What Does lyric Mean
Lyric , from the Latin lyrĭcus , is a literary genre in which the author expresses his feelings and sets out to awaken similar feelings in the reader or listener. The lyric is usually expressed through works in verse, appropriate for singing.
The notion of lyric is linked to the lyre , a stringed instrument that was used to accompany the recitals of this type of poetry . The lyrical works are subjective, they are written in the first person and reflect the intimate experiences and beliefs of the author.
The lyric, as a literary genre, is based on feelings.
Characteristics of the lyric
The lyrical genre is composed of the lyrical speaker (who expresses his feelings), the lyrical object (the entity or situation that awakens the poet's feelings, expressed through the lyrical speaker), the lyrical motif (the theme of the work) and the lyrical attitude (the way in which the speaker expresses his feelings: it can be an enunciative, appellative or carmine attitude). The author puts a state of mind on the page, that is why it is said that his work arises from introspection.
The verses of the lyric can have different amounts of syllables. Works with verses of between two and eight syllables are considered minor art. The major art instead involves verses with nine or more syllables.
In everyday language, the lyric is that which promotes in the mind a feeling similar to that produced by lyrical poetry. For example: "The lyrics of football are seen at the feet of Lionel Messi . "
Origins of this literary genre
If we go back to Aristotelian Poetics, on the other hand, we do not find the concept of lyrical poetry, or lyricism , as we know it today. Precisely, the term lyrical only began to be used around the end of the 15th century, and its meaning was linked to music , as mentioned above.
In a stricter sense, lyrical poetry is that of ancient Greco-Latin origin with genres such as elegy . Some of the most remote exponents were Pindar, Theocritus, Virgilio, Anacreonte, Cátulo and Horacio. This term can also be used to refer to the typical music of the troubadours and troubadours of the Middle Ages, as well as those who followed them in time, who sang themes of courtly love (expressed sincerely, chivalrous and noble), ballads, albas and layes.
Lyrical singing is part of what is known as classical music.
The lyric as song
The song lyric , moreover, is the set of techniques linked to the vocal repertoire of European classical music. Cecilia Bartoli, Franco Fagioli, Lisette Oropesa and Javier Camarena are some of the main exponents of lyrical singing in recent decades. Regarding the past, we can mention Joan Sutherland, Nicolai Gedda, Maria Callas and Luciano Pavarotti .
It is also common for people to refer to lyrical singing simply by using the word lyrical . In this way, we can come across sentences such as the following: "I am convinced that the lyric has declined a lot since the 90's" , "One of the best things about the lyric is that the singers are obliged to perform the pieces live" , «There are those who believe that the lyric elevates the song to much higher levels, but I believe that each type of music has its value « .
Lyrical singing is characterized by the particular placement of the singers, which differs greatly from those used in various styles of popular music. Although each singer has his own timbre , academic music imposes certain rules for breathing and projection, which give rise to a kind of homogeneity among lyrical singers that is not heard in popular singers. However, no one would confuse Cecilia Bartoli with Joyce DiDonato, or Franco Fagioli with Philippe Jaroussky, two mezzo-sopranos and countertenors, respectively.