German Ballad Catalog
Instructions and Guide
Searching basics, Themes, Roles and the Thesaurus of terms.
You can access the ballads in the catalog through a data base which is indexed by a strictly limited set of tags called "Themes" and "Roles." These tags function as a "controlled vocabulary" in which one word choice becomes a standard representative for many; e.g., a standardized term "woman" might stand for "girl, maid, gal, crone, 'lady,' co-ed, lass" etc., etc., so that the searcher need only search for "woman" to find all the instances of the other variations (girl, crone, etc.). The repository for such a controlled vocabulary is the Thesaurus which is here organized into 12 major categories as presented on the search page. Here are links to an Overview of the Thesaurus, the Thesaurus itself, and further information about the Thesaurus.
Using the drop-down menus to use Themes and Roles to access the data base:
o Select a Theme or Role by clicking on the square toggle box in front of the Theme.
o Deselect by clicking again on the square toggle box in front of the Theme.
o Reveal more information by clicking on the the question mark (during mouse over) behind each Theme or Role.
o
Exclude
a term
from the search by clicking on the X following the question mark in the
drop-down list.
o Advanced searches can be added and combined with the pull-down selections.
o Search terms are separated by spaces; commas and periods count as letters.
o
o Review the terms in your query in the "Search for" box. You can remove a term by clicking the red X following it in the "Search for" box.
o The number of Results yielded in your search can be followed "live" as you add or remove search criteria.
o Save your search strategies and the list of results temporarily.
o By clicking on "Saved Searches" you can retrieve previous searches to review or modify as you please. (until you close your browser).
o You can print or save a .pdf of your seaches' terms and results by clicking the Print/Save button. A .pdf is generated which you can send to a printer or save to your own computer.
o
Bibliographic
abbreviations for cited works can be resolved by the bibliography.
Use the Advanced Search to search directly and with more precise control for Themes, Roles, ballad titles or catalog numbers, or their call number identification at the German Folksong Archive (DVA). You can freely combine any selected pull-down menu items with entries from the Advanced Search (more).
Use the Narrative Units (the "decimal extensions" to the Themes) for more targeted searches. These more specific narrative elements are at once examples of a Theme and a bridge between the abstract Theme and the concrete song texts. For Example, various instances of Theme "320: Embarking, Departures and Farewells" are "320.1:leaving for the military," "320.2: search for employment," "320.5: being exiled, sent away," etc. A search for Theme 320 (by menu or advanced search) will return all of these instances; a search for Theme "320.1" will not return any other "320". To cast the broader net, use the menus.
Searching the Thesaurus for an appropriate Theme (with the browser's "FIND") is made more effective by the descriptive Narrative Units. While "exile" does not appear in the title of Theme "320: Embarking, Departures and Farewells," it does show up amongst the Narrative Units, thus indicating the Theme.
The alphabetical Directory is an additional tool to discover relevant Themes through their usual expressions in narrative. For instance one can look up "strike" alphabetically and be led to Theme "280:Occupational Responsibilities.a violated, .3 strike"; or look up "window" if she says "go away from my window" and be lead to Theme "110: Courtship." Read more about the Directory.
Access a found ballad by clicking on the links in the list of found ballads to take you directly to the full ballad entry (described here) which includes an example.
The list of ballads in the catalog, organized by the "Freiburg System," provides less efficient but alternative access to the ballad entries. Find the songs you are looking for using the organization of the list and then enter its DBK number in the "Search by Number" field of the Advanced Search. (see its Introduction.)
One can always find a particular ballad by entering its DBK number in the "Search by Number in the Ballad list" field of the Advanced Search. (Cf. also the "Numbering" systems in the catalog). Or simply type in the DBK number at the end of the URL: https://balladenkatalog.org/katalog-de/, for example: https://balladenkatalog.org/katalog-de/03.D4-04-05.pdf .
Here are three example searches:
Example 1: Search for a particular ballad knowing only vaguely parts of the story line:
Find „Die Winterrosen" (The Winter Roses).
You remember vaguely that it's about propositioning a girl, and that "she" sets a seemingly impossible task, which the suitor unexpectedly manages to solve through a trick, thereby gaining the upper hand over the girl.
So you search with Themes such as: "110: Seduction and Courtship;" "410: Verbal Competition;" "240: Tasks Imposed;" "440: Tricks, Deceptions, Insinuations, Lists, Traps, Lies." This combination finds several ballads, including "The Winter Roses." If one then adds search terms for "L: Lovers" and "C: Competitors," only "Winter Roses" remains.
saved search: Theme search: 110 240 410 440
Roles: L C
Example 2 Search for a group of ballads
You want to know more about robber songs.
Of course, you search for "V: Victims, Helpers, Wrongdoers," and because there are so many hits, you exclude the role of "lover," which halves the number of hits. If you search for Theme "540: Mistreatment" using the menu, the number of hits drops by another half. But if you instead enter the narrative unit "540.3: Robbery, Theft" in the advanced search box, only a few hits remain. If you're unsure where to find "robbery" or "robbing" among the topics, you search for it in the Directory and you'll soon be directed to Role "V" and "540.3."
saved search: Theme search: 540
Roles: V
Roles: exclude L
Text search: 540.3
Example 3 Search for false accusations
An "accusation" irrespective of its truth or falsehood is likely to lead to the same result (at least at first). The falsehood of it is what makes all the difference in a ballad.
By looking up Theme "910: Accusation" you discover that "910.6: telling on someone" comes closest, but seems too weak. Combining that with Theme "440.2: Tricks: falsehoods, lies" will esssentially "spell" the "false accusation."
saved search: Text Search: 910 440.2
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