Songwriting is where you write all elements of songs. Such as the melody, harmony, lyrics and rhythm. They are different to a composer as they write lyrics, however if they only write lyrics they are a Lyricist. So a songwriter writes every element of a song, either for themselves or for other artists. I am going to talk about the history of Songwriting.
A Chanson is one of the oldest forms of recorded music. A chanson is a type of music, that are poems or sacred text with monophonic melodies. Chansons started in France, and is a direct translation to song. That is where the word song came from. Usually it is just someone singing, as it is a monophonic melody. It started in the 12th century, and it was one of the only forms of music for a long time. Some Chanson artists were Guillaume De Machaut, Guillaume Dufay and Gilles Binchois. A famous Chanson by Guillame De Machaut is “Corde mesto cantando.”
A Madrigal is a secular vocal composition that usually features 2 – 8 voices. Secular means that it is not related to religion, Madrigals are usually about love. It’s from the Renaissance and early Baroque era, 14th – 16th century. Madrigals are also from Italy, also England and France. The lyrics are based on poetry and have a polyphonic texture, where more than one note is playing at the same time. However it is acapella, so it is all singing. Some famous songwriters were Claudio Monteverdi, Jean Mouton and John Farmer. Some famous Madrigals are Aspro Core, Alla Cazza and Of all The Birds.
Lieders are a piano and vocal based type of music in the Romantic Period in the 19th century. It also was mainly in Germany. The piano is as important in Lieders as the vocals are, and they focus on strong lyrical melodies and rich harmonies. Lieders also started using song cycles, which is where 10 or more songs were played together, one after another. We now call this an album, but this is where it started. Some famous Lieder songwriters are Hugo Wolf and Richard Strassus. A famous Lieder is Death and the Maiden.
A Crooner is a male singer from the 2oth century. Crooners had their peak in the 1930’s, 1940’s and 1950’s. They are male singers who sing sentimental songs in a soft low voice. Their main instrument was vocals, however piano and acoustic guitar were used. Some famous Crooners were Don Cornell, Vic Damone and Frank Sinatra Senior. Some Famous songs by these artists were Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Fly Me to the Moon and When I Fall in Love.