WP4 aims to find out what songs are performed when freedom and independence are threatened. The first step will be a compilation of a song corpus (about a hundred songs composed from 1800 to 2025, related to the most important historical events and performed during the “singing revolutions” or commemoration ceremonies). To observe two centuries long tradition of cultural resistance WP4 suggest to create a timeline (a list of wars, occupations, uprisings, and liberations) and the list of most important dates in the history of songs (when the first collection of songs was published, when the national anthem was composed, when the song writers were most productive).

This will help the team to select the most popular and emotionally charged songs. The timeline also could be used as a background while creating a digital exhibition presenting „the power of songs“. WP4 hopes that other project partners will accept the Lithuanian example, that they will compile similar timelines and song collections. Later the histories of communal singing will be compared, and the collections of songs will be analyzed. 

While analysing the songs performed during the commemoration ceremonies and during the events demanding peace and justice for Ukraine, WP4 would like to reveal typical symbols in the lyrics of songs. The research of partisan songs created during the Second World War and post-war period shows that they harbour many romantic literary motifs. They exalt the beauty of the homeland, its green villages, winding rivers with meadow banks, and faraway woods. These motifs are often entwined with those of spring, blossoming, and youth. The native country is frequently portrayed in the songs as a beloved girl with a “rue sprig in her hair” and as a mother taking care of her children. It is interesting if the romantic or post-romantic motifs are still noticeable in the 21st century songs.

Impact: WP4 significantly enhances the project by integrating a critical analysis of the content and aesthetic expression within collective singing traditions, offering a comprehensive understanding of their impact on societal norms and identities.

This WP is led by Austė Nakienė.