How did antiphonal singing use two choirs in different parts of a church?

Antiphonal singing, or the practice of alternating between two choirs, was a technique used to create musical contrast within a church setting. In this arrangement, the two choirs were typically positioned on opposite sides of the church or in separate galleries, such as those found at St. Mark’s in Venice.12

This method of performance, often referred to as cori spezzati (split choirs), allowed for the alternating delivery of psalms, canticles, and masses. In practice, the two choirs might sing the text in alternation, or one choir might sing a short refrain—known as an antiphon—between verses sung by the other. This structural approach, which dates back to ancient Hebrew and early Christian liturgies, was further developed into complex polychoral compositions by composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli.123