Choir

Definition and Meaning

A choir is a group of church members who offer praise in choral song at an appointed point in worship on behalf of the congregation (the whole body of believers gathered for worship). In Korean churches, two names are used side by side, seonggadae (聖歌隊, "company that sings sacred songs") and chanyangdae ("praise choir"), and usage varies from church to church. When a church has several choirs, each may be assigned to a different service and given a name such as "Zion," "Hosanna," or "Hallelujah."

Biblical and Historical Background

The Levitical singers of the Old Testament are commonly cited as the basis for the choir. In 1 Chronicles 15:16, David had singers appointed from among the Levites, and 1 Chronicles 25 records that the descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were charged with leading praise. 2 Chronicles 5:12–13 describes the Levitical singers praising together at the dedication of the Temple, and Nehemiah 12:31 records the appointment of companies to give thanks at the dedication of the wall.

In church history, choirs of trained singers devoted to sacred chant developed in the medieval church. After the Reformation, Protestantism emphasized hymns sung by the whole congregation, but the tradition of a choir providing music for worship also continued.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the choir usually sings one piece during the Sunday morning service, either before the sermon or during the offering. Members often wear robes, the choir has a conductor and an accompanist, and it meets separately for rehearsal before or after the service. At Christmas and Easter, choirs commonly perform a cantata (a choral work that tells a story). Members are drawn from believers holding various church offices, such as deacon and kwonsa (exhorter), and the head of the choir is frequently an elder. Larger churches sometimes pay an honorarium to the conductor or soloists.

The way a choir is run depends more on a church's size and style of worship than on its denomination. In churches that emphasize liturgy (a fixed order and form of worship), such as the Anglican Church of Korea, the choir sings the responses and anthems throughout the service. In Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and similar churches, the choir generally sings a choral anthem at a designated point in the service. In open worship services and young adult services, however, a band-style worship team may take the choir's place, and some small churches have no separate choir at all.