The word "rhapsody" originally referred to an epic poem intended to be recited, such as Homer's "Odyssey." In ancient Greece, such literature would be recited by a "rhapsodios," whose name was a hybrid of "rhaptein" (to stitch) and "oide" (song).
By the Romantic era in the 19th century, the word's associations with poetry in a relatively unrestrained style led to "rhapsody" being used to describe a musical composition, usually in one movement and with no fixed structure.
Czech composer Václav Tomášek was the first to use the term musically, applying it to a set of piano pieces he wrote in around 1810. Franz Liszt did the most to popularize the label, however, composing some 19 folk-influenced "Hungarian Rhapsodies" between 1846 and 1885.
As the Romantic era faded and the 20th century dawned, composers continued to write increasingly loosely structured rhapsodies for solo instruments, chamber ensembles and orchestras, enjoying the freedom to paint musically in different shades, evoking strong emotion and conjuring colorful imagery.
Because of the rhapsody's liberated, almost spontaneous character, there are no absolute requirements for the style. George Gershwin used a jazz band as the medium for his "Rhapsody in Blue" (1924), Sergei Rachmaninov's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" (1934) also could be described as a piano concerto and the British band Queen named its greatest rock hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975).