![]() In addition to serving as a cultural symbol of the infant's familial status, the cradle's presence during the singing of lullabies helps the infant associate lullabies with falling asleep and waking up. This is reflected in the swinging rhythmicity of the music. In an observation of the setting of lullabies in Albanian culture, lullabies tended to be paired with the rocking of the child in a cradle. Lullabies are often used to pass down or strengthen the cultural roles and practices. Infants have shown a strong preferences for songs with these qualities. ![]() It was found that adults of various cultural backgrounds could recognize and identify lullabies without knowing the cultural context of the song. These characteristics tend to be consistent across cultures. One study found lullabies to be the most successful type of music or sound for relieving stress and improving the overall psychological health of pregnant women. Lullabies are often used for their soothing nature, even for non-infants. Again, this appeals to infants' more limited ability to process information. Infants have shown a strong preference for unaccompanied lullabies over accompanied lullabies. Lullabies almost never have instrumental accompaniments. Again, this aids in the infant's processing of the song. The tempos of lullabies tend to be generally slow, and the utterances are short. In addition, infants' preference for rhythm shares a strong connection with what they hear when they are bounced, and even their own body movements. Lullabies are usually in triple meter or 6/8 time, giving them a "characteristic swinging or rocking motion." This mimics the movement a baby experiences in the womb as a mother moves. This dilutes the rate of material and appeals to infants' slower capacity for processing music. The most frequent tendencies are intermittent repetitions and long pauses between sections. In addition to pitch tendencies, lullabies share several structural similarities. Tonally, most lullabies are simple, often merely alternating tonic and dominant harmonies. ![]() ![]() To reflect this, most lullabies contain primarily consonant intervals. Furthermore, if there is a sequence of dissonant intervals in a song, an infant will usually lose interest and it becomes very difficult to regain its attention. When there is harmony, infants almost always prefer consonant intervals over dissonant intervals. These clarify and convey heightened emotions, usually of love or affection. Lullabies tend to share exaggerated melodic tendencies, including simple pitch contours, large pitch ranges, and generally higher pitch. To guard against Lilith, Jewish mothers would hang four amulets on nursery walls with the inscription "Lilith – abei". In the Jewish tradition, Lilith was a demon who was believed to steal children's souls in the night. Ī folk etymology derives lullaby from "Lilith-Abi" ( Hebrew for " Lilith, begone"). The term 'lullaby' derives from the Middle English lullen ("to lull") and by (in the sense of "near") it was first recorded circa 1560. Traditional lullaby from Macastre, Spain, recorded in 1975
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