Art Song

The Romantic Era poet William Wordsworth defined poetry in quite a beautiful way, "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings," which takes its origin "from emotion recollected in tranquility."
This definition, being firmly rooted in the Romantic love of Nature, is a clear description of what lyric poetry, or art song, entails. The sights around him acted as an encouragement to describe his deep personal feelings.
The natural world around us really is so inspirational. Last night as I was walking home in Buenos Aires I passed by an awe-inspiring sight. The sun was setting, creating a pink and orange swirl in the background of a beautifully oranate chapel overlapped with a flock of birds flying upwards out of the nearby tree. These three elements fit perfectly together to create a breathtaking scene and for a second I forgot that I was amidst the tall apartment buildings, crowded avenues and loud noises of the city. For an instant all was silent and at peace. The tranquility of an art song created spontaneously. But not by accident.