Through-composed
Song that sets each verse to new music instead of repeating the melody.
What it means
A through-composed song sets each verse of the text to its own, newly invented music, instead of repeating a single melody composed once for all verses. The musical setting can thus align individually with each verse's mood, imagery, and events.
Musical use
The through-composed song became an important form especially in the German art song, or Lied, of the 19th century, since composers such as Franz Schubert could respond immediately in music to a poem's shifts in content and drama, such as a change of mood within a ballad. Well-known examples appear in many ballad settings and in song cycles containing individual through-composed songs.
A through-composed song should be distinguished from a strophic song, which uses the same melody for every verse and thereby achieves a simpler, often folk-song-like effect. Some songs occupy an intermediate form, repeating certain musical elements while still adding new sections across verses, and are classified as one type or the other depending on the degree of variation.
Performance practice
When studying a through-composed song, compare the musical setting of each verse closely with its text to find out which words the music particularly highlights. Since no recurring melody serves as a point of reference, consciously memorise the formal outline and key changes rather than relying on a repeated basic pattern when performing.