The lexical extension of SONG

Edited: September 26, 2025, 2:44 AM · When and how did 'song' expand from meaning a piece of vocal music, generally with text, to the current situation in which it is used for any piece of music? Its usage seems to gravitate towards shorter melodic pieces: I don't think I've heard a whole symphony, or Alban Berg's violin concerto, described as a song, though perhaps that's in the future. Will we one day speak of Heifetz or Menuhin as 'singers' because they performed wonderful songs? Perhaps all Schubert should be catalogued as songs: symphonies, quartets and piano sonatas. And I am beginning to wonder whether Mendelssohn triggered the shift with his Songs without Words.

Have folks on this site noticed this in other languages? I haven't heard or read it in Spanish. I always shudder inwardly when I hear the word used this way, and I'd be fascinated to hear other people's views.

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Esther Kerze

September 26, 2025, 3:35 AM · Interesting question. I don't know, but my guess would be that it started with recorded music. Most popular records are literally collections of songs, so it's a pretty natural step to start using "song" as a synonym for "track", essentially. A recorded quantum. This would also explain why symphonies don't get called songs - they would be a standalone record, not a part of one.
But that's only my theory.

Andrew Fryer

September 26, 2025, 3:48 AM · Well, we should aim to be singers on the violin, or any other instrument, but you've probably answered your own question with Mendelssohn.

The lexical extension of SONG

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