Song

SONG

A song, most broadly, is a single (and often standalone) work of music that is typically intended to be sung by the human voice with distinct and fixed pitches and patterns using sound and silence and a variety of forms that often include the repetition of sections. Written words created specifically for music or for which music is specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to composed music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall are called chants. Songs in a simple style that are learned informally are often referred to as folk songs. Songs that are composed for professional singers who sell their recordings or live shows to the mass market are called popular songs. These songs, which have broad appeal, are often composed by professional songwriters, composers and lyricists. Art songs are composed by trained classical composers for concert or recital performances. Songs are performed live and recorded on audio or video (or in some, cases, a song may be performed live and simultaneously recorded). Songs may also appear in plays, musical theatre, stage shows of any form, and within operas.

A song may be for a solo singer, a lead singer supported by background singers, a duet, trio, or larger ensemble involving more voices singing in harmony, although the term is generally not used for large classical music vocal forms including opera and oratorio, which use terms such as aria and recitative instead.[1] Songs with more than one voice to a part singing in polyphony or harmony are considered choral works. Songs can be broadly divided into many different forms, depending on the criteria used.

Songs may be written for one or more singers to sing without instrumental accompaniment or they may be written for performance with instrumental accompaniment. The accompaniment used for a song depends on the genre of music and, in classical styles, the instructions of the composer as set out in the musical score. Songs may be accompanied by a single accompanist playing piano or guitar, by a small ensemble (e.g., a jazz quartet, a basso continuo group (in the case of Baroque music), a rock or pop band or a rhythm section) or even a big band (for a jazz song) or orchestra (for a classical aria). One division is between "art songs", "pop songs" and traditional music which includes "folk songs" and early blues songs. Other common methods of classification are by purpose (sacred vs secular), by style (dance, ballad, Lied, etc.), or by time of origin (Renaissance, Contemporary, etc.). Songs may be learned and passed on "by ear" (as in traditional folk songs); from a recording or lead sheet (in jazz and pop) or from detailed music notation (in classical music). While the term "song" usually refers to a sung melody, the term is also used in some instrumental music in which the composer wishes the performer to play in a singing style (e.g., Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words for solo piano.)

Types

1.       Art songs

Art songs are songs created for performance by classical artists, usually with piano accompaniment, although they can be sung solo. Art songs require strong vocal technique, understanding of language, diction and poetry for interpretation. Though such singers may also perform popular or folk songs on their programs, these characteristics and the use of poetry are what distinguish art songs from popular songs. Art songs are a tradition from most European countries, and now other countries with classical music traditions. German-speaking communities use the term art song ("Kunstlied") to distinguish so-called "serious" compositions from folk song ("Volkslied"). The lyrics are often written by a poet or lyricist and the music separately by a composer. Art songs may be more formally complicated than popular or folk songs, though many early Lieder by the likes of Franz Schubert are in simple strophic form. The accompaniment of European art songs is considered as an important part of the composition. Some art songs are so revered that they take on characteristics of national identification.

Art songs emerge from the tradition of singing romantic love songs, often to an ideal or imaginary person and from religious songs. The troubadours and bards of Europe began the documented tradition of romantic songs, continued by the Elizabethan lutenists. Some of the earliest art songs are found in the music of Henry Purcell. The tradition of the romance, a love song with a flowing accompaniment, often in triple meter, entered opera in the 19th century, and spread from there throughout Europe. It spread into popular music and became one of the underpinnings of popular songs. While a romance generally has a simple accompaniment, art songs tend to have complicated, sophisticated accompaniments that underpin, embellish, illustrate or provide contrast to the voice. Sometimes the accompaniment performer has the melody, while the voice sings a more dramatic part.

2.       Folk songs

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 exist in almost every culture. Popular songs may eventually become folk songs by the same process of detachment from its source. Folk songs are more-or-less in the public domain by definition, though there are many folk song entertainers who publish and record copyrighted original material. This tradition led also to the singer-songwriter style of performing, where an artist has written confessional poetry or personal statements and sings them set to music, most often with guitar accompaniment.

There are many genres of popular songs, including torch songs, ballads, novelty songs, anthems, rock, blues and soul songs, and other commercial genres, such as rapping. Folk songs include ballads, lullabyes, plaints, love songs, mourning songs, dance songs, work songs, ritual songs and many more.

GENERIC STRUCTURE OF SONGS

1.       Objectives

DESCRIPTION: Understanding the social function and language features of songs to learn the words, feelings and rhymes in songs, according to the contexts. The objective of the lesson: students are able to understand the words, feelings and rhymes of songs.

LESSON

2.       Key Points

We like listening to music in our free time. We can learn English from English songs. In this lesson, we learn words, feelings and rhymes in songs.

Here are some points to learn:

a.       Words in songs.

What does “a certain word” mean?

Songs are similar to poems. There are beautiful words in songs and poems. Some of the words are new for us. To help us understand the songs, we need to know the meanings of the difficult words. Looking up the dictionary will certainly help us know the meanings of the words and enrich our vocabulary.

b.      Synonyms and antonyms.

Singing and reading the lyrics of songs will help up enrich vocabulary by trying to find the synonym and antonym of the difficult words. We have to check the words in the dictionary and make notes.

c.       Rhymes of the songs.

Learning the rhymes of the songs will help us learning how to pronounce the words. Pronunciation is an important aspect to learn when we learn a language. If we miss pronounce words, other will not understand what we are saying.

d.      The feelings of the singer.

Songs and the lyrics show how the singers feel. Songs can suggest happiness, sadness, ignorance, care, hopes, love, friendship, and others.

e.      How to understand a complete song.

Read the lyrics of this song:

I Believe I Can Fly

I used to think that I could not go on

And life was nothing but an awful song

But now I know the meaning of true love

I’m leaning on the everlasting arms

If I can see it, then I can do it

If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar

I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down

Sometimes silence can seem so loud

There are miracles in life I must achieve

But first I know it starts inside of me

Sung by R.Kelly, taken from www.metrolyrics.com

From the song, we can learn:

• Meanings of words.

We can find some words that we don’t understand by looking up a dictionary.

For example:

Soar : in the dictionary, we find the meaning: to fly, especially very high up in the sky, floating in air currents.

• Same rhymes.

For example:

Fly /flaI/ - sky /skaI/

Down /daun/ - loud /laud/

• Synonyms

Find the synonyms or the similar meanings to help us enrich our vocabulary.

For example:

Awful - terrible

Silence - quietness

• Antonyms

Find the antonyms to help us enrich our vocabulary.

For example:

Open - closed

True - false

• The feeling of the singer

If we read the complete lyrics, we will see the singer’s feeling.

The first line of the first verse, the singer used to feel that he could not go on. But, the third line of the same verse, the singer now understands true love. He believes he can do what he wants to do as long as he believes it.

The singer is grateful that now he is optimist in living his life.