Category:Antiphons

An Antiphon (French: Antienne) is a musical form associated with psalmody, particularly the antiphonal singing of the psalms by two choirs during the canonical hours, and resembles a refrain in that it both precedes and follows the psalm or canticle. Certain processions of the mass such as the introit and communion are accompanied by antiphons, though these are usually refered to as introitus or communio, "antiphon" by itself being understood as belonging to the Divine Office (the offertory is another antiphon, that lost its verses at an early stage). The four devotional hymns sung in honor of Mary are called votive antiphons or Marian antiphons as well.

Originally in Latin, many antiphons have been translated to other languages, and have been used as the setting of motets and other choral material.