page_title: Lithuanian folk music
section_title: Sutartinės (multipart songs)
hierarchical_section_title: Lithuanian folk music / Vocal music / Sutartinės (multipart songs)
caption_attribution_description: Lithuanian folk music band performance during the Street Music Day festival
context_page_description: Lithuanian folk music belongs to Baltic music branch which is connected with neolithic corded ware culture. In Lithuanian territory meets two musical cultures: stringed and wind instrument cultures. These instrumental cultures probably formed vocal traditions.
  Lithuanian folk music is archaic, mostly used for ritual purposes, containing elements of paganism faith.
context_section_description: Sutartinės (from the word sutarti—to be in concordance, in agreement, singular sutartinė) are highly unique examples of folk music. They are an ancient form of two and three voiced polyphony, based on the oldest principles of multivoiced vocal music: heterophony, parallelism, canon, hocket, and free imitation. Most of the sutartinės' repertoire was recorded in the 19th and 20th centuries, but sources from the 16th century on show that they were significant along with monophonic songs. At present the sutartinės have almost become extinct as a genre among the population, but they are fostered by many Lithuanian folklore ensembles.
  The topics and functions of sutartinės encompass all major Lithuanian folk song genres. Melodies of sutartinės are not complex, containing two to five pitches. The melodies are symmetrical, consisting of two equal-length parts; rhythms are typically syncopated, and the distinctly articulated refrains give them a driving quality.
  Sutartinės can be classed into three groups according to performance practices and function:
  Dvejinės (“twosomes”) are sung by two singers or two groups of singers.
  Trejinės (“threesomes”) are performed by three singers in strict canon.
  Keturinės (“foursomes") are sung by two pairs of singers.
  Sutartinės are a localized phenomenon, found in the northwestern part of Lithuania. They were sung by women, but men performed instrumental versions on the kanklės (psaltery), on horns, and on the skudučiai (pan-pipes). The rich and thematically varied poetry of the sutartinės attests to their importance in the social fabric. Sutartinės were sung at festivals, gatherings, weddings, and while performing various chores. The poetic language while not being complex is very visual, expressive and sonorous. The rhythms are clear and accented. Dance sutartinės are humorous and spirited, despite the fact that the movements of the dance are quite reserved and slow. One of the most important characteristics of the sutartinės is the wide variety of vocables used in the refrains (sodauto, lylio, ratilio, tonarilio, dauno, kadujo, čiūto, etc.).
caption: A Lithuanian folklore band Kūlgrinda dancing to a folk song in Vilnius
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