THE METAPHYSICS OF THE FOLK SONG: ACTUALIZATION OF VIRTUAL FORMS, DISAPPEARANCE OF POTENTIALITIES, AND INVASION OF NOVELTIES (original) (raw)

More often than not, and under almost all traditional conditions, a sung poetic text never looks like a scholarly written poem, as a succession of new and different lines. During the singing, verses are repeated, choruses are periodically intermingled, lyrics are broken and prolonged by vowels and pauses, the whole, which is the Song, acquiring new dimensions and different structures. Structures, or architectural forms, are independent both to (poetic) text and tune, are unpredictable/inconceivable by both lyrics and melody (taken separately), have nothing to do with the conscious intention or representation of the singers themselves, and are spontaneously actualized during the singing. Due to such structuring possibilities, and using only the formal possibilities of the syntagmatic repetition (i.e. the entire verse repetition, and the strophic chorus/refrain), in Romanian traditional/folk singing a single poetic text can (at least theoretically) receive sixty-four architectural arrangements. For establishing the existence of all these architectural versions I have started from observations made by researchers in early 20 th century, which noticed that Romanians had the peculiarity of singing the same verse three or four times. Whereas for later decades it was more common that verses to be repeated just once. If we logically establish all possible forms of syntagmatic repetitions we eventually obtain this sum of sixty-four variants, which constitute the equally real and virtual being of each and any folk song (cf. . These structures and architectures were very important to the old, traditional aesthetics, and their actualization was essential especially to ceremonial repertories such as the Winter-Solstice-Songs (traditional carols). Later on, by giving up devices such as verse repetition and stanzaic choruses (refrains), and by shortening the time for performing the epic-like songs of the peasant carol, what got lost it was the immaterial aspect of unconscious constructing, the irrational yet effective re-elaboration of time, the abysmal pleasure for implied mathematics. It got lost one of the essences of both sacred and aesthetic experience, which is, experiencing the Virtual, the Potential.