A collection of songs, typically printed in book form with lyrics and sometimes musical notation. Can also refer to the repertoire of songs associated with a particular performer or genre.
Compound of 'song' from Old English sang and 'book' from Old English boc. The concept emerged with printed music in the 15th-16th centuries, becoming especially popular with folk traditions and later jazz standards collections.
The Great American Songbook isn't actually a book - it's the collective term for the most important American popular songs from roughly 1920-1950! These songs became the foundation that jazz musicians would improvise on for decades, creating an invisible library of shared musical language.
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