chorus

¹cho·rus

noun \ˈkȯr-əs\

Definition of CHORUS

1

a : a company of singers and dancers in Athenian drama participating in or commenting on the action; also : a similar company in later plays

b : a character in Elizabethan drama who speaks the prologue and epilogue and comments on the action

c : an organized company of singers who sing in concert : choir; especially : a body of singers who sing the choral parts of a work (as in opera)

d : a group of dancers and singers supporting the featured players in a musical comedy or revue

2

a : a part of a song or hymn recurring at intervals

b : the part of a drama sung or spoken by the chorus

c : a composition to be sung by a number of voices in concert

d : the main part of a popular song; also : a jazz variation on a melodic theme

3

a : something performed, sung, or uttered simultaneously or unanimously by a number of persons or animals <a chorus of boos> <that eternal chorus of: “Are we there yet?” from the back seat — Sheila More>

b : sounds so uttered <visitors are taken to the woods by car to hear the mournful choruses of howling wolves — Bob Gaines>

— in chorus

: in unison <answering in chorus>

Examples of CHORUS

1. We awoke to a chorus of birdsong.
2. The President's policies have been questioned by a growing chorus of critics.

Origin of CHORUS

Latin, ring dance, chorus, from Greek choros

First Known Use: 1567

Related to CHORUS

Synonyms

choir, chorale, consort, glee club

Related Words

ensemble; minstrelsy

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, presto, refrain, riff, segue

Rhymes with CHORUS

Doris, Horace, Horus, loris, Maurice, morris, orris, porous, sorus, torus

²chorus

transitive verb

Definition of CHORUS

: to sing or utter in chorus

Examples of CHORUS

1. The class chorused “Good morning!”.

First Known Use of CHORUS

1826

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, presto, refrain, riff, segue

chorus

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In theatre, a group of actors, singers, or dancers who perform as an ensemble to describe and comment on a play's action. Choral performances, which originated in the singing of dithyrambs in honour of Dionysus, dominated Greek drama until the mid-5th century BC, when Aeschylus added a second actor and reduced the chorus from 50 to 12 performers. As the importance of individual actors increased, the chorus gradually disappeared. It was revived in modern plays such as Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra (1931) and T.S. Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral (1935). Choruses of singers and dancers came to be featured in musical comedies, especially in the 20th century, first as entertainment and later to help develop the plot.