Imagine a mother who's lost her child recently. She's vocalizing and singing beautiful and tearjerking love songs to herself all the time, because she loves to reminisce about her lovely departed child. Sometimes the rest of the family join her: she sings and they all cry and sigh and stuff. You might say that she has a nice voice, but that's not the point in what she does. There's no intention of amusement or entertainment or showing off. It's all about remembrance and grief and (subconsciously) taking solace.
What is the term for that?
Edit:
I want a verb that describes what she does.
I know of such verbs in Persian and in Arabic, but couldn't find a good English equivalent for them.
Best Answer
I don't think we're going to find a verb to specifically mean sing a song of grief (although I hope someone discovers one).
However, there are two nouns - elegy and dirge - which describe such a song. And there is the verb lament which is broader than just singing, but would include singing.
to sing an elegy - I think the best option to describe the form of music in your example
to sing a dirge - could work, but often implies funeral
lament - if you want to describe the way in which someone is singing in your example, then I think this would fit