SONGS IN STORYTELLING

Songs have always been an important part of storytelling. Before stories were written down, they were told aloud, and songs helped storytellers remember events, characters, and emotions. Songs make stories lively, emotional, and easy to remember. They also help listeners connect deeply with the story.

Songs in storytelling serve many purposes. They can move the story forward, describe characters, express emotions, or explain cultural values. In many traditions, songs are not separate from the story; they are the story.

Global Context

In many parts of the world, songs are central to storytelling.

• In ancient Greece, epics like The Iliad and The Odyssey were sung or chanted by bards.
• In African oral traditions, griots use songs to tell stories of kings, heroes, and ancestors. These songs keep history alive.
• In Western theatre and cinema, musicals such as The Lion King or Les Misérables use songs to narrate events and express emotions that dialogue alone cannot convey.

Songs here enable audiences to grasp the story swiftly and with emotional impact.

Indian Context

Indian storytelling traditions are strongly rooted in songs.

• In epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, verses were sung or recited rhythmically.
• Harikatha, Kathakali, and Yakshagana combine music, narration, and performance. Songs explain the story while gestures and expressions show emotions.
• In Indian cinema, songs are an essential narrative tool. A song may show love, sorrow, separation, or the passage of time without long explanations.

Songs in Indian storytelling often carry moral, spiritual, and philosophical meanings.

Kerala Context

Kerala has a rich tradition of storytelling through songs.

• Kathakali uses padams (songs) to narrate stories from the epics. The singer tells the story while the actor performs.
• Koodiyattam, one of the oldest theatre forms, uses musical recitation to support storytelling.
• Vadakkan Pattukal (Northern Ballads) are heroic songs that narrate the stories of warriors such as Aromal Chekavar.
• Mappila Pattukal tell stories of faith, love, migration, and social life among the Muslim community of Kerala.

In Kerala traditions, songs preserve history, culture, and collective memory.

Songs make storytelling powerful and memorable. They help transmit stories across generations, cultures, and languages. Whether in global epics, Indian performances, or Kerala’s folk traditions, songs continue to be a living voice of stories.

SONGS IN STORYTELLING – MCQ’S

WORKS CITED

Finnegan, Ruth. Oral Literature in Africa. Oxford UP, 2012.

Blackburn, Stuart. “Oral Narratives and the Art of Performance.” Journal of Folklore Research, vol. 25, no. 1, 1988, pp. 1–20.
Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Oral Tradition.” Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/oral-tradition.
IGNCA. “Kathakali: The Art of Storytelling.” YouTube, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, www.youtube.com

Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan

Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.