The Varieties of Modern Lyrical Writing
Modern lyric writing is a written form of poetry that expresses feelings or personal emotions, usually written in the third person. There are many different types of lyric writing, from traditional verses to contemporary poetry. The most common form of lyric writing is in verse form, using Iambic pentameter in order to create meter and rhyme scheme. However, it can also be written in a free form verse style, known as free verse. Unlike traditional verse poetry, modern lyric writing does not use the stanza cadence, instead choosing to use a free verse form that mirrors spoken conversation. Lyrics often reflect current events and themes.
There are two main categories of modern lyric, individualism and collectivity. Individualism describes a poem in which the poet relies on his/her own experience and emotions for its meaning. For example, if a poem is about growing up in a new city, the poet can talk about the weather, new places, or other relevant experiences from one’s past. On the other hand, collectivity describes a poem where the poet relies on general themes or ideas. A collectible poem may be about a love interest, popular culture, or even race; the point being that the poet wants to share his/her subjective experiences through the chosen topic.
Song lyric describes a single stanza, or even a single line of verse, sung by a male or female singer. Song lyric is different from other forms of poetry in that the poet relies solely on his/her voice to tell the story, with few if any lyrics. Some popular examples of word lyric are “Go, Lovely Rose” by Sappho, William Tell Overture, andumbers. Each poem exhibits a distinct vocal technique and vocal range.