As a dear friend of mine used to say "It's the little things"! I have been noticing the word "Song" being used within these forums to refer to many classical pieces which are not songs . In classical music there is the song (as in German Lieder) and there are sonatas, concertos, ballades, etudes, ... and other pieces.

The band teacher I had in High School (we're talking many years ago!) made a big point of starting each year off with a lecture about the word "Song". If I may recap this little lesson: A song is a song, anything else is not a song and is properly referred to as a piece of music. A piece of music can be anything from a song to a symphony.

Well said; it's a peeve that I have also and I hope your post is heeded.

Comrade Brendan

Years ago, a prominent piano teacher who had a doctorate degree wrote once when adjudicating me, "This number needs more feeling."

NUMBER? It was in reference to Chopin's Waltz in A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2.

But, that piece is such a swell ditty.

To be more succinct:

A SONG is SUNG;
A PIECE is PLAYED.

A song can be played, but a piece can't be sung (but you can hum it!)
Jamie

hmm.. normally I just hum songs also.. if I try anything else people will tell me to shut up or go somewhere else

- Daniel

sure, im a great singer.. it's just the words that won't come out right! :p

Thank you, Bernard, for your post that started this thread. I hope others will learn from it.

Regards,

I can never remember the lyrics anyway.
On the other hand, Glenn Gould was one who would often hum a piece.

So, then, are the pieces that Glenn Gould played actually "songs"?

Ryan

My Jazz friends refer to pieces of music as "tunes".

I can name that "tune" in...

[ August 04, 2001: Message edited by: Mat D. ]

I found this wonderful little quip from our dear friend Voltaire this weekend:

"Anything too ugly to be spoken is usually sung." --Volaire