Form & Structure
Art Song (Lied)
Pronounced LEED (Lied); LEE-der (Lieder)
An art song is a composed setting of a poem for solo voice and piano, written for concert performance. The German art song is called a Lied (plural Lieder); the French, a mélodie.
An art song is a poem set to music for a singer and a pianist, written to be performed in a concert or recital. It is "art" song as opposed to folk song (passed on by ear) or popular song (written for wide commercial appeal), although the boundaries are not always sharp.
What makes an art song
- The poem comes first. Composers usually choose existing poetry by serious poets, such as Goethe, Heine or Verlaine, and shape the music around its meaning and rhythm.
- The piano is a partner, not just an accompaniment. It may paint the scene (a spinning wheel, a galloping horse, flowing water), comment on the words, or have the last word in a postlude.
- The form follows the text. Art songs can be strophic (the same music for each verse), modified strophic, or through-composed.
The German Lied
The art song flowered in German-speaking lands in the 19th century, where it is called the Lied (plural Lieder). Franz Schubert wrote more than 600 songs, including "Erlkönig," "Gretchen am Spinnrade" and "Die Forelle." Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss followed, and Lieder recitals remain a central part of a classical singer's training.
The song cycle
A song cycle is a group of songs meant to be performed together, often telling a story or exploring one theme. Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte is often called the first true song cycle. Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise (24 songs about a winter journey) and Schumann's Dichterliebe are among the most admired.
Art song in other languages
- French mélodie: Fauré, Duparc, Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc wrote refined songs to French poetry.
- English and American art song: Vaughan Williams, Britten, Barber, Copland and many others.
- Russian, Spanish, Czech and other traditions produced their own art songs, often drawing on folk melody.
Performing an art song
Singer and pianist prepare as a duo. Translate the poem word by word, speak it aloud for its natural stresses, and decide together what the piano part is depicting. Because art songs are usually sung in their original language, diction is part of the art. The piano's introduction and postlude belong to the performance too: the song begins with the pianist's first note and ends after the last one has died away.
Common questions
What is the difference between an art song and an aria?
An aria is part of a larger dramatic work such as an opera or oratorio and is usually accompanied by orchestra. An art song is a self-contained setting of a poem, usually for voice and piano, written for the concert stage.
What does Lieder mean?
Lieder is the plural of the German word Lied, "song." In music it refers to German art songs for voice and piano, especially those of the 19th century by composers such as Schubert, Schumann and Brahms.
Practice it: free worksheets
The Periods of Music HistoryThe pieces you play were written across four hundred years, on very different instruments. Musicians group them into periods, each with its own sound. Knowing a piece’s period tells you how to play it: how much pedal, how much freedom, how to shape a phrase.
Musical formForm is the map of a whole piece: which parts come back, and which are new. Musicians label the parts with letters, so a piece of any length fits on one line.