responsory
/rɪˈspɒns(ə)ri
/noun (plural responsories)
(In the Christian Church) an anthem said or sung by a soloist and choir after a lesson.I was introduced to his music by something he probably considered rather minor: a little book of hymns and responsories for the church year....
- The chants set were Vespers responsories, Mass graduals, and alleluias, and perhaps some processional antiphons.
- Prime refers to the Divine Office, the regimen of worship separated into daily ‘hours’ - those psalms, canticles, hymns, responsories, antiphons, and so on, distinct from the mass.
Origin
Late Middle English: from late Latin responsorium, from Latin respons- 'answered' from the verb respondere (see respond).