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Glite Dictionary
🎼 A guild poet 🎤 A top singer
mastersinger

mastersinger

9.9
A member of a medieval German guild who wrote and performed songs
  • noun
  • /ˈmæstərˌsɪŋɡər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : maestro cantautor
  • Many mastersingers gathered to share their craft.

Examples

  • During the festival, a mastersinger performed traditional songs for the townspeople.

  • The mastersinger was highly respected for his skill in both poetry and music.

  • Many legends tell of a mastersinger who won contests with his beautiful verses.

  • The famous mastersinger performed at the festival.

  • The mastersinger captivated the audience with his beautiful composition during the annual contest.

  • As a respected mastersinger, she taught young musicians the art of crafting memorable melodies.

  • In medieval Germany, a mastersinger would often perform his original songs at local festivals.

Synonyms

tunesmith
vsmastersinger
  • Informal
1 7.0

A person who writes songs or melodies for popular music

is a historical guild composer and performer, not a modern commercial writer
Meistersinger
vsmastersinger
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A member of a German group of poets and musicians from the 1400s to the 1600s

is the same role but described as from earlier medieval times
songster
vsmastersinger
  • Archaic
1 6.0

A person who sings or writes music

is a guild member focused on a formal poetic and musical craft
songsmith
vsmastersinger
1 7.0

A person who writes songs for a living

is organized by membership in a historical guild rather than modern paid work
poet-singer
vsmastersinger
6.7

A person who writes and sings folk songs that tell stories

is a guild member who composes and performs in a formal craft tradition
melodist
vsmastersinger
7.7

A person who writes or performs tunes

is a guild member who composes songs combining words and music

Surface Forms

mastersinger singular
mastersingers plural

Morphology

mastersinger = master + singer (semi-transparent) = master + singer

The components 'master' + 'singer' are clear, but the historical, guild-specific meaning referring to medieval German poet-musicians is a specialized sense not directly inferable by all learners.

Etymology

Mastersinger comes from the German word Meistersinger, used for members of medieval town guilds who wrote and performed songs. The first part, master, means 'expert' or 'teacher' and singer means 'one who sings', so a mastersinger was an expert poet-musician in those old German towns.