Lied
A Lied (German for “song”) is a poem sung to a melody, usually in several stanzas of the same construction. The same melody carries each stanza. In the sheet music archive the Lied appears as a plain melody with chord symbols and as an art song with piano.
- Meaning
- a sung poem; also the melody set to a poem
- Word origin
- Middle High German liet, Old High German liod; the further origin is unclear
- In English
- “song” is the general word; “lied” (plural “lieder”) usually means the German art song
Text and melody as a unit
A Lied joins a text with a melody. It is a poem sung to a particular melody, usually in several stanzas of the same construction and rhyme, and the word can also mean the melody set to a poem. Songs are smaller, tightly structured sung compositions made of music and lyrics. The performers are not fixed: a single person, an ensemble or a choir, with or without accompaniment.
One melody, several stanzas
An example of our own, not a quotation, without text: an upbeat of one quarter note and four bars. In a strophic song each stanza would be sung to exactly these notes, each with the same upbeat.
Stanzas to one melody
The printed music of a strophic song shows the melody only once; all the stanzas are sung to the same notes. The archive shows two layouts: in “Auf, auf, ihr Hirten in dem Feld” the first stanza is printed under the notes and the second as a block of text below; in “Das Lied der Trennung” three numbered stanza texts are printed one beneath the other under the vocal part.
| Term | Core of the meaning | Sung by |
|---|---|---|
| Lied | a poem sung to a melody, usually with several stanzas of the same construction | one person, an ensemble or a choir |
| Folk song | a plain song in stanza form, sung among the people | the people |
| Art song | a song set artistically by a composer, typically with piano accompaniment | trained voices |
| Chorale | Protestant church song sung by the congregation | the congregation |
| Aria | a vocal piece for a soloist with instrumental or orchestral accompaniment, usually part of an opera, cantata or oratorio | a solo voice |
The table shows how the Lied differs from its neighbouring terms. A folk song is a plain strophic song, an art song a poem set to music, often for voice and piano. The chorale is a church song, the aria a solo piece, usually within a larger work.
In the sheet music archive
Art song for voice and piano
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Das Lied der Trennung Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart · voice and piano, with chords for guitar · 4 pages
On page 1 the parts are labelled “Singstimme” (vocal part) and “Pianoforte”, and Klamer Schmidt is named as the poet. Tempo marking “Langsam” (slow), 2/4, four ♭ in the key signature, an upbeat of one eighth note. Beneath the vocal part are three numbered stanza texts to one melody. The page ends with a repeat sign.
Instrumental piece with “Lied” in the title
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Altfranzösisches Lied Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, from: Album for the Young, op. 39 No. 16 · piano · 1 page
A piano piece with no vocal part and no text: “Moderato assai”, 2/4, two ♭ in the key signature, an upbeat of one eighth note, beginning with p. The melody lies in the right hand under long slurs. The word “Lied” here refers to the character of the piece, not to a sung setting.
Single melody with chord symbols
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Auf, auf, ihr Hirten in dem Feld Christmas carol, melody: folk tune (Carinthia) · single voice with chord symbols · 1 page
A single melody with chord symbols: 6/8, three sharps, an upbeat of one eighth note, four lines of four bars each. Line 1 and line 3 have the same chord sequence A–E7–A–E7, line 4 ends on A. The first stanza is printed under the notes, the second as text below.
The three sheets show three sides of the word: the art song set with piano, the instrumental piece that is a “Lied” only in its title (there are also “Songs without Words” as instrumental pieces similar to a song), and the single melody that is accompanied with chords.
Common mistakes
- Seeing the Lied only as text: Without the melody it is a poem.
- Forgetting the upbeat in the later stanzas: If the melody begins with an upbeat, every further stanza begins with it too.
- Thinking every piece with “Lied” in the title is sung: The Tchaikovsky sheet is a piano piece without text.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
Strophe/StanzaFolk songRefrainUpbeatChoraleHymnAriaChoirPianoAccompaniment
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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