Refrain
Recurring part of a song.
What it means
The refrain (German Kehrreim) is the recurring part of a song, in present-day usage mostly called Refrain. It follows every stanza, stays the same in text and music, and thus forms the fixed point of the form. The German expression stresses the recurring; the principle is at home equally in folk music, sacred song, and popular music, and is among the oldest means of order of all.
Musical use
The alternation of stanza and refrain fulfils several tasks. Practically it allows a group to sing along even if they do not know the stanza text — which is why the form is widespread in congregational and communal singing. Musically, the recurrence creates hold and expectation: the refrain is what stays in memory, and the stanzas lead up to it. In liturgical practice, responsorial chant corresponds to this, in which the congregation answers the verses of a cantor. Related is also the rondo, whose theme takes on the role of the refrain.
The refrain is a recurring part of the text at the end of every stanza that is usually also sung with the same melody. It is one of the oldest devices of shaping in folk songs, ballads, and dance songs, because it invites singing along: the community answers the cantor. In medieval poetry, rondeau, virelai, and ballade belong to the forms with a refrain. In popular music the chorus corresponds to it. Musically the refrain acts as a point of rest and a sign of recognition; often it carries the core statement of the song. Sometimes it is altered or intensified at the end.
Performance practice
Keep the refrain stable in tempo and shaping so that it acts as a fixed point, and instead shape the stanzas differently according to their text. Plan an intensification over the sequence of stanzas instead of giving everything right at the start. With congregational singing, watch for a comfortable pitch and a tempo that leaves room to breathe. Give clear entries at the transition from stanza to refrain; most uncertainties arise there. With polyphonic versions, check whether the refrain is set differently from the stanza.
Bear in mind that the refrain in congregational singing enables participation: whoever shapes it too artfully takes away this function. Keep it simple and in a comfortable register.