Gospel Music Origins
October 1st, 2009
In (mostly) black gospel music what is the origin of the term “mass choir”?
I’ve gotten interested in contemporary urban black gospel music. Many of the typical choir based groups use the same name format of the (Fill in the Blank) Mass Choir. I get what the choir reference is but what does the Mass refer to?
Actually, in many churches the mass choir is the combined grouping of its other choirs. A church may have a Men’s Chorus that sings on 1st Sundays, a Youth Choir that sings on 2nd Sundays, a Contemporary Choir that sings on 3rd Sundays, etc. The Mass Choir combines the members of the aforementioned choirs.
Ashley Cleveland Interview: Origins of Gospel Music