The Greek word choros meant the place where a round dance was danced, the round dance itself, or the group that danced it. For a group of singers Latin adapted the loanword chorus for use in worship, and the group then gave its name to its place in the church. Both in the church and in secular settings, groups from ancient times have come together to make music on a higher level than that of the general public.

In the earliest days of Christianity the choir had something of the function of the chorus in ancient drama, taking part in the action as representatives of the pe…