Relationship Between Poetry and Music

Jan 15

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Poetry

Everybody knows Poetry is a literary genre that expresses feelings and ideas through words, whether in verse or prose.

It is characterized by its beauty and ability to evoke people's emotions.

Etymologically speaking, the word Poetry comes from the Latin poiesis, which means "creation" or "production."

Poetry, as a literary genre, is governed by a rhythmic and metrical arrangement, although free verses also exist.

Elements that Make Up a Poem

You can think of some of the elements that make up a Poem as the following:

Title: Name given to the poem

Verse: Each line of a poem

Stanza: Set of verses that follow a similar structure

Rhyme: Repetition of sounds at the end of each verse

There are many Types of Poetry, each with its own characteristics and thematic focuses.

Some examples are: Lyrical Poetry, Epic Poetry, Haiku, Sonnet, Limerick and Free Verse.

The origin of Poetry is imprecise and is linked to the antiquity of human speech.

Poetry and Music are emotional languages you can learn to understand with Golden Wise Academy

Poetry and Music Hold a Close Relationship

We can say that Poetry and Music are closely related, since both are languages that express emotions and feelings. Poetry and Music share characteristics such as rhythm, fluidity, expression and the evocation of images.

In fact, shared characteristics on both imply they have rhythmic structures, both can have Choruses, both can express emotions and both can evoke images.

There's a Historical Relationship between Poetry and Music. To be more specific, the first Poems were transmitted by singing with instruments such as the Lyre.

The Intonation when reading a Poem resembled the Music that accompanied it, that's why they hold a creative relationship.

Many Composers have said there are Songs that can inspire them as Writers. By paying attention to the Rhythmic Structure of a Melody, they've received and influence for their Literary Creations.

This is due to the Semiotic Relationship (a triadic relationship that involves three terms: a sign, an object, and an interpretant. The relationship is also known as a triad.) Poetry and Music share.

Some authors state Poetic and Musical Texts can have coincident metonymic and metaphorical analogies.

Example

To give you some easy examples, where you can appreciate the analogy between Poetry and Music, think of the Song “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Iron Maiden.

It is an adaptation of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Poem of the same name. To be more specific, the Song is a retelling of the Poem's Story, using Heavy Metal Music and sound effects.

The Song's Themes of sin and redemption are relevant to the Poem's Themes of isolation and the human experience.

Let us explain the analysis a little bit more...

Themes: The Song's Themes of sin and redemption are similar to the Poem's Themes of isolation and the human experience.
Music: The Song's Music, which includes shouted lyrics and frantic guitars, dramatizes the mariner's story.
Storytelling: The Song's Storytelling is similar to the Poem's Storytelling, which involves a mariner narrating a story to wedding guests.
Adaptation: The Song is an adaptation of the Poem, which is a Romantic Narrative Poem.