It's good to see some study of this neglected area of folksong.
Georgina's comment raises the whole question of whether it's
lullabies as such (designated songs) or the activity of singing
children to sleep (or soothing them, at least) that is being studied
here. My impression is that there has been some focus on lullaby
texts and their functions and meanings, for carer and child, some
musical analysis, some historical work linking in to childcare
practices and views of children and childhood in the past, but pretty
little ethnographic work in this area. As Georgina's own research
shows, the activity of singing children to sleep is alive and well, but
it may be the popular hits of yesteryear rather than songs obviously
intended to be sung as lullabies that are used.
The fact that very young children don't remember being sung to
when they grow up also raises the question of how such material is
transmitted. What are the sources of lullabies or songs used for
lulling? Who are the singers of such songs? How are the songs
sung (volume, bodily movement, etc.)? How many are sung? To
name but a few.
Anyway, here are a few references for starters:
Boyes, Georgina. 'New Directions - Old Destinations: A
Consideration of the Role of the Tradition-Bearer in Folksong
Research'. In _Singer, Song and Scholar_. Ed. by Ian Russell.
Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press. 1986. 9-17.
Brakeley, Theresa C. 'Lullaby'. In _Standard Dictionary of
Folklore, Mythology and Legend_. Ed. by Maria Leach and Jerome
Fried. New York: Funk & Wagnall. 1949. 653-54.
Daiken, Leslie. _The Lullaby Book_. London: Ward. 1959.
Hawes, Bess Lomax. 'Folksongs and Function: Some Thoughts
on the American Lullaby'. In _Readings in American Folklore_.
Ed. Jan Harold Brunvand. New York: Norton. 1979. 203-14.
Langlois, Janet L. 'Mothers' Double Talk'. In _Feminist Messages:
Coding in Women's Folk Culture_. Ed. by Joan Newlon Radner.
Urbana: University of Illinois Press. 1993. 80-97.
McDowell, Margaret B. 'Folk Lullabies: Songs of Anger, Love, and
Fear'. _Women's Studies_, 5 (1977), 205-18.
Masuyama, Erick Eiichi. 'Desire and Discontent in Japanese
Lullabies'. _Western Folklore_, 48 (1989), 169-77.
O Madagain, Breadan. 'Gaelic Lullaby: A Charm to Protect the
Baby?' _Scottish Studies_, 29 (1989), 29-38.
Opie, Iona, and Peter. _The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery
Rhymes_. New edn. Oxford: Oxford UP. 1997.
Tracey, Hugh. 'Tina's Lullaby'. In -The Study of Folklore_. Ed. by
Alan Dundes. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. 1965. 369-72.
Tucker, Nicholas. 'Lullabies'. _History Today_, 34 (1984), 40-46.
Warner, Marina. _No Go the Bogeyman: Scaring, Lulling and
Making Mock_. London: Chatto & Windus. 1998.
Good luck with the project.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date sent: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 21:03:47 -0000
Subject: lullabies
From: "Karine Polwart" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "ballads" <[log in to unmask]>
Send reply to: [log in to unmask]
Hello, I'm currently putting together a thesis proposal for postgraduate study on lullabies (specifically lullabies of North East Scotland but I have a general interest in them) and wondered if anyone could help me hook up with existing experts in the field (maybe, just maybe, the experts are on
this list). Whilst I can and do access university library facilities (and the Scottish national library is on my doorstep) I have been living outside acedemia for a few years now and so I'm not too well connected. Can anyone advise who I should speak to? Also any suggestions as to obscure and
unmissable reading material would be very welcome.
Many thanks. May you all sleep well!
Julia C. Bishop (Dr)
National Centre for English Cultural Tradition
University of Sheffield
Sheffield S10 2TN
U.K.
Tel: 0114 222 6296 (Main office)
0114 222 0229 (Direct line)
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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