There are several known Quenya words for 'song' in the published
corpus. All of them begin with the voiced dental approximant written with
l in Latin spelling.
líre seems to be derived with lengthening of the stem vowel from LIR-
'sing, trill' (V:369), whence comes also the verb lir- 'chant, sing'
(V:359, 369). Both the context in which líre is used (referring to
Namárië, which Tolkien sang as a Gregorian chant) and its cognates
(laire 'poem' (V:359), glin 'to sing, recite poem') imply that it was
used around the meanings of 'a lyrical verse; poetry' and also 'a chant'.
linde is glossed in the Etymologies as 'song, air, tune' (V:359, 369). It
is probably derived with medial fortification from GLIN-, whence e.g.
lindo 'singer, singing bird' (V:369) and lindele 'music'. Thence also
*lindale 'music, song' (LR:350). It is used in the place name
Ondolinde 'Stone Song'. These contexts imply that linde was used
to refer to 'the melodious sounds made by certain creatures',
while lindale to 'the art of singing, or the body of music to be sung'.
The context of *linwe 'song' (<Eärendillinwe, VII:103) implies that it
was used for the first meaning of 'song': 'a brief musical composition
that is either intended to be sung or is able to be adapted for singing'.
So there we have it, four distinct words covering the four meaning of
English 'song' in Quenya. Quite convenient.
