art song

American  

noun

1. a song intended primarily to be sung in recital, typically set to a poem, and having subtly interdependent vocal and piano parts.

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Etymology

Origin of art song

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

The art of the so-called art song is a thriving business.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2026

The Weimar programs will run from January until May and include jazz, cabaret and art song in addition to classical and opera.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2023

Both excelled above all else in their songs, leaving behind a major contribution to the American art song literature that has yet to be fully discovered let alone appreciated.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2022

As Kaufmann pointed out at the outset of the evening — which he dedicated to the art of the art song itself — when it comes to lieder, “there is no before and no after.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2021

Almost all folk-music, indeed, exacts a vocal method of its interpreter quite distinct from that of the art song.

From The Merry-Go-Round by Van Vechten, Carl