lyric

1. 1. Of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings, often in a songlike style or form.
   2. Relating to or constituting a poem in this category, such as a sonnet or an ode.
   3. Of or relating to a writer of poems in this category.
2. Lyrical.
3. Music.
   1. Having a singing voice of light volume and modest range.
   2. Of, relating to, or being musical drama, especially opera: the lyric stage.
   3. Having a pleasing succession of sounds; melodious.
   4. Of or relating to the lyre or harp.
   5. Appropriate for accompaniment by the lyre.

1. A lyric poem.
2. Music. The words of a song. Often used in the plural.

[French lyrique, of a lyre, from Old French, from Latin lyricus, from Greek lurikos, from lura, lyre.]

adjective

Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of poetry: poetic, poetical. See words.

Term used (usually in the plural) for the words of a song; also to describe a voice, usually soprano or tenor, of a light and unforced quality. It is also used simply to mean ‘to do with music’: the ‘lyric theatre’, ‘lyric stage’.

lyric [li‐rik], in the modern sense, any fairly short poem expressing the personal mood, feeling, or meditation of a single speaker (who may sometimes be an invented character, not the poet). In ancient Greece, a lyric was a song for accompaniment on the lyre, and could be a choral lyric sung by a group (see chorus), such as a dirge or hymn; the modern sense, current since the Renaissance, often suggests a song‐like quality in the poems to which it refers. Lyric poetry is the most extensive category of verse, especially after the decline—since the 19th century in the West—of the other principal kinds: narrative and dramatic verse. Lyrics may be composed in almost any metre and on almost every subject, although the most usual emotions presented are those of love and grief. Among the common lyric forms are the sonnet, ode, elegy, haiku, and the more personal kinds of hymn. Lyricism is the emotional or song‐like quality, the lyrical property, of lyric poetry. A writer of lyric poems may be called a lyric poet, a lyricist, or a lyrist. In another sense, the lyrics of a popular song or other musical composition are the words as opposed to the music; these may not always be lyrical in the poetic sense (e.g. in a narrative song like a ballad).

For more information on lyric, visit Britannica.com.

A kind of poetry, generally short, characterized by a musical use of language. Lyric poetry often involves the expression of intense personal emotion. The elegy, the ode, and the sonnet are forms of the lyric poem.

1. The words to a song. 2. In a singing and melodious manner.

It has been suggested that Poem and song be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Lyrics (in singular form Lyric) are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of expression. The lyricist of traditional musical forms such as Opera is as a librettist.

Contents 1 Etymology and usage 2 Copyright and royalties 3 Academic study 4 See also 5 Notes

Etymology and usage

Lyric derives from the Greek word lyrikos, meaning "singing to the lyre".^[1] A lyric poem is one that expresses a subjective, personal point of view.

The word lyric came to be used for the "words of a song"; this meaning was recorded in 1876.^[1] The common plural (perhaps because of the association between the plurals lyrics and words), predominates contemporary usage. Use of the singular form lyric remains grammatically acceptable, yet remains considered erroneous in referring to a singular song word as a lyric.

Copyright and royalties

See Royalties

Currently, there are many websites featuring song lyrics. This offering, however, is controversial, since some sites include copyrighted lyrics offered without the holder's permission. The U.S. Music Publishers' Association (MPA), which represents sheet music companies, launched a legal campaign against such websites in December 2005, the MPA's president, Lauren Keiser, said the free lyrics web sites are "completely illegal" and wanted some website operators jailed.^[2]

Academic study

• Lyrics can be studied from an academic perspective. For example, some lyrics can be considered a form of social commentary. Lyrics often contain political, social and economic themes as well as aesthetic elements, and so can connote messages which are culturally significant. These messages can either be explicit or implied through metaphor or symbolism. Lyrics can also be analyzed with respect to the sense of unity (or lack of unity) it has with its supporting music. Analysis based on tonality and contrast are particular examples.
• Chinese lyrics (詞) are Chinese poems written in the set metrical and tonal pattern of a particular song.

See also

Look up lyrics or lyric in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Lyricist, a lyrics writer
• Instrumental, music without voice
• Libretto, the name used for the text of traditional music forms like opera

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-08-23
2. ^ "Song sites face legal crackdown" BBC News, 12 December 2005. Site accessed 7 January 2007

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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - lyrisk
n. - lyrisk digt, skønsang

Nederlands (Dutch)
lyrisch, als een lied, om gezongen te worden, uit te voeren op lier, melodisch, licht van toon (stem), lyriek, literatuur van gevoelsontroering, poëtische stijl, lyrisch gedichtje, (mv) woorden van popliedje

Français (French)
adj. - (Mus, Poésie) lyrique
n. - (Littérat) poème lyrique, paroles (d'une chanson) (npl)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Lyrik, lyrisch
adj. - Lyrik, lyrisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - στίχος τραγουδιού, λυρικό ποίημα ή τραγούδι
adj. - λυρικός

Italiano (Italian)
lirica, lirico

Português (Portuguese)
n. - lírica (f)
adj. - lírico

Русский (Russian)
лирическое стихотворение, лирический, восторженный

Español (Spanish)
adj. - lírico
n. - poema lírico, poesía lírica

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - lyrisk dikt, (sång)text
adj. - lyrisk

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
抒情的, 抒情诗, 歌词

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 抒情的
n. - 抒情詩, 歌詞

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 서정시의, 서정적인
n. - 서정시 , 서정시체

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 叙情詩, 歌詞
adj. - 叙情の, 叙情的な, 歌の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قصيدة من الشعر الغنائي, بصيغه الجمع كلمات أغنيه شعبيه (صفه) قيثاري, غنائي, صالح للغناء على أنغام القيثارة أو للتلحين والغناء, معبر عن أفكار الشاعر وعواطفه الخاصه, عاطفي أو حماسي إلى حد الإفراط‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮שיר של ביטוי-רגשות‬
n. - ‮שיר של ביטוי-רגשות, שיר לירי, ליריקה, של הלירה (כלי-נגינה)‬

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