Lullabies: a global phenomenon

It doesn't matter where you are on earth, it is a universal feature of human society that children are sung to sleep.

However, it seems lullabies are under threat, at least in many parts of the developed world, where they are simply being forgotten.

The BBC's Central Europe correspondent, Nick Thorpe, is a bit of a lullaby expert.

He has been recording lullabies in Eastern Europe for years. So why the fascination?

First broadcast 31 December 2009