# Singing: What's This Technique Called?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 20, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114 "2008-04-20T15:03:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114/1 "2008-04-20T15:03:32Z")

</div>

My 8 year old daughter is in a dance recital where an older girl is singing a solo, kinda. But, the younger girls are kinda all singing a response to the soloist. Is there a name for this technique? It is not truly in a responsive nature, however. To help clarify, the soloist has a solo part, and the young girls sing to her before and after her part…as they dance around her.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114/2 "2008-04-20T15:10:03Z")

</div>

Oddly, I have never heard it called anything but “Call and response.” We ought to get a nice Italian name for it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114/3 "2008-04-20T23:30:02Z")

</div>

Ditto for “call and response,” which is also a prominent feature in contemporary Afro-pop (as in West African juju).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ragerdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d07c76/32.png) [@ragerdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ragerdude)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114/4 "2008-04-21T01:58:16Z")

</div>

In sacred music, this is called “antiphonal.” Two parts (or two choirs) alternate their singing to one another, almost like a dialogue.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114/5 "2008-04-21T07:18:01Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=ragerdude]  
In sacred music, this is called “antiphonal.” Two parts (or two choirs) alternate their singing to one another, almost like a dialogue.  
[/QUOTE]  
Close, but I believe _antiphonal_ involves two singing groups of equal strength, so that wouldn’t apply to a soloist alternating with a choir.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-whats-this-technique-called/446114/6 "2008-04-21T12:10:04Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=t-bonham@scc.net]  
Close, but I believe _antiphonal_ involves two singing groups of equal strength, so that wouldn’t apply to a soloist alternating with a choir.  
[/QUOTE]  
Loud Howard wishes to disagree. Bring earplugs.