song written or arranged for several vocal parts. Part songs are commonly sung by an SATB choir, but sometimes for an all-male or all-female ensemble. Patter The patter song is characterised by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note. It is a staple of comic opera, especially Gilbert and Sullivan, but it has also been used in musicals and elsewhere. See also Air (music) Animal song Bird vocalization Whale song Zoomusicology Aria Canticle Hymn Instrumental Lists of songs Madrigal (music) Poem and song Song structure Sung poetry Theme song Vocal music References Further reading Marcello Sorce Keller (1984), "The Problem of Classification in Folksong Research: A Short History", Folklore XCV, no. 1, 100–104. Jean Nicolas De Surmont (2017), From Vocal Poetry to Song, Toward a Theory of Song Objects with a foreword by Geoff Stahl, Stuttgart, Ibidem. Jean Nicolas De Surmont: From Vocal Poetry to Song. Towards a Theory of Song Objects. Tr. Anastasija Ropa, with a foreword by Geoff Stahl. Stuttgart: Ibidem, 2017. . 175 pages. Ritual Musical compositions