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About Danish Lullabies
Danish Lullabies
There is a living tradition for writing and composing lullabies in Denmark. New lullabies are still being composed, and the old, popular ones are being re-recorded in both traditional and new musical arrangements. For example, when Prince Christian – the first born child of the Danish Crown Prince and Princess – was born in 2005, new lullabies were written to celebrate the occasion: "Så fik livet mening" (Now Life Has a Meaning) and "Marys vuggevise" (Mary’s Lullaby).
Characteristics of Danish Lullabies
The Danish lullabies in this collection are from the 19th to the 21st century. Most of the writers and composers of the lullabies are known which is probably related to the fact that they are fairly new. Only a few of the lullabies have an unknown writer, e.g. "Mæ, si'r det lille lam" (Mae, Says the Little Lamb).
A great deal of the Danish lullabies are written by well-known writers, e.g. Halfdan Rasmusssen, Christian Winther, Johan Ludvig Heiberg, Harald Bergstedt and Carl Ploug. Several of them have music by well-known composers such as Carl Nielsen, Oluf Ring, Christopher E. Weyse, Benny Andersen and Sigurd Barrett. This shows that lullabies are considered a serious genre that writers and composers find an interest in working on. Thus the lullaby tradition is not merely a private activity, i.e. it is not exclusively an intimate song from the parent to the child, but just as much the poet’s well-thought-out work and well-structured poem with rhymes and themes.
The lullabies from South and East Europe – also included in this collection – are short, have a lot of repetitions and variations of the same text; all of which is characteristic for the oral tradition. In contrast the newer Danish lullabies clearly come from a written tradition with longer text rich in content.
Themes
Thematically there is a difference between the old and the newer Danish lullabies. The oldest from the 19th century have more serious themes than the newer ones from the 20th and 21st centuries that have a lighter, brighter and more carefree content.
The older lullabies often have a religious content. They can be an evening prayer, wherein you thank God for the day and ask Him to watch over you and strengthen you in your belief. Some of this type of lullabies were originally written as psalms using a religious language, which sounds strange to many Danes today, especially children and their parents. An example of this is "Jeg er træt og går til ro" (I Am Tired and Will Rest).
Old lullabies can also have an element of child upbringing. The lullaby "Den Lille Ole" (Little Ole) tells that the well-behaved children who respect their mother and father will be rewarded with lovely, sweet dreams.
Among the old Danish lullabies in this collection there is also one written in Jutlandic dialect: "Mues sang få Hanse-mand" (Mother’s Song to Little Hans). The theme is quite traditional. The mother sings to her youngest child about her worries and hopes for the future of her children.
The newer lullabies tend to be cosier, fun and full of imagination. They are about animals, both exotic jungle animals and stuffed toy animals that children can sleep with. Some of the lullabies take place in a fairytale or imaginary land, and some of them are written in a funny and playful language, such as Halfdan Rasmussen’s lyrics. Sigurd Barrett and Nikolaj Hansen’s "Godnatsang" (Goodnight Song) is, in its simplicity, a nice little description of a child getting tucked to bed, something every child of today can relate to.
The lullaby "Solen er så rød mor" (The Sun is So Red, Mother) can perhaps be considered a "transition lullaby" since its language and content are modern, yet thematically, it is more serious than the other lullabies from the 20th and 21st centuries. The song is about nightfall and – for the child as well as the adult – evening is related with things that can make you scared: the darkness, death, the sounds and eeriness of the night. In contrast of the scary things there is the mother singing to the boy, and the bright stars where the boy imagines other little boys living.
European Interaction
Among the older lullabies, there are several examples of cultural interaction with other European countries. Some of the songs are originally German that have been re-written in Danish: "Jeg er træt og går til ro" (I Am Tired and Will Rest) and "Sov sødelig, sov blødelig" (Sleep Sweetly and Softly). "Verden er så stor så stor" (The World is so Big, so Big) is a re-written Danish version of the Finnish-Swedish poem "Lasse liten". These adaptations are all signs of the cultural bond that Denmark has with its neighbouring countries. There is also a Danish lullaby with a French melody: "Pjerrot og månen" (Pierrot and the Moon).
Language Stimulation
Today lullabies are also used to stimulate language learning among bilingual children in Denmark. There have been several projects in the Danish libraries where mother groups with mixed ethnic backgrounds met and listened to and sang lullabies in both Danish and their maternal language. Thus lullabies strengthen language learning as well as connect people across different cultures.
There is a living tradition for writing and composing lullabies in Denmark. New lullabies are still being composed, and the old, popular ones are being re-recorded in both traditional and new musical arrangements. For example, when Prince Christian – the first born child of the Danish Crown Prince and Princess – was born in 2005, new lullabies were written to celebrate the occasion: "Så fik livet mening" (Now Life Has a Meaning) and "Marys vuggevise" (Mary’s Lullaby).
Characteristics of Danish Lullabies
The Danish lullabies in this collection are from the 19th to the 21st century. Most of the writers and composers of the lullabies are known which is probably related to the fact that they are fairly new. Only a few of the lullabies have an unknown writer, e.g. "Mæ, si'r det lille lam" (Mae, Says the Little Lamb).
A great deal of the Danish lullabies are written by well-known writers, e.g. Halfdan Rasmusssen, Christian Winther, Johan Ludvig Heiberg, Harald Bergstedt and Carl Ploug. Several of them have music by well-known composers such as Carl Nielsen, Oluf Ring, Christopher E. Weyse, Benny Andersen and Sigurd Barrett. This shows that lullabies are considered a serious genre that writers and composers find an interest in working on. Thus the lullaby tradition is not merely a private activity, i.e. it is not exclusively an intimate song from the parent to the child, but just as much the poet’s well-thought-out work and well-structured poem with rhymes and themes.
The lullabies from South and East Europe – also included in this collection – are short, have a lot of repetitions and variations of the same text; all of which is characteristic for the oral tradition. In contrast the newer Danish lullabies clearly come from a written tradition with longer text rich in content.
Themes
Thematically there is a difference between the old and the newer Danish lullabies. The oldest from the 19th century have more serious themes than the newer ones from the 20th and 21st centuries that have a lighter, brighter and more carefree content.
The older lullabies often have a religious content. They can be an evening prayer, wherein you thank God for the day and ask Him to watch over you and strengthen you in your belief. Some of this type of lullabies were originally written as psalms using a religious language, which sounds strange to many Danes today, especially children and their parents. An example of this is "Jeg er træt og går til ro" (I Am Tired and Will Rest).
Old lullabies can also have an element of child upbringing. The lullaby "Den Lille Ole" (Little Ole) tells that the well-behaved children who respect their mother and father will be rewarded with lovely, sweet dreams.
Among the old Danish lullabies in this collection there is also one written in Jutlandic dialect: "Mues sang få Hanse-mand" (Mother’s Song to Little Hans). The theme is quite traditional. The mother sings to her youngest child about her worries and hopes for the future of her children.
The newer lullabies tend to be cosier, fun and full of imagination. They are about animals, both exotic jungle animals and stuffed toy animals that children can sleep with. Some of the lullabies take place in a fairytale or imaginary land, and some of them are written in a funny and playful language, such as Halfdan Rasmussen’s lyrics. Sigurd Barrett and Nikolaj Hansen’s "Godnatsang" (Goodnight Song) is, in its simplicity, a nice little description of a child getting tucked to bed, something every child of today can relate to.
The lullaby "Solen er så rød mor" (The Sun is So Red, Mother) can perhaps be considered a "transition lullaby" since its language and content are modern, yet thematically, it is more serious than the other lullabies from the 20th and 21st centuries. The song is about nightfall and – for the child as well as the adult – evening is related with things that can make you scared: the darkness, death, the sounds and eeriness of the night. In contrast of the scary things there is the mother singing to the boy, and the bright stars where the boy imagines other little boys living.
European Interaction
Among the older lullabies, there are several examples of cultural interaction with other European countries. Some of the songs are originally German that have been re-written in Danish: "Jeg er træt og går til ro" (I Am Tired and Will Rest) and "Sov sødelig, sov blødelig" (Sleep Sweetly and Softly). "Verden er så stor så stor" (The World is so Big, so Big) is a re-written Danish version of the Finnish-Swedish poem "Lasse liten". These adaptations are all signs of the cultural bond that Denmark has with its neighbouring countries. There is also a Danish lullaby with a French melody: "Pjerrot og månen" (Pierrot and the Moon).
Language Stimulation
Today lullabies are also used to stimulate language learning among bilingual children in Denmark. There have been several projects in the Danish libraries where mother groups with mixed ethnic backgrounds met and listened to and sang lullabies in both Danish and their maternal language. Thus lullabies strengthen language learning as well as connect people across different cultures.
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