Essence of the choir and its realization in the Western Europe cultural context

The authors view choral performance as a phenomenal, profound, and subtle phenomenon, combining collectivity, the human voice, and music. They note that choral art is often closely associated with the religious sphere due to the choral art's ancient history, the importance of its religious aspect for people over centuries and millennia, and the spiritual potential it offers both for individuals and for social unity. The authors believe that choral performance has potential, citing the observed revitalization of the choral movement in our time, marked by the loss of past cultural landmarks and cultural content. In examining the history and development of the choral movement in Western Europe, the article highlights the interconnectedness of the cultural context of the region and individual countries with the characteristics of choral performance. This, the authors argue, reflects the active sociocultural dynamics of the region as a whole, as well as the role of creative individuals striving to meet the needs of the times and society. An important factor was the “secularity” of Western European culture, for which both religion and religious art are a reason for deep psychologism, attention to individuality, aesthetics, and an organic and creative complementarity of the secular and religious, professional and amateur.