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Stev

Stev are songs with a fixed rhyme and verse pattern. They have four lines per verse in a fixed rhythm, and the singer marks the rhythm by tapping their foot.

Stev singing was popular in gatherings; people would sing stev to each other and respond with stev. A good stev singer could make up verses on the fly, and singers would compete to see who could create the wittiest, and sometimes the most obscene, verses. A singer can also use existing texts that fit the situation. Even today one can occasionally experience spontaneous stev singing among groups of knowledgeable singers.


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