Verse (i).

(from Lat. versus).

In liturgical books of the Roman Catholic Church, a line of a psalm or canticle, or a sentence from a biblical text, such as those used in graduals, alleluias and introits (where the verse is marked V). Such verses were always sung by soloists, either in chant or polyphony, while the Responsory, or response (R), was sung by the choir. The alternation between soloists for ‘verses’ and choir for ‘responds’ was the basic principle of the Anglican verse anthem of the 16th and 17th centuries (see Anthem, §I, 3).

See also Alternatim.