Refrain

A refrain is a verse or group of verses that is repeated at intervals in a piece of music or poetry. In song, it is often called the chorus. The refrain is often very different from the verse in melody, rhythm, and harmonics. It usually has a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation.

Origin

The word comes from the vulgar Latin word refringere, and later from the Old French refraindre, both of which mean "to repeat".^[1]

Music

In music, a refrain has two parts: the lyrics of the song, and the melody. Sometimes refrains use slightly different words as they are repeated. Such lines are still able to be recognised as part of the refrain by the fact that it is always has the same tune or melody. The rhymes, if present, are also kept even if the words are sometimes different. In popular music, the chorus contrasts with the verse, which leads into it, while the bridge contrasts with and leads into both. Many popular songs from the middle of the 20th century consist only of a chorus.^[2]

Related pages

• Hymn
• Repetition
• Pop music
• Rock music
• Church music
• Gregorian chant
• Verse-chorus form