Word Finder - songs

definition

A musical composition with lyrics for voice or voices, performed by singing.

example

Thomas listened to his favorite song on the radio yesterday.

definition

(by extension) Any musical composition.

definition

Poetical composition; poetry; verse.

definition

The act or art of singing.

definition

A melodious sound made by a bird, insect, whale or other animal.

example

I love hearing the song of canary birds.

definition

The distinctive sound that a male bird utters to attract a mate or to protect his territory; contrasts with call

definition

A low price, especially one under the expected value; chiefly in for a song.

example

He bought that car for a song.

definition

An object of derision; a laughing stock.

We told stories, sang songs, laughed and almost never tolerated silence.

The bestknown name in connexion with them is that of Onomacritus, who, in the time of the Peisistratidae, made a collection (including forgeries of his own) of Orphic songs and legends.

There seems to be very little doubt that Le Houx was himself the author of the songs attributed to Basselin, as well as of those he acknowledged as his own.

Amongst his published works were a commentary on the Book of Job (1850), a translation of the Song of Songs (1852), an exposition of Isaiah xl.-lxvi.

Of Machiavelli's minor poems, sonnets, capitoli and carnival songs there is not much to say.

The little songs and the sonnets have a meaning for me as fresh and wonderful as the dramas.

His drinking songs became famous under the name of Vaux-de-Vire, corrupted in modern times into "vaudeville."

The brilliant success of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, in which Wagnerian technique is applied to the diatonic style of nursery songs with a humorous accuracy undreamed of by Wagner's imitators, points a moral which would have charmed Wagner himself; but until the revival of some rudiments of musical common sense becomes widespread, there is little prospect of the influence of Wagner's harmonic style being productive of anything better than nonsense.

In his fight with poverty he was put to strange shifts, becoming cellarman at a tavern and clerk to a lawyer, reciting and singing at a small theatre, and compiling a collection of common songs.

These songs, which fired the poet's comrades to deeds of heroism in 1813, bear eloquent testimony to the intensity of the national feeling against Napoleon, but judged as literature they contain more bombast than poetry.

Langlois (Le Puy, 1888); Desier (Desiderius or Didier), lost songs of the wars of Lombardy, some fragments of which are preserved in Ogier le Danois; Destruction de Rome, ed.

The clergy were satirized and denounced in popular pamphlets and songs.

The Genevan town councils were quite ready to re-enact all the old police regulations common in that age in regard to excessive display, dancing, obscene songs, &c. It was arranged too that town government should listen to the " Consistory," made up of the " Elders," but the Small Council was to choose the members of the Consistory, two of whom should belong to the Small Council, four to the Council of Sixty, and six to the Council of Two Hundred.

The Ehsts, who resemble the Finns of Tavastland, have maintained their ethnic features, their customs, national traditions, songs and poetry, and their harmonious language.

The compositions of Haydn include 104 symphonies, 16 overtures, 76 quartets, 68 trios, 54 sonatas, 31 concertos and a large number of divertimentos, cassations and other instrumental pieces; 24 operas and dramatic pieces, 16 Masses, a Stabat Mater, interludes for the " Seven Words," 3 oratorios, 2 Te Deums and many smaller pieces for the church, over 40 songs, over 50 canons and arrangements of Scottish and Welsh national melodies.

He published in 1810 a translation of the Parthenais of the Danish poet Baggesen, with a preface on the various kinds of poetry; in 1823 translations of two tragedies of Manzoni, with a preface "Sur la the orie de l'art dramatique"; and in 1824-1825 his translation of the popular songs of modern Greece, with a "Discours preliminaire" on popular poetry.

Of his exegetical works the best preserved are the Commentary on the Prophet Daniel and the Commentary on the Song of Songs.

Of the Academy's edition one volume was published at Berlin in 1897, containing the Commentaries on Daniel and on the Song of Songs, the treatise on Antichrist, and the Lesser Exegetical and Homiletic Works, edited by Nathanael Bonwetsch and Hans Achelis.

Some posthumous fragments of another opera, Daphnis et Chloe, were printed in 1780; and in 1781 appeared Les Consolations des miseres de ma vie, a collection of about one hundred songs and other fugitive pieces of very unequal merit.

Of the little love songs in Klon metre, called Klon pet ton, there are many hundreds.

Unlike the people of other Slavonic countries, the Poles are comparatively poor in popular and legendary poetry, but such compositions undoubtedly existed in early times, as may be seen by the writings of their chroniclers; thus Gallus translated into Latin a poem written on Boleslaus the Brave, and a few old Polish songs are included in Wojcicki's Library of Ancient Writers.

John Lodzia, bishop of Posen from 1 335 to 1346, composed several religious songs in Latin.

Five religious songs in Polish dating from the 15th century have been preserved; they are ascribed to Andrew Slopuchowski, prior of the monastery of the Holy Cross on Lysa G6ra.

For instance, there are no bilinf or legendary poems, such as are found among the Russians, although many passages in the ancient chroniclers from their poetical colouring seem to be borrowed from old songs or legends, and the first verses of some of these compositions have been preserved.

In Konigsberg, John Seklucyan, a personal friend of Luther, published a collection of Christian Songs.

His most popular work is the "Collection of Historical Songs" (Spiewy historyczne), where he treats of the chief heroes of Polish history.

Poland, as has been said before, is not rich in national songs and legendary poetry, in which respect it cannot compare with its sister Slavonic countries Russia and Servia.

In the year 1851 Romuald Ziefikiewicz published Songs of the People of Pinsk, and collections have even appeared of those of the Kashoubes, a remnant of the Poles living near Danzig.

For many of the original songs and legends we must turn to the work of Messrs Antonovich and Dragomanov.

Wasilewski (1814-1846), the author of many popular songs; and Holowinski, archbishop of Mogilev (1807-1855), author of religious poems. The style of poetry in vogue in the Polish parts of Europe at the present time is chiefly lyrical.

One of the principal MS. sources used is the great Kitdb al-Aghani (Book of Songs) of Abu Faraj, which has since been published (20 vols., Boulak, 1868) in Egypt; but no publication of texts can deprive the Essai, which is now very rare, of its value as a trustworthy guide through a tangled mass of tradition.

The different order of the books in the English Bible is due to the fact that when the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek between the 3rd and 1st centuries B.C., the Hebrew tripartite division was disregarded, and the books (including those now known as the " Apocrypha ") were grouped mostly by subjects, the historical books being placed first (Genesis - Esther), the poetical books next (Job - Song of Songs), and the prophetical books last (Isaiah - Malachi).

Of these, the Song of Songs, in exquisite poetry, extols the power and sweetness of pure and faithful human love.

It consists of sacred songs or chants, partly composed independently, partly formed out of the contents of the Bible, which, however, has evidently been gathered by them orally, as until quite lately they were almost entirely illiterate and did not possess any written book.

His more important books, of which English translations have been published, are the poems Gitanjali (Song Offerings) (1913), The Crescent Moon (1913), The Gardener (1913), Songs of Kabir (1915), Fruit Gathering (1916), Stray Birds (1917), The Lover's Gift and the Crossing (1918); the plays Chitra (1914), The King of the Dark Chamber (1914), The Post Office (1914),.

French Canadian Literature At The Opening Of The Loth Century Might Be Described As Entirely The Work Of Two Generations, And It Was Separated From The Old Regime By Three More Generations Whose Racial Sentiment Only Found Expression In The Traditional Songs And Tales Which Their Forefathers Of The 17Th Century Had Brought Over From The Mere Patrie.

Folk Lore Has Always Been The Most Essentially French Of All Imaginative Influences In Canadian Life; And The Songs Are The Quintessence Of The Lore.

But These Very Digressions' Give The Book Its Intimate And Abiding Charm; For They Keep The Reader In Close Personal Touch With Every Side Of Canadian Life, With Songs And Tales And Homely Forms Of Speech, With The Best Features Of Seigniorial Times And The Strong Guidance Of An Ardent Church, With Voyageurs, Coureurs De Bois, Indians,., Soldiers, Sailors And All The Strenuous Adventurers Of A Wild, New, Giant World.

The only extant songs of any importance are the seventy-one Ballads of Gower (Stengel, Gower's Minnesang, 1886).

The remaining songs are mostly of a religious character.

Although so few have come down to us such songs must have been numerous at one time, owing to the constant intercourse between English, French and Provengals of all classes.

An interesting passage in Piers Plowman furnishes us with a proof of the extent to which these songs penetrated into England.

In spite of the many calls upon his time he produced a considerable amount of literary work, usually on classical or Scottish subjects, including some poems and songs of no mean order.

He was early attracted by the works of William Blake, whose Songs of Experience he endeavoured to interpret, and of Swedenborg, to the elucidation of whose writings he devoted the best energies of his life.

One of the most popular and widely circulated books is called The Hundred Thousand Songs of the Venerable Milaraspa.

It is in prose; but the dialogue, interspersed with songs, is metrical, and is much more extensive than the prose framework.

The titles of 105 of his works are mentioned in the Fihrist, and his Book of Days is the basis of parts of the history of Ibn al-Athir and of the Book of Songs (see Abulfaraj), but nothing of his (except a song) seems to exist now in an independent form.

Produced at Paris in 1828, it rapidly became a European favourite, and its overture, songs and choruses were everywhere heard.

Floovant is obviously connected with the Gesta Dagoberti, and there are traces of the influence of popular songs on the Frankish heroes in Gregory of Tours and other chroniclers.

It is an immense store-house of miscellaneous information, chiefly on matters connected with the table, but also containing remarks on music, songs, dances, games, courtesans.