Alternatim

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Alternatim refers to a technique of liturgical musical performance. A specific part of the Ordinary of the Mass (such as the Kyrie) would be divided into versets. Each verset would be performed by one of two groups of singers in alternation with the other. Instead of singers, one of these groups may have consisted of a soloist, a group of instruments, or even an organ. A large amount of musical repertoire was specifically written for alternatim performance. Alternatim performance of the Mass was common throughout Europe in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.