmig remains a common descriptor for traditional four‑part choral writing.

See also: choral music, polyphony, SATB, four‑part harmony, Renaissance music.