Choral concerto

The choral concerto (Russian: хоровой концерт, khorovoy kontsert, Ukraininan: Хоровий концерт, khorovyj kontsert, occasionally known as "vocal concerto" or "church concerto") is a genre of sacred music which arose in Russian Empire in the middle of the seventeenth century and remained popular into the early nineteenth century. Choral concertos are short compositions for unaccompanied voices, typically containing multiple and distinct sections, with occasional soloistic interludes. The text of the compositions was usually selected from the psalms and other biblical texts, with occasional settings from feast day sequences. Choral concertos were intended for liturgical use; they were sung at the point in the Divine Liturgy when clergy were taking Holy Communion, before the Communion of the faithful.

Despite their name, they do not necessarily have to conform to the concerto style in Western classical music. The works were extremely varied in style, incorporating such diverse elements as folk music, popular song, dance, and march music; this adaptability contributed to the longevity and popularity of the choral concerto as a genre.

Eastern Orthodox music has ancient Byzantine roots, with a particular focus on chants. Traditions such as Znamenny chant are uniquely Russian, and are a distinguishing feature of Russian Orthodox church music. Russia also has a rich culture of folk music.

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