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In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, SATB or SCTB is a frequent initialism
Acronym and initialism

Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name. These components may be individual letters or parts of words ....
 for soprano
Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....
, (contr)alto
Contralto

In music, a contralto is a type of European classical music female voice type with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. The term is used to refer to the deepest female singing voice....
, tenor
Tenor

The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....
, bass
Bass (voice type)

A bass is a type of European classical music male singing human voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to Grove Music Online, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second F below middle C to the E above middle C ....
, referring to a common scoring for choruses and choirs. Pieces written for this combination can either be sung by choruses of mixed genders, or by choirs using a combination of men and boys. SATB can also refer to various types of instrumental ensembles, such as a saxophone
Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
 quartet, in this case meaning soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone

The soprano saxophone was invented in 1840 and is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument. The soprano is the second in size of the saxophone family which consists, as generally accepted, of the sopranino saxophone, soprano, Alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone, and contrabass saxophone....
, alto saxophone
Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by the Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the Tenor saxophone, is the most common size of saxophone....
, tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone

The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the Alto saxophone, is the most common size of saxophone....
, baritone saxophone
Baritone saxophone

The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the larger and lower pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax....
.

Other common variants include SATTB, where the lower 'tenor' is usually pitched as a baritone
Baritone

Baritone is a type of European classical music male voice type that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice....
 (so sometimes explicitly written SATBarB), SSATB and SSATTB -- or any other combination of double letters.






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In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, SATB or SCTB is a frequent initialism
Acronym and initialism

Acronyms, initialisms, and alphabetisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name. These components may be individual letters or parts of words ....
 for soprano
Soprano

A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four part chorale style harmony the soprano takes the highest part which usually encompasses the melody....
, (contr)alto
Contralto

In music, a contralto is a type of European classical music female voice type with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a mezzo-soprano. The term is used to refer to the deepest female singing voice....
, tenor
Tenor

The tenor is a type of male voice type and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between the C one octave below middle C to the A above in choral music, and up to high C in solo work....
, bass
Bass (voice type)

A bass is a type of European classical music male singing human voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to Grove Music Online, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second F below middle C to the E above middle C ....
, referring to a common scoring for choruses and choirs. Pieces written for this combination can either be sung by choruses of mixed genders, or by choirs using a combination of men and boys. SATB can also refer to various types of instrumental ensembles, such as a saxophone
Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
 quartet, in this case meaning soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone

The soprano saxophone was invented in 1840 and is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument. The soprano is the second in size of the saxophone family which consists, as generally accepted, of the sopranino saxophone, soprano, Alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass saxophone, and contrabass saxophone....
, alto saxophone
Alto saxophone

The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by the Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax. The alto, with the Tenor saxophone, is the most common size of saxophone....
, tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone

The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the Alto saxophone, is the most common size of saxophone....
, baritone saxophone
Baritone saxophone

The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the larger and lower pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax....
.

Other common variants include SATTB, where the lower 'tenor' is usually pitched as a baritone
Baritone

Baritone is a type of European classical music male voice type that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice....
 (so sometimes explicitly written SATBarB), SSATB and SSATTB -- or any other combination of double letters. A piece marked "SATB div." denotes that the individual parts may split at some point, but not significantly enough to consider them separate parts worthy of their own lines.

Many non-choral pieces have been written using SATB, mainly fugue
Fugue

In music, a fugue is a type of counterpoint composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of melody, normally referred to as "voices"....
s including:
  • Bach's The Art of Fugue
    The Art of Fugue

    The Art of Fugue or The Art of the Fugue , BWV 1080, is an incomplete work by Johann Sebastian Bach . The work was probably started in the beginning of the 1740s, if not earlier....
     and The Musical Offering
    The Musical Offering

    The Musical Offering , BWV 1079, is a collection of canon s and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, based on a musical theme by Frederick II of Prussia and dedicated to him....


See also

  • Choir
    Choir

    A choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral Music, in turn, is the music written specifically for a choir to perform....