song cycle

noun

a group of art songs that are usually all by the same poet and composer and have a unifying subject or idea.

song cycle

noun

any of several groups of songs written by composers during and after the Romantic period, each series employing texts, usually by one poet, relating a story or grouped around a central motif

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Word History and Origins

Origin of song cycle¹

First recorded in 1895–1900

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Example Sentences

A mutual friend connected him to Grant Gershon, artistic director of the Master Chorale, and Aitken proposed creating a song cycle.

From Los Angeles Times

He proposed basing it on this quotidian word song cycle in conjunction with the existing instrumental pieces, and weaving the result into an interactive film piece.

From Los Angeles Times

It could also be called a song cycle that employs ear-piercing rock and, for respite, a welcoming string quartet.

From Los Angeles Times

As a song cycle, it’s a revelatory marvel.

From Los Angeles Times

Bullock took a spectacular deep dive into a seldom-heard song cycle by Olivier Messiaen, an hour of agony and ecstasy full of obscurities about the European Tristan myth, using a French text peppered with Quechua, an indigenous South American language.

From Los Angeles Times

songbook songfest

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