sammanhangsvisa

Sammanhangsvisa, literally “context song,” is a term used in Swedish folkloristics and ethnomusicology to describe a short song or chant embedded within a spoken narrative or performance to establish and illuminate the contextual frame of a scene. The form is typically sung by the storyteller or participants and may appear as a brief interlude or as an integrated moment within the unfolding tale. It can employ a conventional melody or be sung improvisationally.

The primary function of a sammanhangsvisa is to orient listeners and to reinforce aspects of context such as setting, time, place, social relations, or mood. By signaling transitions between scenes, summarizing prior events, or foreshadowing developments, the song helps frame the narrative and demarcate shifts in register from prose to song. In some performances, the sammanhangsvisa also serves as a performative device that marks a moment of importance or ritual resonance within the discourse.

Formally, these songs are usually brief and may exhibit simple rhyme or a refrain. They are characteristic of oral traditions, where music and speech intermingle, and they often draw on familiar melodic formulas from the surrounding repertoire.

In scholarly use, sammanhangsvisa is discussed as a specific technique within broader studies of folklore, oral narrative, and ethnomusicology. It highlights how song functions within storytelling to structure meaning and audience reception.

Etymology: sammanhang = context, visa = song. See also: folklore, ballad, oral tradition, ethnomusicology.