The aim of the group is to explore song lyrics in various genres, periods and contexts, and to provide theoretical contributions to this field of research. Despite their long traditions and widespread popularity, song lyrics have received far less scholarly attention within literary studies and musicology than has written poetry.
The group’s main concern will be within the tradition of popular music that emphasizes textual meaning and poetical qualities. This tradition extends from the Middle Ages until today and includes troubadour songs, medieval ballads, yoik, folksongs, Scandinavian “viser”, lieder, blues, rock, pop, rap and sound poetry.
The group's working language is Scandinavian (Norwegian, Swedish, Danish).
PhD programme in Humanities and Education
Ph.d Specialisations in Popular Music Performance & Art in Context
Projects
In 2021 the group contributed to two scholarly anthologies on Broadside ballads, included in the NTNU Trondheim research project Skillingsvisene I Norge 1550-1950:
SKILLINGSVISENE I NORGE 1550–1950
In 2022 the group published three further anthologies on song lyrics:
Research collaboration
- University of Bergen
- University of Oslo
- University of Stavanger
- University of South-Eastern Norway
- University of Inland Norway
- Norwegian University of Technology and Science
- Western Norway University of Applied Science
- National Library of Norway
- Norwegian Academy of Music
- University of Gothenburg
- Centre for Swedish Folk Music and Jazz Research
- Aarhus University