I find in my poetry and prose the rhythms and imagery of the best - I mean, when I'm at my best - of the good Southern black preachers. The lyricism of the spirituals and the directness of gospel songs and the mystery of blues are in my music or in my poetry and prose, or I missed everything.[1] - Maya Angelou

Lyricism is a quality that expresses deep feelings or emotions in an inspired work of art.[2]

Description edit

Lyricism is when art is expressed in a beautiful or imaginative way, or when it has an expressive quality.[3] Although the term lyricism is often used in conjunction with art composed of sound alone, it can also apply to all forms of art including performance[4], architecture[5], or film[6].

Uses of lyricism edit

 
The Starry Night

Although it is impossible to define beauty, emotion, or imagination in a definitive manner, it is possible to draw upon examples of works that may share those characteristics in both subtle and dramatic ways. The following are some classic examples of lyricism:

  • Poetry. Maya Angelou's poetry has intrinsic lyricism.[7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Gross, Terry (September 1986). "NPR". Fresh Air. Retrieved 8/31/2015. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. ^ "lyricism". Merriam Webster. Retrieved 8/31/2015. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ "lyricism". Oxford US English Language Dictionary. Retrieved 8/31/2015. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ DeFrantz, Thomas F. (2006). Dancing Revelations: Alvin Ailey's Embodiment of African American Culture. Oxford University Press. p. 130. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ a b Cohen, Jean-Louis (2004). Le Corbusier, 1887-1965: The Lyricism of Architecture in the Machine Age. Taschen. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ Dillon, Steven (2004). Derek Jarman and Lyric Film: The Mirror and the Sea. University of Texas Press. p. 12. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ Braxton, Joanne M. (1999). Maya Angelou's I Know why the Caged Bird Sings: A Casebook. Oxford University Press. p. 19.
  8. ^ Woideck, Carl (1998). The Charlie Parker Companion: Sex Decades of Commentary. Schirmer Books. p. 214.
  9. ^ Todd, R. Larry (2006). Perspectives on Mozart Performance. Cambridge University Press. p. 115.
  10. ^ Wallace, Robert K. (2009). Jane Austen and Mozart: Classical Equilibrium in Fiction and Music. University of Georgia Press. p. 151.
  11. ^ Georg Knepler,, J. Bradford Robinson (1997). Wolfgang Amadé Mozart. Cambridge University Press. p. 181.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  12. ^ Timothy Corrigan, Patricia White (2012). The Film Experience: An Introduction. Macmillan. p. 306.