A refrain (from Vulgar Latin refringere, "to repeat", and later from Old French refraindre) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the villanelle, the virelay, and the sestina.

The use of refrains is particularly associated with where the verse-chorus-verse song structure typically places a refrain in almost every song. The refrain or chorus often sharply contrasts the verse melodically, rhythmically, and harmonically, and assumes a higher level of dynamics and activity, often with added instrumentation. Chorus form, or strophic form, is a sectional and/or additive way of structuring a piece of music based on the repetition of one formal section or block played repeatedly. See also verse-chorus form.

In music, a refrain has two parts: the lyrics of the song, and the melody. Sometimes refrains vary their words slightly when repeated; recognisability is given to the refrain by the fact that it is always sung to the same tune, and the rhymes, if present, are preserved despite the variations of the words. Such a refrain is featured in "The Star-Spangled Banner," which contains a refrain which is introduced by a different phrase in each verse, but which always ends:

O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

A similar refrain is found in the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," which affirms in successive verses that "Our God," or "His Truth." is "marching on."

Refrains usually, but not always, come at the end of the verse. Some songs, especially ballads, incorporate refrains into each verse. For example, one version of the traditional ballad The Cruel Sister includes a refrain mid-verse:

There lived a lady by the North Sea shore,

Lay the bent to the bonny broom

Two daughters were the babes she bore.

Fa la la la la la la la la.

As one grew bright as is the sun,

Lay the bent to the bonny broom

So coal black grew the other one.

Fa la la la la la la la.

. . .

(Note : the refrain of 'Lay the Bent to the Bonny Broom' is not traditionally associated with the ballad of The Cruel Sister (Child #10). This was the work of 'pop-folk' group Pentangle on their 1970 LP 'Cruel Sister' which has subsequently been picked up by many folk singers as being traditional. Both the melody and the refrain come from the ballad known as Riddles Wisely Expounded (Child #1).)

Here, the refrain is syntactically independent of the narrative poem in the song, and has no obvious relationship to its subject, and indeed little inherent meaning at all. The device can also convey material which relates to the subject of the poem. Such a refrain is found in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's Troy Town:

Heavenborn Helen, Sparta's queen,

O Troy Town!

Had two breasts of heavenly sheen,

The sun and moon of the heart's desire:

All Love's lordship lay between,

A sheen on the breasts I Love.

O Troy's down,

Tall Troy's on fire!

. . .

Phrases of apparent nonsense in refrains (Lay the bent to the bonny broom?), and solfege syllables such as fa la la, familiar from the Christmas carol Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, have given rise to much speculation. Some believe that the traditional refrain Hob a derry down O encountered in some English folksongs is in fact an ancient Celtic phrase meaning "dance around the oak tree." These suggestions remain controversial.

In popular music[link]

In popular music the chorus may include the entire AABA section in thirty-two bar form (the bridge consisting of B), or it may consist of every B section (with the bridge being C), as in ABABCAB. The chorus contrasts with the verse, which leads into it, while the bridge contrasts with and leads into both. "Many popular songs, particularly from early in this century, are in a verse and a chorus (refrain) form. Most popular songs from the middle of the century consist only of a chorus."^[1]

A pop chorus is not the same as a refrain. A writer on pop-song theory, Davis^[2] opines that a refrain musically and lyrically resolves a verse and therefore ends it, whereas a chorus begins a distinctively new music section of at least eight bars. A refrain is often a two line repeated lyrical statement commenting on or summarizing the preceding verse, for example:

"Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down"

This contrasts with the chorus of a typical modern pop song, which often consists of more than one line repeated, for example the chorus to Cher's "Believe":

"Do you believe in life after love
I can feel something inside me say
I really don't think you're strong enough, no."

Arranger's chorus[link]

In jazz, an arranger's chorus is where the arranger uses particularly elaborate techniques to exhibit his skill and to impress the listener. This may include use of counterpoint, reharmonization, tone color, or any other arranging device. The arranger's chorus is generally not the first or the last chorus of a jazz performance.^{[citation needed]}

Shout chorus[link]

In jazz, a shout chorus is usually the last chorus of a Big Band arrangement, and is characterized by being the most energetic, lively, and exciting and by containing the musical climax of the piece. A shout chorus characteristically employs extreme ranges, loud dynamics, and a re-arrangement of melodic motives into short, accented riffs. Shout choruses often feature tutti or concerted writing, but may also use contrapuntal writing or call and response between the brass and saxophones, or between the ensemble and the drummer. Additionally, brass players frequently use extended techniques such as falls, doits, turns, and shakes to add excitement.

See also[link]

• Burden (music)
• Hook (music)

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up refrain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Poems of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, inc. Troy Town

v t e Parts of a song Introduction Verse Refrain/Chorus Bridge Solo Guitar Drum Outro Break

Jose Mari Chan (born March 11, 1945) is a Chinese Filipino singer, songwriter and businessman in the sugar industry. He was born in Iloilo City on March 11, 1945. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1967.^[1] He is married to Mary Ann Ansaldo^[2] and has five children, Jose Antonio, Elizabeth Ann, Michael Philip Ciprian, Francisco Rafael and Marie Angelica. Chan also engage in business in addition to his musical career. He is currently Chairman and CEO of BISCOM, Inc. and A. Chan Sugar Corporation. He is also the Chairman and President of Signature Music Inc.

Musical Career[link]

He first appeared on the local scene as the Host & Singer of a Television show called "9 Teeners" of ABS-CBN in 1966. His first single Afterglow was released in 1967.^[3] His first long playing album "Deep in My Heart (album)" was issued in 1969. In 1973 he represented the Philippines in the World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo where his song "Can We Just Stop and Talk A While" went into the final entries.^[4]

In 1975 he moved to the United States for his sugar business and remained there for 11 years. In 1986, he went back to the music industry with the release of his album A Golden Change.^[3]

In 1989, he released his album "Constant Change".^[3] It was named Album of the Year by the Awit Awards, the local equivalent of the American Grammy Awards and reached the Diamond Record in terms of sales. It also sold in other Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

In 1990 his Christmas album "Christmas in Our Hearts" was released.^[3] It reached triple platinum status that same year, eventually earning the Double Diamond Record Award. His 2001 album "A Heart's Journey" won Album of the year in the Awit Awards.

In 2005 he composed "We're All Just One" as the theme song of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.^[5]

In 2011, he released his 13th full length album, The Manhattan Connection: The Songs of Jose Mari Chan. The album, which was produced by Janis Siegel of The Manhattan Transfer. The songs were reimagined by music producer Yaron Gershovsky.^[6]

Awards[link]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Deep in My Heart (1969)
• Can We Just Stop and Talk a While (1973)
• Afterthoughts (1974)
• Here and Now (1975)
• A Golden Collection (1985)
• Constant Change (1989) - 2× Diamond
• Christmas in Our Hearts (1990) - 2× Diamond
• Thank You Love (1994)
• Souvenirs (1998)
• A Heart's Journey (2001) - Awit Awards, Album of the Year
• Strictly Commercial: The Jingles Collection (1997)
• Love Letters and Other Souvenirs (2007)
• The Manhattan Connection" (2011)

Singles[link]

• Beautiful Girl
• Can We Just Stop and Talk A while
• Christmas In Our Hearts
• A Perfect Christmas
• Please Be Careful with My Heart
• Can't We Start Over Again
• Constant Change
• Is She Thinking About Me?
• If We Only Had More Time Together
• Easier Said Than Done
• Love At Thirty Thousand Feet
• My Girl, My Woman, My Friend
• Perhaps Love (with his daughter Liza Chan)
• So I'll Go
• Here and Now
• We're All Just One (2005 SEA Games Theme)
• Afraid for Love to Fade
• Counterpoint to Lennon & McCartney's "Here, There & Everywhere"
• Big Beautiful Country
• Love At 30,000 Feet
• Refrain
• Tell Me Your Name
• Good Old Fashioned Romance
• A Love to Last a Lifetime
• Afterglow
• Deep In My Heart
• Leave You
• High and Mighty
• Night Time
• Mr. Songwriter
• Sing Me Your Song Again, Daddy
• No Rewind, No Replay
• The Sound of Life
• Empty Space

Collaborations[link]

• Gold Ito! (Dyna Music, 1988)
• Ginintuang Diwa ng Pasko (Universal Records, 1989)
• Maayong Pasko (Universal Records, 1990)
• Presence (Universal Records 2002)
• Only Selfless Love 2 (Universal Records, 2003)
• Something More (JesCom Music, 2004)
• Best of OPM Love Songs (Universal Records, 2005)
• Best of OPM Acoustic Hits (Universal Records, 2005)
• OPM Gold Christmas (Universal Records, 2006)
• OPM Superstars Christmas (Universal Records, 2006)
• Sail On...His Most Holy Face (Universal Records, 2006)
• OPM Platinum Christmas (Universal Records, 2007)
• HOPE... Healing Of Pain and Enlightenment (Star Records, 2007)
• No. 1 Signature Hits OPM's Best (Vicor Music Corp., 2008)
• Senti 18 Pinoy Love Hits (Vicor Music Corp., 2008)
• Bongga! (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2008)
• Bongga 2 (The Biggest Retro OPM Hits) (Universal Records, 2009)
• Paalam, Maraming Salamat Pres. Aquino (A Memorial Tribute Soundtrack) (Star Records, 2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Planet Philippines feature - Jose Mari Chan

Lys Assia
Lys Assia (2009)
Background information
Birth name	Rosa Mina Schärer
Born	(1926-03-03) 3 March 1926 (age 86)
Origin	Aargau, Switzerland
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1942–present

Lys Assia (born Rosa Mina Schärer on 3 March 1926, Rupperswil, Aargau, Switzerland) is a Swiss singer who won the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. When Lys Assia was a young girl she was a dancer. In 1940, however, she stood in for a female singer. People who heard her singing liked it, so she changed from dancing to singing.

In 1956 she was the winner of the very first Eurovision Song Contest, in which she sang for Switzerland. She had also been in the German national final of that year and returned to the contest again for Switzerland in 1957 and 1958.

In September 2011, Assia entered her song "C'était ma vie" written by Ralph Siegel and Jean Paul Cara into the Swiss national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan.^[1] The song, however, only came eighth in a closely fought national selection.

Discography[link]

• Oh Mein Papa
• Ein kleiner goldner Ring
• Refrain(s)
• Das alte Karussell
• Holland Mädel
• Jolie Jacqueline
• L'enfant que j'étais
• Giorgio
• C'était ma vie

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lys Assia

• Official homepage

References[link]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by None	Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1956	Succeeded by Corry Brokken with "Net als toen"
Preceded by Debut entry	Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1956 with "Das alte Karussell" and "Refrain" 1957 with "L'enfant que j'étais", 1958 with "Giorgio"	Succeeded by Christa Williams with "Irgendwoher"

v t e Eurovision Song Contest 1956   Countries Final (in order of appearance) Netherlands Switzerland Belgium Germany France Luxembourg Italy   Artists First performance Jetty Paerl Lys Assia Fud Leclerc Walter Andreas Schwarz Mathé Altéry Michèle Arnaud Franca Raimondi Second performance Corry Brokken Lys Assia Mony Marc Freddy Quinn Dany Dauberson Michèle Arnaud Tonina Torrielli   Songs First performance "De vogels van Holland" "Das alte Karussell" "Messieurs les noyés de la Seine" "Im Wartesaal zum großen Glück" "Le temps perdu" "Ne crois pas" "Aprite le finestre" Second performance "Voorgoed voorbij" "Refrain" "Le plus beau jour de ma vie" "So geht das jede Nacht" "Il est là" "Les amants de minuit" "Amami se vuoi" (Note: all countries performed twice)

v t e Eurovision Song Contest 1957   Countries Final Belgium Luxembourg United Kingdom Italy Austria Netherlands {winner) Germany France Denmark Switzerland   Artists Final Bobbejaan Schoepen Danièle Dupré Patricia Bredin Nunzio Gallo Bob Martin Corry Brokken (winner) Margot Hielscher Paule Desjardins Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler Lys Assia   Songs Final "Straatdeuntje" "Amours mortes (tant de peine)" "All" "Corde della mia chitarra" "Wohin, kleines Pony?" "Net als toen" (winner) "Telefon, Telefon" "La belle amour" "Skibet skal sejle i nat" "L'enfant que j'étais" (Note: All information are in order of appearance)

v t e Eurovision Song Contest 1958   Countries Final (in order of appearance) Italy Netherlands France (winner) Luxembourg Sweden Denmark Belgium Germany Austria Switzerland   Artists Final (in order of appearance) Domenico Modugno Corry Brokken André Claveau Solange Berry Alice Babs Raquel Rastenni Fud Leclerc Margot Hielscher Liane Augustin Lys Assia   Songs Final (in order of appearance) "Nel blu diplinto di blu" "Heel de wereld" "Dors, mon amour" "Un grand amour" "Lilla stjärna" "Jeg rev et blad ud af min dagbog" "Ma petite chatte" "Für zwei Groschen Musik" "Die ganze Welt braucht Liebe" "Giorgio" (Note: "Withdrawn" refers to entries that withdrew after applying to enter)

Nana Mizuki (水樹 奈々, Mizuki Nana^?), born Nana Kondō (近藤 奈々, Kondō Nana^?, January 21, 1980), is a popular Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress represented by the agency Sigma Seven.^[1] She was born and raised in Niihama, Ehime, Japan, Mizuki was trained as an enka singer. She made her debut as a voice actress in 1998; however, she released her debut single "Omoi", under the King Records label on December 6, 2000. A year later, she released her debut album, Supersonic Girl on December 5, 2001.^[2]

In the years that followed, Mizuki enjoyed modest success that concluded with the release of her single "Innocent Starter", which reached the top 10 Oricon singles chart, charting at No. 9.^[3] Since then, Mizuki's releases have charted steadily higher in Japan, establishing her as a successful singer in the country. Despite this, she remains a prolific voice actress, with over 130 voice roles in separate media. On June 3, 2009, her album Ultimate Diamond reached #1, her first release to do so;^[4] while her single "Phantom Minds", released on January 13, 2010, also charted at #1.^[5] Mizuki is the first voice actress to top the weekly Oricon albums chart and the weekly Oricon singles chart since its inception in 1968.^[5][6]

Early life[link]

Born in Niihama, Ehime, Japan, she began to train in enka when she was five years old.^[7] In 1993, she released Compact Cassette single "Tsugazakura" (つがざくら^?, lit. "Phyllodoce Nipponica") as "Nana Kondo".^[8] However, she passed the audition of game Noël: La Neige and became a voice actress.^[7]

Career[link]

Mizuki released an image song single titled "Girl's Age" under the name Chisato Kadokura in 1998. When she performed a concert at the age of 20, she was scouted by the Japanese record label King Records. Her debut single as Nana Mizuki, "Omoi", was released on December 6, 2000. Her 2004 song "Innocent Starter" became her first Top 10 single and her 2005 single "Eternal Blaze" reached No. 2 position on Japanese Oricon weekly single charts.^[7]

Mizuki won the "Best Musical Performance" award by her song "Justice to Believe" in the first Seiyū Awards in 2007. Since her seventh album Ultimate Diamond debuted at the No. 1 position on Oricon weekly album charts during the week of June 15, 2009, she became the first voice actress to reach the No. 1 position on the Oricon weekly album or single charts since its creation in 1968.^[9] Ultimate Diamond sold over 74,000 copies in the first week.^[4] In addition, her 21st single, "Phantom Minds", became the first voice actress single to top the charts, debuting at the No. 1 position on the issue of Oricon weekly single charts dated January 25, 2010.

On November 23, 2009, NHK announced that Mizuki would take part in the 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen of New Year's Eve. It was Mizuki's first time appearing on the show. Nana chose her song "Shin'ai" for her performance.^[10][11]

Many of the characters whom she has voiced were initially very shy/soft-spoken (however, after interactions with other people, they gradually opened up (e.g. Fate, Lili, Nyamo, Hinata, and Wrath), six of her characters have romantic feelings for the main characters (e.g. Oboro from Basilisk, Hinata Hyūga from Naruto, Colette Brunel from Tales of Symphonia, Tamao Tamamura from Shaman King and Moka Akashiya from Rosario + Vampire, while Fate Testarossa from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha is left ambiguous in this regard), some of her characters craved maternal attention (e.g. Fate Testarossa from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and its sequels A's and StrikerS, Wrath and Maria), and she was also part of the voice actress quartet "Prits", alongside Yumiko Kobayashi, Natsuko Kuwatani and Hisayo Mochizuki (all four voiced characters in the anime Sister Princess). Nana Mizuki voices Microsoft's Japanese Windows 7 unofficial "OS-tan" mascot, Nanami Madobe. The mascot's name uses some wordplay on Mizuki's own name as well as the operating system ("Nana" = "seven").^[12][13]

In the middle of February 2010, Mizuki became her hometown (Niihama, Ehime)'s First Tourism Ambassador. The news was broadcasted during her Live Academy 2010, held in Kanagawa, Osaka, Aichi, Miyagi, Fukuoka, Ehime Prefecture Niihama Cultural Center's Hall. There were 7 lessons in total.^[14] In 2010, Mizuki won the Tomiyama Kei Award in the 4th Seiyuu Awards for her news hook in the year 2009. In the year 2010, she had also participated in 61st NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen singing "Phantom Minds", the single which had topped Oricon Charts.

On January 21, 2011 which was also her 31st birthday, she released her first autobiography, titled Shin Ai, to commemorate 10th year anniversary of her singing career. Mizuki won Top Pop Artists award in Billboard Japan Music Awards 2010 on February 6, 2011, together with 4 other artists: AKB48, Nishino Kana, SID and EXILE.^[15]

On November 30, 2011, it was announced that Mizuki Nana will be participating in the 62nd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. It will be her third time taking part in the program. Mizuki will have two-day concert at Tokyo Dome between December 3–4, 2011. She becomes the first voice actress and 8th female solo artists to hold a concert at Japan's largest concert hall.

In 2012, March 3, Mizuki Nana won Animation Artist of the Year 2011 award in Billboard Japan Music Awards 2011.^[16]

Voice acting roles[link]

Leading roles in bold.

Discography[link]

Concerts[link]

See also[link]

• Category:Nana Mizuki albums
• Category:Nana Mizuki songs

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (Japanese)
• Official website at Sigma7 (Japanese)
• Official fan program (Japanese)
• Nana Mizuki at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Nana Mizuki Fan Forum
• Nana Mizuki discography at MusicBrainz
• Nana Mizuki Thai Fan Board

Tomiko Van
Tomiko Van, at Shibuya with Do As Infinity partners.
Background information
Birth name	Van Tomiko (伴 都美子, Ban Tomiko?)
Also known as	Ban-chan
Born	(1979-01-09) January 9, 1979 (age 33)
Origin	Yamato, Kumamoto, Japan
Genres	J-pop, Rock, Jazz
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1999–2005, 2008–present (Do As Infinity) 2005–present (solo)
Labels	Avex Trax
Website	Official website

Tomiko Van (伴 都美子, Ban Tomiko^?, born January 9, 1979), is a Japanese J-pop singer and occasional actress, as well as a member of the band Do As Infinity (DAI), along with Ryo Owatari and Dai Nagao, that has resumed activities after their 2005 split.

Career[link]

Do As Infinity[link]

Beginnings as solo artist[link]

Tomiko Van began as a solo artist while she was with Do As Infinity with the song "Again", which appeared on the charity album Song Nation, and later in 2003 with the song "drive me nuts", which was recorded for trance DJs project Cyber X. Van also appeared in six commercials for the Japanese hair product company Lavenus.^[1]

Official solo career[link]

2005[link]

After Do As Infinity disbanded on September 29, 2005, Avex Trax, Van's label, announced that the singer was going solo.^[2]

2006[link]

In 2006, Van made her debut as a solo artist with her album Farewell. Singles were not released prior to her album, released in March 2006. Her first official single as a solo artist, "Flower", was released in June of the same year, and made the weekly top ten of the Japanese charts. Two other singles followed that year, "Senkō", in September, and "Yumeji", a late November release.

On October 3, 2006, Van announced her debut role in the Japanese movie, Heat Island, as a café bar manager. Van also announced her second stage role in the Japanese version, Brooklyn. She has stated that this will not take away from her career as a singer.^{[citation needed]}

2007[link]

2007 started out with Van's first cover album entitled Voice: Cover You With Love. Though it entered the top twenty, the album was not considered a great success as it did not manage to sell as well as her original album Farewell a year before. The album was Van's only release that year.

2008[link]

In 2008, Van's third album and second cover album, Voice 2: Cover Lovers Rock, was released in March. In this album, she covered songs performed by male artists, such as Spitz and Masaharu Fukuyama. Despite her one year hiatus from the music scene, the album charted at #10 on the 1st day of release. Van's fourth solo single, Tokyo Biyori, was released on June 18, 2008.^[3] Tomiko's second original album, "Van", was released in December 2008.

On September 29, 2008 Do As Infinity was officially a band again and they released a four track single on June 17, 2009.

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Albums[link]

Music Videos[link]

Featured and collaborative releases[link]

• "Drive Me Nuts" (Cyber X feat. Tomiko Van)
• "Truth'94 -Meets Tomiko Van-" (cover version of TRF's original song)
• "Again" (various artists album, Song Nation, an Avex project consisting of collaborations between many different Avex artists)
• "Music Flower" (Kohey Tsuchiya & various artists)
• "Velvet" (Kikkawa Kouji)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (Japanese)
• Tomiko Van at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Tomiko Van