Folk Songs &

Lullaby

Prepared by :

Abdul Khalid bin Yusoff

Amirul Zakwan bin Abu Bakar

Evanna Devi A/P Seyapalan

Hanis Ayuni binti Zaman

Folk Songs

• Used to refer to a narrative song that uses traditional

melodies to speak on a particular topic.

• Often, topical folk songs address social and political

issues such as work, war, and popular opinion.

• Often these songs are passed down within a

community.

• Many folk songs have been around so long that

nobody is entirely sure who their composers were.

• This music is also referred to as traditional music and,

in US, as "roots music".

• Different countries have their own traditional folk

songs.

Characteristics of Folk Songs

• Music transmitted by the mouth, oral tradition.

• There is no copyright to the songs because there is

no author.

• Music that has an unknown composers.

Categories of Folk Songs

• Ritual (eg : wedding)

• Social

• Festive and Non Festive

• Religious and Non Religious (religious services)

Examples Of

Folk Songs

Baa Baa Black Sheep (1765)

Baa, baa, black sheep,Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,Three bags full.

One for the master,One for the dame,

And one for the little boyWho lives down the lane.

History of Baa Baa Black Sheep

• Written for those oppressed by the Master and the

Dame who collect all the wool dates back to 1275

when Edward I imposed an export tax that allowed

him to collect a tax on any wool exported from any

port in then country

• Earliest known publication dated in 1744.

London Bridge is falling downLondon Bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down.London Bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.Build it up with iron bars,

Iron bars, iron bars,Build it up with iron bars,

My fair lady.Iron bars will bend and break,

Bend and break, bend and break,Iron bars will bend and break,

My fair lady.Build it up with gold and silver,Gold and silver, gold and silver,Build it up with gold and silver,

My fair lady.

History of London Bridge

• London Bridge is falling down is about the

destruction of London Bridge during the Great Fire of

1666.

• Many disasters struck the bridges - Viking invaders

destroyed the bridge in the 1000's which led to a

fortified design, complete with a drawbridge.

Building materials changed due to the many fires

that broke out on the bridge.

Malaysian Folk Songs

• Makyong

• Ulik Mayang

• Inang

Lullaby

• A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young

children before they go to sleep, with the intention

of speeding that process.

• As a result they are often simple and repetitive.

Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the

ancient period.

• The simple lyrics, nature, and storyline of lullabies

are usually intended for children, and are therefore

suitable for them.

• Among the purposes are to express mixed feelings,

to teach kids about nature and life.

History of lullaby

• Lullabies have existed throughout human history and

some of the ones we sing to this day are hundreds of

years old.

• Although no one is certain, it is believed that the

name “lullabies” comes from the “lull”-ing and “by”-

ing sounds one makes to help a baby fall asleep.

• The term comes from a Hebrew phrase, “Lilith-Abi”

meaning “Lilith begone.” Lilith is a folkloric character

who was believed to steal children in the night and

these incantations were sounded to keep her away.

Popular lullabies & origin

Rock-a-bye Baby

1. One is that it was written by English immigrants to America upon seeing Native American women rocking their babies in birch-bark cradles suspended from tree branches.

2. Another theory is that it was written in the late 1700s about a family that lived in a tree and their children slept in hollowed out boughs.

Twinkle twinkle little stars

1. Jane Taylor and her sister Ann published their

second book of poems for children, called Rhymes

for the Nursery back in the 1806 in England.

2. The lullaby is based on the poem The Star written

by Taylor.

The Star poem by Jane Taylor

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,

When he nothing shines upon,

Then you show your little light,

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark,

Thanks you for your tiny spark,

He could not see which way to go,

If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,

And often through my curtains peep,

For you never shut your eye,

Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,

Lights the traveller in the dark,-

Though I know not what you are,

Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

Characteristics of Lullaby

• Infant directed speech

• Pattern of speech changes

• Slow tempo

• Range of speech changes (high and low)

Examples of

Lullaby

Hush, Little Baby

Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke, Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won't pull, Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull fall down, You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town

Twinkle twinkle little star

Twinkle, twinkle, little starHow I wonder what you are.Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the skyTwinkle, twinkle, little star

How I wonder what you are!When the blazing sun is gone,When he nothing shines upon,Then you show your little light,Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,How I wonder what you are!

Then the traveler in the darkThanks you for your tiny spark;

He could not see which way to go,If you did not twinkle so.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,How I wonder what you are!