Songcraft

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The art or skill of composing songs including writing lyrics and creating melodies to form complete musical pieces
2. The craft involved in developing structured musical works that combine words and tune to convey emotion or story
3. The ability or practice of designing and assembling songs by integrating vocal lines with musical accompaniment in a creative process

Etymology: "Songcraft" is a plain compound: "song" joined to "-craft," the old English element meaning skill, art, or trade, as in "statecraft" or "woodcraft." The "-craft" element is itself a native English word, descended from the Old English "cræft," which carried the sense of strength and skill before it came to mean a particular trade. The compound may have a closer ancestor than the modern pairing suggests. Old English already had "sangcræft," which meant singing, poetry, or music, so the English speakers who built "songcraft" were likely reviving a notion their forebears had long expressed. The modern sense narrows that broad old meaning to the deliberate work of shaping a song, bringing a melody and lyrics together with the instrumental backing that surrounds them.

Synonyms: songwriting, composition, music creation