Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: MÃ lodie refers to French art songs of the mid-19th century to the present ; it is the French equivalent of the German Lied .
Simplified: The word is used in music to mean songs written by French composers of classical music from the mid-19th century to the present . The mÃ lodie in French music is similar to the Lied in German music .