Home › Glossary › Letter C

Chorale stanza

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A stanza form derived from hymn or chorale stanzas, often simple and singable with regular metre and rhyme.

Detailed Definition
A Chorale stanza is a hymn-like quatrain, typically in iambic meter with an ABAB or AABB rhyme scheme, designed for congregational singing; derived from Lutheran chorales, this form emphasizes clarity, doctrinal content, and melodic simplicity, influencing English devotional poetry from Herbert to Watts, where communal faith and lyrical accessibility intertwine.
Example
Example in poetry:
Four-line stanza with ABAB rhyme and iambic meter, often in hymns; Isaac Watts’s “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”; Lutheran chorales adapted into English verse; Modern sacred poetry using this devotional structure
Additional Notes
Hymn stanza structure typically using common meter or short meter, designed for congregational singing. Four-line form with specific rhyme scheme (ABAB or ABCB). Related to ballad stanza but liturgical purpose.
Also Known As
hymn stanza choral stanza
Skip to main content