Engångsvisa

Engångsvisa, meaning literally "one-off song," is a term used in Swedish folklore and literary studies to describe a song or poem composed for a single occasion and not intended to enter lasting repertoires. Such songs are topical, commemorative, or celebratory, and they are typically performed at the event for which they were written, rather than being sung as part of ongoing concerts or gatherings.

Historically, engångsvisor emerged in communities where vernacular verse and simple melodies circulated among neighbors, at weddings, funerals, coronations, local fairs, or political ceremonies. They were often transmitted in manuscript form or as limited printings and could be anonymous or attributed to a local poet or musician. The tunes, when known, favored straightforward meters suitable for communal singing.

Authorship is frequently uncertain, and the primary purpose was ritual or social occasion rather than artistic canon. Performances were usually by a single singer or a small group, with or without accompaniment, and the song would be remembered primarily for the event rather than for its place in a broader repertoire.

In scholarship engångsvisor illustrate how communities encode memory and shared feeling in verse tied to a concrete moment. In contemporary usage the term can describe ephemeral songs written for a specific ceremony, even outside traditional folk contexts.