Waulking songs, in Scottish Gaelic orain luaidh, are a genre of Scottish folk song traditionally sung in Gaelic by women while fulling, or waulking, newly woven cloth, rhythmically beating tweed or tartan against a surface to felt and shrink it and make the fabric more water-resistant. Sessions typically began with slower songs and accelerated in tempo as the cloth softened, with one lead singer performing verses while others joined a chorus, often built from vocables, meaningless or contextually disconnected Gaelic syllables serving a function similar to tra-la-la in English song; superstition held it bad luck to repeat a song during a single session, which helped drive an extensive repertoire. While cloth fulling occurs worldwide, Scotland uniquely developed the practice into this distinct sung literary tradition, which survives today primarily in the Outer Hebrides as a heritage practice rather than a working craft.
Facts
Place of OriginScotland (Outer Hebrides) 1 Notable Example'S Fliuch an Oidhche (Wet is the Night) 1 Defining Traitlead singer performs verses while others join in a chorus, timed to rhythmic cloth beating 1 Defining Trait In the Other Atlases
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Waulking song, Wikipedia
Lead section
Waulking songs (Scottish Gaelic: Orain Luaidh) are Scottish folk songs, traditionally sung in the Gaelic language by women while fulling (waulking) cloth.
Song structure section
In a song like 'S Fliuch an Oidhche ('Wet is the Night'), also known as Coisich a Ruin ('Come on, My Love'), the last two lines of one verse become the first two lines of the following one.
Performance section
Typically one person sings the verse, while the others join in the chorus.
Lead paragraph, defining sentence
Waulking songs (Scottish Gaelic: Òrain Luaidh) are Scottish folk songs, traditionally sung in the Gaelic language by women while fulling (waulking) cloth.
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