Call and response is a form of music in which one musician leads a melody with a “call” and others respond. It can be verbal or nonverbal, and is most closely associated with African culture and music, although many other cultures use call and response in their musical traditions. In addition to being used in music, call and response communication has also historically played a role in many ritual settings, from hymn-singing at Scottish Protestant churches to tribal gatherings.

This form of music may be totally unstructured, taking the form of a musical conversation in which participants exchange information, ideas, and melodies as the piece develops, or it may be more structured. In jazz, for example, a call and response is often improvisational, with various instruments “talking” to each other through the music. In church, call and response singing follows a specific format, with singers using hymn books or relying on memory to know which verse is next.

The tradition of call and response singing appears to have originated in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is used to this day in tribal meetings and gatherings. Enslaved peoples taken from Africa brought call and response singing with them, and slaves used the established system to communicate with each other, even when they had no language to do so. Many slaves also took call and response traditions with them when they converted to Christianity, and black communities well into the 20th century used call and response singing to compensate for illiteracy, with a lead singer offering lines which would be echoed back by the congregation without the need to consult hymn books as guides.

Whether nonverbal or verbal, call or response music can be quite interesting to listen to. Even if you don't understand the language the music is sung in, the tones of voice, melodies, and rhythms can often hint at the nature of the exchange, making call and response a great cultural bridge for people who do not share a common language. Call and response can also be quite aesthetically pleasing, as evidenced by numerous recordings of examples of call and response music which have been distributed all over the world.

A variety of people all over the world have adopted call and response to meet various needs. Protesters, for example, often chant or sing in a call and response format during rallies, and call and response was also used to rally work crews on railroads and in the fields historically. Musicians may utilize call and response in jam sessions to play around with a new tune or instrument, while teachers help children grasp complex concepts with call and response songs to help them remember key components of the lesson.