Strophe/Stanza
A stanza (strophe) is a section of a song or poem that consists of several lines of verse and repeats in the same form. In a strophic song every stanza is sung to the same melody. That is why on the song sheets of the archive the first stanza is printed beneath the notes and the text of the others below it.
- Meaning
- section of a song or poem made up of several lines of verse, repeating in the same form
- Word origin
- Latin stropha, from Greek strophē “turn”
- In everyday use
- stanza; in songs usually “verse”
- Usually at the end of the stanza
- the refrain
What a stanza is
A stanza is a section of a song, poem or verse epic that consists of several rhythmically structured and often rhymed lines of verse and repeats in the same form. The word comes via Latin from Greek and really means “turn”. In a song every stanza has the same melody: a song usually consists of several stanzas of identical build. This layout is called “strophic form”; all the stanzas are sung to the same music.
Stanzas on the song sheet
You can see this in the score: the melody is printed only once. The first stanza is printed beneath the notes, the others appear below it as text. The table sets four sheets from the archive side by side.
| Song sheet | Melody covers | Stanzas on the sheet | Special feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ein Jäger aus Kurpfalz | upbeat and 16 bars | 3 | Stanzas 2 and 3 appear as text beneath the notes. |
| Es ist ein Schnee gefallen | upbeat and 12 bars | 3 | Instruction line: the last two lines of each stanza are repeated. |
| Auf de schwäbsche Eisebahne | 16 bars, no upbeat | 7 | A footnote names a refrain after each stanza; it follows bars 1–8. |
| Near the Cross | 16 bars, no upbeat | 4 | Four numbered stanza texts one beneath the other under the same bars 1–8, then the refrain. |
Strophic songs in the archive
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Es ist ein Schnee gefallen voice with chord symbols · text: “Volksgut”, tune: “Volksweise” (according to the sheet) · 1 page
The first stanza is printed beneath the notes, stanzas 2 and 3 as text below it. Beneath the stanzas is an instruction that the last two lines of each stanza are repeated. In the score this corresponds to the third line of music (bars 9–12), which repeats the melody of the second (bars 5–8) with a different ending. 4/4 time, one ♭, ending on F, a quarter note as an upbeat.
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Auf de schwäbsche Eisebahne voice with chord symbols · text: “Volksgut”, tune: “Volksweise” (according to the sheet) · 1 page
The first stanza is printed beneath the notes, stanzas 2 to 7 as text below it. A footnote says that a refrain follows after each stanza. 2/4 time, one sharp, 16 bars without upbeat, ending on G with the chord symbol G. The stanza occupies bars 1–8. After that bars 9–12 carry nonsense syllables, and bars 13–16 repeat the melody of bars 5–8.
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Near the Cross left Frances Jane (Fanny) Crosby, 1869, right William Howard Doane (as printed) · voice and piano with chords for guitar · 1 page
Under bars 1–8 there are four numbered stanza texts, 1st to 4th, set to the same notes. From bar 9 the word “Refrain” appears, whose text is printed only once. 6/4 time, one ♭, no upbeat, the vocal part ending on F. The word “stanza” does not appear on the sheet; in English songs such sections are usually called “verses”.
Stanza, line of music and refrain
A stanza is not the same as a line of music. In “Es ist ein Schnee gefallen” each stanza consists of four lines of text, but the melody is printed over three lines of music, because the last two lines of text are repeated. In “Auf de schwäbsche Eisebahne” and “Near the Cross” a further section follows after the stanza, the refrain. A refrain is a sequence of words or sounds that returns regularly toward the end of a stanza.
Common mistakes
- Singing only the stanza under the notes: The further stanzas appear as text below and belong to the same melody.
- Confusing stanza and refrain: The text changes from stanza to stanza, while the refrain returns at the end of the stanza.
- Overlooking the instruction line: As in “Es ist ein Schnee gefallen”, it can ask you to repeat lines that are not printed again.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
RefrainFolk songLiedThrough-composedUpbeatTime signature
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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