discourse vs recital

discourse

noun
  • A formal lengthy exposition of some subject, either spoken or written. 

  • Expression in words, either speech or writing. 

  • An institutionalized way of thinking, a social boundary defining what can be said about a specific topic (after Michel Foucault). 

  • Any rational expression, reason. 

verb
  • To exercise reason; to employ the mind in judging and inferring; to reason. 

  • To engage in discussion or conversation; to converse. 

  • To write or speak formally and at length. 

recital

noun
  • That which is recited; a story, narration, account. 

  • The act of reciting (the repetition of something that has been memorized); rehearsal 

  • The act of telling the order of events of something in detail the order of events; narration. 

  • A vocal, instrumental or visual performance by a soloist. 

  • A formal, preliminary statement in a deed or writing in order to explain the reasons on which the transaction is founded, prior to a positive allegation. 

How often have the words discourse and recital occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )