?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1879) VII. 39 Fulbertus..made in the lawde of that blissede virgyn..these ij. responsoryes [a1387 J. Trevisa tr. respondes; L. responsoria], ‘Stirps Jesse’ and ‘Solem justitiæ’.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. SSSiii^v In matynes commonly be .iii. orbes,..of the whiche, euery orbe conteyneth .iii. psalmes .iii. lessons, & .iii. responsoryes.

1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 895/2 The Responsorie, which is called the Gradual (being wont to be songe at the steps going vp) with alleluya.

1638 J. Mede Wks. (1672) 60 The Jews in their Divine Lauds were wont to praise God after this manner, in Antiphons or Responsories.

1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory iii. 190/2 The Responsory being sung, and some Prayers said, they return from Church.

1763 R. Burn Eccl. Law I. 38 The invitatories, responsories, verses, collects, and whatever is said or sung in the quire.

1783 H. Blair Lect. Rhetoric II. xli. 389 Their Poetry, when set to music, naturally divided itself into a succession of strophes and antistrophes correspondent to each other; whence, it is probable, the origin of the Antiphon, or Responsory, in the public religious service of so many Christian churches.

1845 J. Lingard Hist. & Antiq. Anglo-Saxon Church (ed. 3) II. App. a. 363 The responsories..indicated by the initial words of each versicle.

1877 J. D. Chambers Divine Worship Eng. 90 The Clerks ought continually to stand unless when a Responsory is sung.

1921 Musical Times 62 372/1 The usual polyphonic music has been executed, without organ: the responsories, lamentations, and psalms of Palestrina, Victoria, Viadana, &c.

1993 Time Out 31 Mar. 100/3 Simon Dearsley directs a reenactment of the service of Tenebrae with settings of the Good Friday responsories and lamentations by Gesualdo, Lassus and Victori, plus Allegri's Miserere.

1621 D. Calderwood Altar of Damascus vii. sig. N4^v When he [sc. the priest] commeth to the sickmans presence, he kneeleth downe, and prayeth his prescript lines for forgivenes of sinnes, with two kyrie eleesons, and one Christe eleeson, the Lords prayer, and some other versicles and responsories.

a1649 R. Crashaw Carmen Deo Nostro (1652) 33 The Versicle... The Responsory.

1762 Evening-office of Church (ed. 2) Direct. 3 Then is sung the Hymn with its Verse and Responsory.

1644 J. Milton Areopagitica 8 Sometimes 5 Imprimaturs are seen together dialogue-wise in the Piatza of one Title page... These are the prety responsories, these are the deare Antiphonies that so bewitcht of late our Prelats, and their Chaplaines with the goodly Eccho they made.

1649 J. Milton Εικονοκλαστης xxiv. 195 Which if I should repeat again, would turn my answers into Responsories, and begett another Liturgie.

a1677 J. Taylor Contempl. State Man (1684) ii. ii. 188 What shall it be to be Celebrated by all the Angels and Saints in Celestial Responsories?

1576 A. Fleming Panoplie Epist. To Rdr. sig. ¶v ^v Of letters there be sundrie sortes [margin] Exhortatorie, Accusatorie, Intercessorie, Commendatorie, Excusatorie, Congratulatorie, Responsorie.

1586 A. Day Eng. Secretorie i. sig. D2 To these are manie letters Responsorie.

1602 W. Fulbecke Parallele or Conf. Law i. 58 Before..the libel [is] exhibited in Court, & notice taken thereof by the def. by some responsory acte.

1634 W. Boswell Let. 25 July in J. Mede Wks. (1672) iv. Ep. xxxv. 791 Divers other Letters Responsory to Beverovicius have been long expected.

1661 W. Johnson Novelty Represt sig. S8^v As Baronius testifyes out of Arcadiu's responsory Epistle to Innocentius.

1737 L. Clarke Compl. Hist. Bible I. i. 106 Job..maintains his Virtue in responsory Speeches successively to every one of theirs.

1620 W. Hart tr. F. de Croÿ Three Conformities i. xxx. 76 They sung responsarie Letanies with their little verses, and Peans in honour of their Gods.

1641 R. Baillie Parallel Compar. Liturgie with Masse-bk. iii. 28 The Versicle responsory to this is the fourth verse.

1659 H. L'Estrange Alliance Divine Offices 146 The first part of it, whose responsory terminations are ‘Have Mercy upon us’.

1713 J. Kersey New Eng. Dict. (ed. 2) A Responsory Song, an Anthem in which the Quiristers sing by turns.

1790 W. Jones Serm. Moral & Relig. II. vi. 177 The responsory form of our chanting by alternate singing in the choir is agreeable to the heavenly worship of the seraphim.

1832 W. Palmer Origines Liturg. I. 257 When this psalm is used in the place of Nunc dimittis, it is as a responsory psalm, according to the practice of many churches.

1880 Grove's Dict. Music I. 305/2 The ‘Cantate’ is to be considered as a ‘responsory psalm’ coming between the lessons.

1956 Southern Folklore Q. Sept. 178 (title of article) Rhapsodies of Salvation: Negro Responsory Hymns.

1999 E. Mazza Celebration of Eucharist xvi. 264 The readings are separated by a psalm, understood as a responsory song.