This book is the first volume of a comprehensive study of folk songs intended, like all the books in this series, for the average reader of all ages, that is, the non-specialist and free modern person who reads and appreciates poetry. Thus, the book does not explicitly refer to previous studies (except in the footnotes), but it assumes their existence, and this should always be taken into account. In general, the study is based on a personal perspective, which is based on personal experience and real-life experience, as well as on the correlation with books and opinions that are outside the realm of formal science (and which are referenced in the bibliography). In this way, folk songs are left in their natural space, I believe, so that they remain free for the free reader.

However, I must note that the book assumes (or is effectively aided by) my books "Proposals for folk songs" ("Odysseas" 1983) and, above all, "A practical introduction to poetry analysis" (in the same series as this book, 1984), which was written precisely as an introduction to the analyses that would follow.

The somewhat developed notes, born out of necessity, are of interest to every reader, while their bibliography is particularly interesting to the specialist, who (with the selection and correlations that have been made) I believe could be, again, every reader.

(from the author's preface)