Johann Gottfried Herder coined the term 'Volkslied' in the late 18th century, and published Von deutscher Art und Kunst (On German ways and artistry) in 1771.
In 1778/79, a collection Volkslieder was published, promoted by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, which mentioned neither an editor nor authors, in an attempt to suggest the songs as an expression of the soul of the people (Äußerungen der Volksseele).
In the middle of the 18th century, the Berliner Liederschule promoted songs with simple melodies im Volkston (i.e. in the Volkslied style).
Songs written following the concept include "Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust" and "O Täler weit, o Höhen".
The Wandervogel movement turned to singing while wandering, with the collection Der Zupfgeigenhansl [de] published in 1909, and reprinted until 1933.