Types of Songs

Air de cour: A short song of several stanzas for one or more voices accompanied by lute or harpsichord.

Anthem: A short choral piece based on a religious text or source.

Arabesque: A short imaginative piece.

Aria: An elaborate solo song generally with instrumental accompaniment.

Arioso: A style of recitative that is more song-like and expressive than ordinary recitative.

Aubade: A piece of instrumental music played in the morning as opposed to the serenade, which is played in the evening.

Ayre: An English solo song accompanied by the lute, theorbo, or bass viol (and occasionally by two singers).

Bagatelle: A short piece for a keyboard instrument.

Ballad: A solo song that tells a story in simple verse. The same music is repeated for each stanza.

Bandinerie: A fast, dancelike piece.

Canon or Fugue: A musical composition in which a melody in one voice-part is imitated by other voice-parts that are slightly offset (e.g., row, row, row your boat).

Carol, Noel, or Weihnachtslied: A song sung in honor of a holiday (e.g., Christmas songs).

Chant: Usually refers to the music of churches.

Fa-la: An English song sung in nonsense syllables (e.g., falala, fa la la).

Fanfare: A tune used to announce someone's arrival, the start of a parade, the start of a jousting tournament, etc.

Folk music: Music that is learned by word of mouth.

Hymn: Any song that expresses praise or love of a deity.

Improvisation: Composing a song or theme as it is being performed.

Jig: A lively dance.

Lai: A form of music and poetry developed in France in the 13th Century.

Lament: A composition that mourns someone's death.

Lullaby: A cradle song used by mothers to lull their babies to sleep.

Lyric: Means "songlike." Often used to describe instrumental pieces that are short and expressive.

Medley: A group of familiar tunes played one after another and loosely linked together.

National anthem: A song adopted by a kingdom as its official song.

Ode: A musical setting of a poem written in honor of a person or special occasion.

Opera: A play in which the characters sing rather than speak.

Parody: An exaggerated imitation of a composition, often to make fun of it.

Program music: A general term for music that tells a story.

Psalm: A musical composition based on the text from the book of Psalms.

Recitative: A style of singing that closely resembles speech, with little change in pitch and rhythm.

Round: A vocal composition with three or more parts that enter one after another, repeating the same words (e.g., canons and fugues).

Serenade: A love song sung during the evening below a beloved's window.

Shanty: A work song sung by sailors to help keep time during jobs that require teamwork.

Swan song: A term used for a person's final work before his death.

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