CHILDREN'S FOLKLORE
 
   

LULLABIES

Lullabies are songs for children, whose main function is to calm down the child and to cause it to sleep. In the course of centuries, lullabies have been created by mothers, grandmothers, nannies. These songs usually have a very simple verse and tune structure. The verse in lullabies is entirely related to sleep: it sounds either like an encouragment to fall asleep, or like a slight threatening with a boogeyman for those who do not sleep; the child is called the most beautiful names of flowers and birds, he or she is wound round with a silk band, or rocked in a golden cradle. In Lithuanian lullabies, like in the folklore of other nations, animals, too, can rock the children or bring the sleep to them. An obvious example of this kind can be the lullaby Zuikis vaikà lingavo ("A hare was rocking a child"), which has plenty of versions and is very popular all over the country, particularly in Þemaitija and Northern Aukðtaitija. The verse of some compositions still contains elements obviously reminiscent of ancient religions, with their heroes - a mouse, a hare, a cat, a boogeyman - occupying an intermediary position between this and the other world. In all regions of Lithuania, with Dzûkija in particular, one can find lullabies, where an exceptional role is given to wishes - the child shall grow tall, kind, nimble, which sounds like a "programme" of good faith, something very close to incantation. A number of peculiar samples have been recorded in Suvalkija, Dzûkija, and Aukðtaitija: A-a maþø/duos dievulis graþø/ðitø uþaugysiu/kitø numarysiu (A-a little one/God will give a beautiful one/I'll raise this one/I'll lose another one), where the motif of wishing death is clearly expressed. Corresponding motifs can be found in Slavic, Latvian, Estonian, Ukrainian, etc. lullabies, which leads to the following assumption - the verse of such kind must have had close connections with protective magic centuries ago. Comparisons with Byelorussian folklore suggest that such a paradoxical wish might have embodied deceptive intentions against evil forces harmful to the child.
Numerous samples of ethnographic material also demonstrate that initial period of the child's life used to be related to certain prohibitions: one must not greet across the cradle, for the child might die, or one must not rock an empty cradle, for the child laid in it might not fall asleep, or one must not pass anything over a cradle, for the child might not grow, and so on.(1) By doing so or, probably rather, not doing so, adults sought to protect young children against likely misfortunes in order to ensure their health.

For more information see: J. Balys. Vaikystë ir vedybos: Lietuviø liaudies tradicijos. (Childhood and Marriage: Lithuanian traditions) (Brooklyn, 1978)

In Lithuania, small children used to be rocked in cradles. Hence, the cradle plays a very important role in lullabies, simultaneously helping to unite the three components essential for this genre: 1)a rocking motion; 2) a musical effect produced on the child's mind, 3) textual improvisation. The tune of lullabies tends to imitate the rocking of a cradle, the verse includes variable refrains: 'a-a a-a', 'liûliai liûliai', 'uèia lylia', 'èiuèia-liûlia', etc., which is obviously dictated by a rocking motion too.
As far as their tunes are concerned, Lithuanian lullabies can be subdivided into three groups: a) old traditional lullabies, b) traditional lullabies with improvisational elements or further developed lullabies, c) lullabies structurally close to songs.
The earliest lullabies used to have tunes imitating a rocking motion and verses consisting of variable refrains with accompanying meaningful words.(Example 2.) Such tunes were characterised by specific mode structures, where sounds were interrelated by the way of co-ordination, and the mode was based on the 3rd and 4th trichord.
The tunes of the lullabies with both traditional and improvisational elements were closely related to speech intonations. The rhythm of the tune depended on the rhythm of the word, thus allowing the melody to match the varying verse without any difficulty. Lullabies of this kind were characterised by one-line unstable form as well as rhythmic improvisations. These lullabies were widely spread in Aukðtaitija and Dzûkija. (Example 3.)
The tunes of the lullabies of the third group, which are closer to a song structure, consisted of independent components and had a wider range of intervals (reached 5th and 6th). The verse acquired a stanza form, usually consisting of two or four lines. These lullabies were popular all over Lithuania. (Example 4.)
There is a group of lullabies which can be classified as untypical ones, for they have adopted the tunes typical of other genres. Perhaps the most interesting samples will be the ones that have the tune of swinging songs. In the songs of both genres, the role of a rocking motion is essential. Some investigators maintain, that this kind of motion initiates life and growth, therefore, the interaction of these tunes seems quite natural.
In recent years, the conditions in which the child is brought up, have radically changed both in the city and in the country. Cradles have disappeared, and lullabies seem to be losing their original intention. Nevertheless, a lot of mothers and nannies keep singing them, when they want to soothe their toddlers and make them sleep.
 

 

 
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