As with many of Card's works, this story is more about the interplay of people, and their moral issues, than it is about technology, although the Empire clearly has advanced technology. Fraud, kidnapping, assassination, murder are also prevalent and each of them is shown in more than one light. True love, both heterosexual and homosexual, are major themes as are loyalty and honor. The empire of Songmaster is a place of treachery, resembling that of ancient Rome and the Galactic Empire of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series.

Card published a prequel to 'Mikal's Songbird,' entitled 'Songhouse' in the September 1979 issue of Analog, which explored Ansset's training by Esste before being turned over to Mikal. In addition to serving as the seed from which the novel was written, the original story is incorporated (with minor alterations) as the second section of the novel. It is reprinted in Card's short story collection Maps in a Mirror. The story concerns a young boy whose perfect singing voice had the power to amplify people's emotions. The novel originated from a novelette, 'Mikal's Songbird', which appeared in Analog Science Fiction in May 1978.

This novel was based on Card's short stories ' Mikal's Songbird' and ' Songhouse'. He is trained in the art of singing so beautifully that his songs can express ideas and emotions more truthfully than words. The story of the Songmaster occurs in a future human empire, and follows Ansset, a beautiful young boy whose perfect singing voice has the power of amplifying people's emotions, making him both a potential healer and destroyer. Songmaster (1980) is a science fiction novel by American writer Orson Scott Card.

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