The Harvest Song in Transylvania, a Specific Species of Occasional Lyrics
The Harvest Song in Transylvania, a Specific Species of Occasional Lyrics

Summary/Abstract: The multitude of spring and summer customs unfolds in close connection with the labour tasks in rural areas. One of these is the harvest custom, practiced in our country ever since ancient times during the various agricultural activities. The practice of this custom is aimed at obtaining richer crops. The geographical area covered by this custom is rather limited to some parts of Transylvania, and more importantly, it appears in the Năsăud area, where there are a number of specific musical productions entitled Harvest Songs, interpreted by women who physically participate in the joint work of harvesting, along the various moments of the ceremony. The characteristics of the harvest song have been preserved, but there are also differences among several areas both in the subject of the literary text and in the melodic types. The harvest song is still a living custom, which besides archive materials is an invaluable resource for the interdisciplinary study of the phenomenon in all its complexity.

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