Song

:''This page is about musical songs. For other meanings, see Song (disambiguation).'' A song is a relatively short musical musical composition for the human voice (possibly accompanied by other musical instruments), which features words (lyrics). It is typically for a solo singer, though may also be a duet, trio, or for more voices (works with more than one voice to a part, however, are considered chorus). The words of songs are typically of a poetry, rhyme nature, although they may be religion verses or free prose. Songs can be broadly divided into many different forms, depending on the criteria used. One division is between "art songs", "popular songs", and "folk music". Other common methods of classification are by purpose (sacred vs secular), by style (dance, ballad, Lieder, etc.) or by time of origin (Renaissance, Contemporary music, etc). The performer of a song is called a "singer" or "vocalist", the act is called singing. ==Cultural types== Art songs are songs created for performance in their own right, or for the purposes of a European upper class, usually with piano accompaniment, although they can also have other types of accompaniment such as an orchestra or string quartet, and are always notation. Generally they have an identified author(s) and require voice training for acceptable performances. The German language word for song, "Lied" (plural: "Lieder"), is used in French language and English language-speaking community to refer to the serious art song, whereas in German-speaking communities the word "Kunstlied" (plural: "Kunstlieder") is used to distinguish art song from folk song ("Volkslied"). The lyrics are often written by a lyricist and the music separately by a composer. Art songs may be more form (music)ally complicated than popular or folk songs, though many early Lieder by the likes of Franz Schubert are in simple strophic form. They are often important to national identity. Art songs feature in many European cultures, including but not limited to: Russian language (romansy), Dutch language (lied), Italian language (canzoni), French language (m�lodies), Scandinavian language (s�nger), Spanish language (canciones). Cultures outside of Europe may have what they consider to be a classical music tradition, such as India, and thus feature art songs. Of the romantic music era, the art song is considered one of the most distinctive music forms developed. The accompaniment of pieces of this period is considered as an important part of the composition. The art song of this period is often a duet in which the vocalist and accompanist share in interpretive importance. The pieces were most often written to be performed in a home setting although today the works enjoy popularity as concert pieces. The emergency of poetry during this era was much of what inspired the creation of these pieces by Brahms, Schumann, Schubert and other period composers. These composers set poems in their native language. Many works were inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Heinrich Heine. An art song with a German text is often referred to as a Lied. The romantic art song was often reflective of the popular poetic notions of despair created by places, legends, nature or lost love. Some composers would interpret the poem literally and create music which imitated the music and imagery of the music. The vocal melody was created to reflect the form and emphasis of the poem. The mood of the piece would often be summarized in the closing piano section called a postlude. To reflect the stanzas of a poem, the composer could use strophic form to reuse music for each stanza. Another method would be to write new music for each stanza to create a unique form, this was through-composed form known in German as ''durchkomponiert''. A combination of both of these techniques in a single setting was called a modified strophic form. Often romantic art songs sharing similar elements were grouped as a song cycle. (Kamien, 217–18) Popular songs are songs which may be considered in between art songs and folk songs. They are usually accompanied in performance and recording by a musical band. They are not anonymous in origin and have a known authors. They are often but not always notated by their author(s) or transcribed after recording and tend to be composed in collaboration more often than art songs, for instance by an entire band, though the lyrics are usually written by one person, usually the lead singer. Popular songs are often a part of individual and cultural, but seldom national, identity. Performers usually often have not undergone formal voice training but highly stylized vocal techniques are used. Many people consider songs in popular music to have in general simpler Song structure (popular music)s than art songs, however, musicologists who are "both contemptuous and condescending [of popular music] are looking for types of production, musical form, and listening which they associate with a different kind of music...'classical music'...and they generally find popular music lacking" (Middleton 1990, p.103). Folk songs are songs of often anonymous origin (or are public domain) that are transmitted orally. They are frequently a major aspect of national or cultural identity. Art songs often approach the status of folk songs when people forget who the author was. Folk songs are also frequently transmitted non-orally (that is, as sheet music), especially in the modern era. Folk songs exists in virtually if not every culture. For more on folk songs, see Folk music. For a list of influential songs, see: *The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll *The Grammy Hall of Fame Award (also includes many albums) *The annual Eurovision Song Contest includes a list of winners == Song forms == * Anthem * Aria and recitative (Opera) * Ballad * Cantata * Carol (music) * Chanson * Company song * Folk music * Frottola * Gregorian chant and plainsong * Hymn * Jingle * Lament * Laude * Lied (plural: Lieder) * Lullaby * Madrigal (music) * Mass (music) * Oratorio * Pibroch * Popular music * Spiritual * Work song * Thirty-two-bar form * Twelve bar blues == See also == * Eurovision Song Contest * Lyrics * List of songs by name * List of songs whose title includes personal names * Commercium songs * Sea shanty * Song structure (popular music) == References == # Middleton, Richard (1990/2002). ''Studying Popular Music''. Philadelphia: Open University Press. ISBN 0335152759. # Kamien, Roger. ''Music : An Appreciation''. Mcgraw-Hill College; 3rd edition (August 1, 1997) ISBN 0070365210 == External links == *[http://www.alphalyrics.com Alpha Lyrics] *[http://www.ap0s7le.com Christian Praise and Worship Lyrics - Ap0s7le] *[http://www.apostlesasylum.com Song Lyrics Database] *[http://www.lyricshk.com A lyrics collection box] *[http://www.lyred.com Lyred: A-Z Lyrics] *[http://www.poplyrics.net Lyrics Kingdom] *[http://www.songlyrics4u.com Song Lyrics] *[http://www.vagalume.com.br Vaga-Lume Lyrics Search Engine] *[http://religion.medicalwisdom.com/christians/songs/index.htm Lyrics to Christian Songs and Christian Hymns] Musical forms Songs

Song

"Folk songs are songs of anonymous origin that are transmitted orally. They are frequently a major aspect of national or cultural identity. Art songs often become folk songs when people forget who the author was. Folk songs are also frequently transmitted nonorally, especially in the modern era." This whole area of the evolution and communication of popular music is interesting to :memetics theorists, BTW. ---- I'm not sure about this art song/folk song business. Isn't it more usual to distinguish between art song/''popular'' song? I know that in the broadest sense a "folk song" can mean something by the Sex Pistols as well as an anonymous Hungarian dirge, but the term is used in a more specific way also (the way we have definied in this article: anonymous, orally transmitted), which seems to make this distinction rather shaky, because it appears to leave out a whole wodge of songs. I'd just change it, but I'm not much of a singer... --User:Camembert :Thinking about it a bit more, I'm not sure if the problem is really with treating "art" and "folk" as opposites (as opposed to "art" and "popular") - after all, "popular" can be used in a specific as well as a general sense. So maybe the problem is more to do with the definition of "folk" here not fitting in with what the rest of the page says. I'll think about it and see if anything comes to me... --User:Camembert I think the best thing to do would be to simply create a third category: "art", "folk", and "popular" songs. Also, we would then include non-western songs in "folk". Currently, the only mention that people with vocal chords, and songs to sing, exist outside of Europe is at the end of the "Song forms" section, where they are described as "ethnic", "indigenous" or "aboriginal". Jeez. Its nearing 5AM though, so I'll sleep on it. - User:Hyacinth 11:28, 11 Jan 2004 (UTC) Or....I won't sleep on it.User:Hyacinth ---- I'd like to weigh in for the three-way taxonomy Art/Folk/Popular, as Hyacinth suggested. The current articles on Classical music helps clarify the Art/Popular distinction, and the articles on Folk music and Popular music discuss the Popular/Folk distinction. I think it would also help if Folk music is augmented to clarify the Art/Folk distinction. Pretty much everything can be fitted into these three, I think, though of course there are many blends (Art/Folk: Sacred Harp music; Art/Popular: Philip Glass; Folk/Popular: Joan Baez). "Commercium", though interesting, is a much narrower category, so I've moved it to be a link. User:Opus33 23:24, 11 Jan 2004 (UTC) ---- "Song" leaves me flat. What makes a song important? Not that it is Art, Folk, or Popular. But how it blends music and lyric. So this should be about the things in songs that make them important and how songs are incorporated into life. There should be discussion about the form of the lyrics, rhyming schemes, the music (verses, chorus, bridge, etc...), the uses (religion, festival, theatre, commerce...), etc... Just think about a great song like "Summertime" by Gershwin. Is it important if it is an Art song, a Folk song or a Popular one? I think it fits into all three categories quite well, but who cares! That is not what makes it sing. (and BTW, where is musical theatre in the lists?) --User:SamuelWantman 11:04, 30 May 2004 (UTC) :Yes, the article needs all those things you mention as well as the (slightly boring, I admit) stuff about the way people divide songs into different categories. Feel free to add all that other good stuff yourself! --User:Camembert ==Words== Why can't The Great Gig in the Sky be a song? It isn't fair. --User:Yath 11:11, 28 Jun 2004 (UTC)

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