WordGarden.ioantiphon
C2Pronunciation
UK
US
- /ˈæntəˌfɑn/
Meanings
Noun
a short liturgical chant or refrain sung or recited responsively, especially before or after a psalm
Beyond the definition
Picture a choir split into two groups—voices rising and falling in call-and-response. That's the heart of an antiphon. In its most common sense, an antiphon is a short hymn-like phrase (often a single line) sung alternately or used as a refrain with psalms and canticles, especially in Christian liturgy. It’s a musical conversation: a leader or one side begins, and the other answers, so the meaning lands through a shared, alternating exchange.
An antiphon is a short chant or refrain used in responsive singing—most often with psalms and canticles—where two choirs, or a leader and a group, answer one another in alternation. The word comes from Greek roots meaning “sounding in reply,” and the practice is closely associated with Jewish and Christian worship traditions in which a text is framed or punctuated by a repeated response.
In Christian liturgical music, such as Gregorian chant, an antiphon is typically the brief text sung before and after a psalm (and sometimes between verses). People also use antiphonal to describe the broader style of performance: two sides trading lines back and forth. Whether it’s a cantor leading a congregation or two halves of a choir mirroring each other, the essence is the same—a structured, reciprocal exchange.
Beyond the chapel or the concert hall, the idea can be used metaphorically. A writer might describe a debate as antiphonal when each claim is met with an immediate, corresponding counter-response. At its core, an antiphon is about voices that answer one another—making meaning through reply.
Examples
- 1
Church music
Before the psalm, the choir sang a short antiphon that the congregation knew by heart.
- 2
Church calendar
The old prayer book includes different antiphons for Advent, Lent, and Easter.
- 3
Musical structure
In the modern piece, the soloist's line works like an antiphon to the choir's response.
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- antiphonnoun