adjective
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of, relating to, or employing a strophe or strophes
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(of a song) having identical or related music in each verse Compare through-composed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of strophic
Explanation
The adjective strophic describes a poem that uses the same structure for all its stanzas — the same rhyme scheme, meter, and number of lines. A song is strophic if all its verses are sung to the same musical melody. In modern poetry, a strophe is a stanza — a block of lines having a particular rhythmic and rhyming pattern — that is repeated throughout. Strophic poems, such as ballads and sonnets, are arranged in this way, with repeated structural units. Strophic songs, such as hymns and many folk songs and children's songs, have verses that are sung to the same music, although the words change with each repetition. Many pop songs are also strophic.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Most Christmas carols are what’s called strophic songs and depend on the words changing to extend the song out,” he said.
From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2022
DiDonato launched with gusto into a slight, strophic song by the Italian Baroque composer Biagio Marini.
From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2022
In the strophic numbers, Alsop ignored the example pointedly set for her by the very fine baritone soloist Elliot Madore, who shaped each verse of his solo numbers slightly differently.
From Washington Post • Sep. 30, 2016
But his goal is to turn the poem into a song – a strophic song with a refrain.
From The Guardian • Mar. 22, 2010
Jazz standard song form — Jazz utilizes many different forms, but one very common form is closely related to the strophic and variation forms.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
