Category: Contrafactum

A musical term referring to the process of changing the lyrics of a song while maintaining the same melody. In essence, it involves replacing the original lyrics of a song with new ones, without changing the background music. This term is mainly used in the study of music and songwriting and has historical roots in religious, folk and art music of the Middle Ages. For example, in medieval Europe it was common for composers to adapt new religious lyrics to popular melodies of the time, thus creating religious songs that were more accessible to the public. Contrafactum can be applied to various genres of music and is often found in folk tradition, religious music, and even in modern pop culture, when artists “borrow” well-known melodies and adapt them into new lyrics.