Case study on the substitution of “Lullabies” with fishing and religious songs among Lipovan Russians in Dobruja

Abstract

Dobrogea comprises a large number of ethnic communities. The historical and geopolitical circumstances in this region have led, in time, to changes in the status of indigenous ethnic groups from majority to minority (as was the case of Tartars) or from minority to majority (as it happened to Dacoromanians). Over the centuries, various peoples settled in the Dobrogea region and, through their culture and level of civilization, contributed to the forging of a distinct regional identity and specificity. Lullabies constitute a special category within Lipovan folk music. During my field research in Lipovan Russian communities in Dobrogea (2 Mai village in Constanţa County and Jurilovca commune in Tulcea County), I came to the conclusion that, in time, lullabies were substituted by fishing-themed and religion-themed songs. In this paper, I will present two of the songs which made their way into the lullaby repertoire. This phenomenon was made possible by their structural features and performance particularities, which resemble those of lullabies. As they were sung in an intimate family ambiance, with the purpose of putting children to sleep, the substitution was fully accomplished, without any reticence on the part of the community.