Folk songs of Lithuania

"Daina" redirects here. For other uses, see Daina (disambiguation).

Folklore band performing dainas and dancing

Daina is a traditional name of vocal of folk music in the Baltic languages, preserved in Lithuania and Latvia. Lithuanian dainas (literally, "songs") are often noted not only for their mythological content, but also for preserved historical messages.

The entire Lithuanian folk music is based around songs, which include romantic, wedding songs, as well as work songs and more archaic war songs. These songs were performed either in groups or alone, and in parallel chords or unison. Duophonic songs are common in the renowned sutartinės tradition of Aukštaitija. Sutartinė is accompanied by the skudučiai, a form of panpipes played by a group of people, as well as wooden trumpets (ragai and dandytės). A great majority of Lithuanian songs are minor in tone.

A number of later pieces of music had been based on the tunes of dainas, most notably by a Lithuanian composer Juozas Naujalis as well as Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

Song Fests

Lithuania is home to many folk music festivals. The Dainų šventė (literally "Song Fest") a state-supported festival is perhaps the most famous; it was first held in 1924, and has continued every five years since, helping to keep folk traditions alive. Other major folk festivals include the Skamba skamba kankliai and the Atataria trimitai, both held annually; of historical importance is the Ant marių krantelio, which was held in the 1980s and was the first major festival of its kind. The Baltica International Folklore Festival is held in one of the Baltic states every year.

The tradition of mass Song Fests was inscribed in the UNESCO list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003.

Notable researchers

• Liudvikas Rėza
• Jonas Basanavičius
• Mykolas Biržiška
• Norbertas Vėlius

See also

• Music of Lithuania