CRWR 213 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Alliteration, Lyric Soprano, Anthropomorphism
Document Summary
5 elements of lyrics: diction, image, sound, structure, substance. Diction: the choice of words or phrases, rhyme, repetition, alliteration, colloquial style, slang, word specificity (rather than abstractions) Image: use of figurative language, metaphor, simile, personification. Sound: musicality of the lyric, the actual music accompanying the lyric, how the music and lyric work together, the musical quality of the language itself. Structure: how the lyric is put together, verse, chorus, bridge, all of the above/none of the above, dynamics (energy/tension) Substance: what a lyric is about, theme, conflicts, central idea, sense of character, resonance with the listener. All of these elements working together = an effective lyric. Unity in drama (aristotlen: unity of action, a ply should follow one action with minimum subplots, unity of time, the action should occur over a period of no more than 24 hours, unity of place. Similar to the idea of unity, when all the elements work together to support the central message.
