Singing is a universal mode of human communication, integral to cultural and social life and serving a wide range of culture-specific functions. This scholarly volume examines traditional singing as both a cultural phenomenon and an embodied vocal practice, past and present, emphasizing singing as a form of interaction that connects personal experience with communal life. Rather than treating songs solely as musical or textual artefacts, the contributions approach singing as a situated activity shaped by voice, body, language, and social context. Drawing on archive sources and ethnographic fieldwork, the chapters address diverse singing traditions, focusing on Northern and Eastern Europe and extending to Italy and the Ainu in Japan.
The volume emphasizes emic perspectives: most authors are scholars closely connected with the communities they study, enabling nuanced analysis of singing styles, performance conventions, and meanings. The book highlights both the diversity and vulnerability of oral song traditions and shows how traditional singing contributes to emotional expression, communal belonging, and the (re)creation of cultural identity under changing social and political conditions.