(in the Christian Church) an anthem said or sung by a soloist and choir after a lesson.
‘I was introduced to his music by something he probably considered rather minor: a little book of hymns and responsories for the church year.’
‘The chants set were Vespers responsories, Mass graduals, and alleluias, and perhaps some processional antiphons.’
‘Prime refers to the Divine Office, the regimen of worship separated into daily ‘hours’ - those psalms, canticles, hymns, responsories, antiphons, and so on, distinct from the mass.’
‘What is not said in these notes is that this piece is a responsory, found in most manuscripts on Monday in the first week of Lent.’
Origin
Late Middle English from late Latin responsorium, from Latin respons- ‘answered’ from the verb respondere (see respond).
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