A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character.

Chorales tend to have simple and singable tunes, because they were originally intended to be sung by the congregation rather than a professional choir. They generally have rhyming words and are in a strophic form (with the same melody being used for different verses). Within a verse, most chorales follow the AAB pattern of melody that is known as the German Bar form.

Martin Luther posited that worship should be conducted in German rather than Latin. He thus saw an immediate need for a large repertory of new chorales. He composed some chorale melodies himself, such as A Mighty Fortress. For other chorales he used Gregorian Chant melodies used in Catholic worship and fitted them with a new German text. A famous example is Christ lag in Todes Banden, which is based on the tune of the Catholic Easter Sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes.

Michael McGlynn (born 1964 in Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish composer, producer, director and founder of Anúna, Ireland's National Choir.

McGlynn was born in Dublin, and attended Coláiste na Rinne and Blackrock College. He was a student of Music and English at University College Dublin and Trinity College where he studied for an M.Litt degree. He was a member of the professional choral ensemble the RTÉ Chamber Choir and in 1987 he founded the Irish choral group Anúna. Anúna have released fourteen albums, almost exclusively featuring his arrangements and original works. "Deep Dead Blue" was nominated for a Classical Brit Award in 2000 and went top 5 in the UK Classical Charts. "Anúna : Celtic Origins" was the biggest selling World Music CD in the USA in August 2007 according to Nielsen Soundscan [8], and remains in the top twenty albums of the Billboard World Music Charts in early 2008. Although best known as a writer of choral music, Michael has written orchestral and instrumental work. 2007 saw the premiere of the cantata "St. Francis" commissioned by RTÉ, the Irish National broadcaster, which is a setting of texts associated with Francis of Assisi for tenor, choir and symphony orchestra. "Behind the Closed Eye", written for the Ulster Orchestra, Northern Ireland's premiere orchestra, has been successful as a CD release.

Jacques Brel (French pronunciation: [ʒak bʁɛl]; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer-songwriter who composed and performed literate, thoughtful, and theatrical songs that generated a large, devoted following in France initially, and later throughout the world. He was widely considered a master of the modern chanson. Although he recorded most of his songs in French, he became a major influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers such as David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many top performers in the United States, including Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, the Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, and Andy Williams. In French-speaking countries, Brel was also a successful actor, appearing in ten films. He also directed two films, one of which, Le Far West, was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973. Jacques Brel has sold over 25 million records worldwide, and is the third best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.