Sailor songs are probably as old as the seafaring itself, because in old times the sailors only had their own singing as cultural entertainment. The typical shanty is mostly in minor and is often characterized by the call-and-response between a soloistic “shantyman” who sings the action-bearing verses and the choir of all sailors in the chorus. Shanties were also sung during the work, and the shantyman determined the working cycle by his tempo.

The pattern described also applies to the shanty...