The Enchanting World of Russian Lullabies: A Deep Dive into Folklore, Traditions, and Cultural Significance

From the heart of the snowy expanses of Siberia to the bustling metropolises of Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia’s rich cultural tapestry is woven with enchanting lullabies that have lulled generations of children into peaceful slumber. These lullabies, steeped in folklore and tradition, offer a glimpse into the everyday life, beliefs, hopes, and fears of the Russian people.

The Russian People: An Overview
Russians, an East Slavic ethnic group, are the most populous in both Europe and Russia. Spread throughout the country, they have significant diasporas in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the USA, and Germany. More than 111 million people identify as Russians in Russia itself. The Russian language, which belongs to the East Slavic group of the Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family, has a broad variety of dialects due to historical, geographical, and cultural differences.

A Rich Tradition of Lullabies
Lullabies form one of the richest genres of Russian folklore. Every region of Russia boasts over a thousand variants of lullabies, each with distinct tunes, narratives, and motifs. In the past, almost everyone, including mothers, grandmothers, older siblings, and occasionally fathers, would sing these songs. It was believed that a newborn had not yet fully transitioned from the other world to the living world, and lullabies assisted in this transition.

Folklorist and ethnomusicologist Natalya Prokhorova notes that lullabies are practically the only genre still alive in traditional Russian culture:

“Modern women sing lullabies without thinking that they are ancient or folklore. For them, these songs are contemporary, they participate in their lives now.”

Lullabies not only soothed and rocked the child to sleep but also taught the child about the world. Here’s an example of a lullaby describing the family’s daily routines:

Hush-a-bye, rock-a-bye,

Grandpa has gone fishing.

Mother has gone to milk the cows,

And grandma is cooking soup.

Grandma is cooking soup,

To feed the tiny baby.

Heroes and Villains in Russian Lullabies

Russian lullabies feature a plethora of characters. They include pagan figures such as Ugomon (Slumber), Son (Sleep), Drem (Dream), and Christian figures like the Virgin Mary, angels, and Christ. The most common hero in many lullabies from different parts of Russia is the cat. Natalya Prokhorova describes this phenomenon:

“For example, if a child needs to be told how to behave and how not to behave, stories are sung about a cat who went to the cellar to eat sour cream or curd, two old women saw him from the window and punished him. And at the end it is sung: here, kitty, here is your sour cream and curd, you will know how to sneak into the cellar. There are other plots related to the cat – for example, about the cat-helper. The cat comes home to the mistress, and the mistress asks him to help rock, put the baby to sleep, and for this, the cat will get a reward – a pie, milk.”

Lullabies also feature a group of characters designed to scare the child, compelling the baby to fall asleep faster. The most common among them are the bogeyman and the wolf. However, it’s important to note that more often than not, the family protects the child and saves them from the bogeyman or the wolf.

Death and Lullabies

“Death” lullabies, which reflect the peasant’s attitude towards death, have attracted the attention of folklorists:

Oh, hush-a-bye, rock-a-bye,

Even if you die today.

Even if you die today,

Tomorrow is the funeral.
There are several hypotheses about the purpose of such lullabies. They might express a desire to hasten a child’s death due to hunger or illness, or they could demonstrate fearlessness towards death, thus warding it off from the vulnerable child who is still between worlds.

The Melodies and Rhythms
The tunes of lullabies are diverse, ranging from simple intonations to complex musical structures. They were traditionally sung in a full but quiet voice, and the song’s tempo and rhythm mimicked the movements of the cradle. The melodies of lullabies consist of several short tunes. Within these tunes, more talented singers could significantly change the melody, endowing it with new intonations and musical embellishments, known as melismas. The combination of the lullaby’s melody and rhythms with rocking and tapping from an early age nurtured the child’s musical ear and immersed them in the cultural tradition of the Russian people.

The Song
Recorded on a phonograph – the first sound recording device invented by man, collectors of folklore actively used the phonograph from the late 1890s. The characteristic crackle on the recording reminds us of the fragility and unreliability of the audio medium used – the wax cylinder.

The plot of the song can be divided into several parts, but in most of them, the cradle – the crib – plays the most important role. The beginning expresses the singer’s tenderness towards the child:

Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, oh, my little one.

I love my little one and

Will buy a new crib.

I will amuse the little one,

Will hang a new crib.

Will hang a new crib,

Put the child to sleep.
Then, the crib in which the baby swings is described. In Russian lullabies, special importance was attributed to the image of the cradle as a protective space of the infant, a zone of well-being and safety. The crib here is described as a new, lavishly decorated object with beautiful details:

The crib swings quietly,

With golden arcs.

Under the swing,

In the middle is gold.

Finally, the singer convinces the baby not to bother her too much and to fall asleep sweetly, and at the very end, there is a wish for a favourable, joyful future:

Now sleep, my little one,

Without rocking.

You without rocking,

Without lulling.

You sleep, child, well,

Wake up cheerfully.  

This lullaby preserves unique features of the Arkhangelsk dialect (a dialect with “okaying” and “tsokaying” speech and words characteristic of this region like “crib”, “little one”, etc.) and broad-chanting melody referring the listener to the Northern Russian epic tunes.

Russian lullabies, like the traditions of many other nations, can be divided into two types: songs focusing on the mother’s experiences and feelings, and songs directed specifically at the child and telling about the child. Here’s an example of a “mother’s” lullaby, in which the mother laments her hard life to the baby:

Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, oh,

I sing you a song.

Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye, Vasya, hush-a-bye.

I sing Vasya a song

About my bitter fate.

The tunes of lullabies are very diverse and range from simple intonation to complex musical constructions. They were traditionally performed in a full but not loud voice, and the song’s tempo and rhythm mimicked the movements of the cradle. Lullaby melodies consist of several short tunes. Within these tunes, more talented singers could significantly change the melody, endowing it with new intonations and musical embellishments – melismas. The combination of the melody and rhythms of the lullaby with rocking and tapping from an early age nurtured the child’s musical ear and immersed them in the cultural tradition of the Russian people.

As we delve into the enchanting world of Russian lullabies, we find a reflection of the Russian spirit—resilient, passionate, and deeply connected to its roots. These lullabies, filled with vivid imagery, tales of everyday life, and profound emotions, offer us a window into the soul of Russian culture, echoing with the voices of generations past and continuing to resonate in the hearts of generations to come.