Lied in music meaning | TheMusicDictionary

Meaning of Lied in Music

In Western classical music tradition, a **Lied** is a term used to describe a song that sets poetry to classical music, creating a piece of polyphonic music. The term "Lied" is of German origin and translates to "song" in English. It is used to refer to any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch. However, among English and French speakers, "Lied" is often used interchangeably with "art song" to encompass works that the tradition has inspired in other languages as well.

Lieder often center around pastoral themes or themes of romantic love. Composers such as Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Hugo Wolf are among the finest 19th-century lied composers. They have created numerous Lieder that have become renowned for their musical and poetic beauty.

There are two different forms of Lieder: **strophic form** and **through-composed form**. Lieder composed in the 18th century tend to conform to a strophic form, where different stanzas of poetry are set to the same repeated verse of music. On the other hand, through-composed Lieder set each stanza of poetry to different music. An example of through-composed Lieder is Schubert's "Erlkönig," where the vocalist performs four different characters, each with a distinct harmonic and melodic style.

Lieder are typically art songs set to German poetry and written for solo voice and piano, and sometimes full orchestra. The composers' task is to give the poem a heightened existence through their own vision and imaginative skill. The songs' melody and text are the singer's responsibility, but it is the addition of a piano accompaniment, subtle and sometimes highly complex, that adds harmony and character to the whole.

In summary, Lied is a term used in Western classical music to describe a song that sets poetry to classical music. It encompasses a wide range of art songs composed by renowned composers, often focusing on pastoral themes or themes of romantic love. Lieder can be composed in strophic form or through-composed form, and they are typically performed by a solo vocalist accompanied by a piano or orchestra

Term referring to a German song of any era, but most commonly to those of the Romantic era. The lied (plural = Lieder) has been in existence since the 15th century and has undergone many changes of form. The Lieder of the Romantic era are characterized by their expressive emotion and the prominent piano accompaniment.