Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Walther Wünsch. Heldensänger in Südosteuropa. Arbeiten aus dem Institut für Lautforschung an der Universität Berlin, nr. 4. Leipzig: Otto Harrassowitz.

After a brief general discussion of Balkan folksong, he describes the oral heroic narrative and singers of the South Slavs, with special attention to techniques of improvisation and the instrument (gusle). Differentiates various demographically defined traditions (Dinaric-Montenegrin and Bulgarian-Central Balkan) and compares the Ukrainian duma and Russian bylina.
Area: SC, RU, UK, MU, CP