Methodology
How do we know that
two songs are related?
The project combines musical comparison, source criticism, historical context, and visible uncertainty.
01 / Principles
Relationship before origin.
A genealogy is built from documented relationships. It does not require every melody to have one identifiable birthplace, owner, or linear route.
The method records what the evidence supports—and keeps the gaps legible.
01
Comparative listening
Melodic similarity
Researchers compare contour, interval pattern, cadence, rhythm, phrase structure, mode, ornamentation, and performance practice. A familiar opening phrase alone may be insufficient.
QuestionDoes the relationship extend across the tune, or only through one memorable phrase?
02
Words and titles
Lyrics & translation
Different words can preserve, transform, or abandon the themes of another version. The project separates direct translation, loose adaptation, replacement text, and coincidental title similarity.
RecordOriginal script, transliteration, translation, lyric summary, and source.
03
Material evidence
Recording & publication
Records, sheet music, catalogues, radio schedules, films, and archival documents provide dated traces. Each source is described by medium, creator, location, rights status, and reliability.
CautionPublication date tells us when a version was documented—not necessarily when it began circulating.
04
Routes and encounters
Geographic & historical context
Potential connections are tested against migration, trade, urban entertainment, war, displacement, touring, education, religious life, and media infrastructure.
QuestionWas there a plausible social route through which performers or listeners encountered the tune?
05
Performance worlds
Urban musical life
Port cities, cafés, theatres, neighbourhoods, studios, and festivals bring repertoires and publics into contact. The project treats these spaces as transmission environments rather than decorative background.
06
Public narratives
Memory & nationalisation
Later claims about “our song” are themselves historical evidence. They may reveal how institutions, markets, education, and political identities reorganise a shared musical past.
02 / Confidence scale
Uncertainty is data.
Every proposed relationship can carry a confidence label and a written explanation.
03 / Ethics
Care for sources, communities, and rights.
No invented certainty
Interpretation is clearly separated from evidence and oral tradition.
Responsible media use
Recordings are hosted only with permission or lawful basis; authorised embeds and links are preferred.
Contributor attribution
Community knowledge is credited, contextualised, and subject to consent.
Correction pathways
People can submit corrections, contextual notes, and takedown requests.