IT has often been shown that wandering song-tunes are genuine expressions of national idiosyncrasies; that the physiognomy of a people and a province can be judged from folk songs, which, as Goethe says, ‘crystallise the characteristics of a nation.’
The wandering of melodies and melodic patterns over time and space was discussed by W. Tappert as early as 1865 in a very stimulating musical study, without, however, resulting in any direct solution of the present problem. Further progress was made by 0. Fleischer in his publications in SIMG, Vols. 1 and 4, which were later followed by several shorter essays. In more expansive style and with the assistance of indispensable synoptic melodic tables, W. Danckert continued these attempts at analysis and description, chiefly in his book, Das Europäische Volkslied (1939), in a manner which, for the most part, was neither free from prejudice nor convincing.