The song, whether performed by a pod of wildly enthusiastic dolphin bulls putting on a show for females or trilled by a rainbow finch in its gratitude to the Sun, is the magic container that transforms the soul’s experience into an expression of it. The songs of human civilization are a testament to the power of the creative spirit that is within us all. Even our own planet seems to break into a rhythmic song when it’s in need of rebalancing.
Song is the general term given to any vocal musical composition that has a melody to which words are placed. People often use this term to describe purely instrumental music as well, such as Beethoven symphonies, but that isn’t entirely accurate because of the difference between “pieces of music” and “songs”. A piece of music does not have to contain lyrics to be called a song.
There are several different song forms derived from strophic form, such as the ABA song form, the 32-bar blues song form and the verse-chorus song form. Many songs also feature a bridge section where the chorus and the verse have different music and a new set of lyrics. Other songs contain a refrain, where the same line is repeated in each of the verses.
Art songs are composed for performances by classical singers and require strong vocal technique, diction, and poetry for interpretation. They are often distinguished from popular and folk songs by their use of poetry as well as by their sung structure.