What is "pribaoutki"

Pribaoutki is a cycle of four songs composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1914 to Russian texts by Alexander Afanasyev. Its Russian title has no direct English equivalent, although Richard Taruskin suggests "nonsense rhymes" or "jingles." (The French subtitle appearing in the score, Chansons plaisantes, is descriptive, not a translation.) Pribaoutki takes about four minutes to perform.

The titles of the four songs are:

1. Kornílo (Uncle Kornilo)
2. Natashka (Little Natalie)
3. Polkovnik (The Colonel)
4. Starets i zayats (The Old Man and the Hare)