Sung poetry is a broad and imprecise music genre used mostly in Eastern European countries, such as Poland and the Baltic States, to describe songs consisting of a poem (most often a ballad) and music written specially for that text. The compositions usually feature a delicate melody and scarce musical background, often comprising a Russian guitar or piano. Some sung poetry performers are singer-songwriters, others use known, published poems, or collaborate with contemporary writers. Artists of sung poetry include people of various occupations usually with little or no particular music education, as well as stage actors.