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Lullabies
of the World
Soothing or helping a child fall asleep through the sounds of
music is a technique found throughout the world. Lullabies are
one of the near-universals found in almost every culture. "A
la nanita nana" from Puerto Rico, "Baby Nodja" of the Muscogee
Native Americans, "Bu-Vah" of the Hopi, and "Wéané" from Indonesia
are just a few of the countless lullabies.
In most cases lullabies are sung by women and involve a direct
and intimate performance for the child. Lullabies can also be
used to calm a discontented child or simply as singalongs. For
many cultures, in addition to lulling a child to sleep, lullabies
are considered to contain magical powers. In Russia, certain
lullaby texts serve both to lull the child but also protect
the child from evil spirits and even death itself.
Many cultures have distinct categories within their music traditions
that contain lullabies. At the same time, songs that are not
formally classified as lullabies are often used as such and
over time become part of the lullaby tradition. Examples of
this in the United States and England include "Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star" and "Eency Weency Spider."
Lullabies are so pervasive and so familiar to most people that
it is not uncommon for lullabies to become a part of the regular
folk song tradition. "Einini," a Gaelic lullaby from Ireland,
and "Ogguere" from Cuba (originally from Nigeria) are two examples
of this process. Some lullabies are sung among different cultures,
such as the Italian "Ninna-nanna," which is "Nani, nani" in
Albania and "Ljulja nina" in Bosnia-Hercegovina.
Performance Style
The manner of performance and the style of the song can vary
greatly from culture to culture. In Samoa infants are set on
the adult's lap while seated on the ground. Among the Ewe of
Ghana, the mother and father hold the child between them and
gently rock back and forth. Among the Tsonga of South Africa,
mothers sing lullabies with their children on their back while
they grind corn. In some cultures instruments are used to accompany
lullabies. For example, among the Hazara of Afghanistan, the
father may play a lute called the dambura.
The melodies of lullabies are generally very simple and limited
to a range of a fourth or a fifth. The tone and gentle sounds
of the lullaby are more important than the text so that the
words or even letters of words are changed to create a more
soothing song. The lyrics of lullabies often convey important
cultural values to the child, or even share the aspects of the
parent's life. Due to their soft, quiet tone, lullabies stylistically
are often closely related to laments.
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