ABSTRACT
Baldur Baldvinsson’s saga clearly illustrated the various ways in which singing has had, and continues to have significant agency in relationships with parents, offspring, extended family, friends and wider social groups. Social developments, in particular those relating to the changing status of men, from autonomous home-based workers towards ‘out of the home’ employment, appear to have had some impact on the vocal scripts, as Baldur reluctantly admits. Even though competitive and collaborative strategies clearly establish and maintain all kinds of vocal and social connections in the formal male voice choir setting, very different strategies are at work in informal contexts. The idea that music is a metaphor for human relationships is not a novel one, but for these men, singing with or for other people is about the act of relating itself. It is the dynamic practice of being in harmonious relationships with other people, not just about a metaphor for those relationships.
