Importance Of Folk Music

Folk music embodies the very origins and roots of our cultural ancestry. The term 'folk music' was not applied to musical folklore until the 19th century.

The term 'folklore' itself was not a known term until 1846 when William Thoms, an English antiquarian, used it to describe "the traditions, customs, and superstitions of the uncultured classes."

Some of 'folk music's' many definitions include music passed on through word of mouth, lower class music, and music with no definite composer. Folk music includes a variety of many commercial and classical styles.

In the 1950s the term 'folk music' began to be applied to popular music that was created from or based on traditional music. Folk, rock. electric folk, folk metal, and progressive folk music are all various types of music that are considered to be folk music under the 1950 definition.

The word folk comes from the German expression 'volk' which means "the people as a whole." Johann Gottfried Herder was the first to apply this term to popular and national music around the 1800s.

Folk music has been a popular base for many of the fine arts and written works. Thomas Percy and William Wordsworth are among the first who are recorded to have some of their works based on folk lore.

Many Elizabethan and Stuart composers, including Franz Josef Hayden, based some of their music pieces on folk dances. Around the 1850s a need to connect with heritage and a strong feeling of nationalism erupted all over Europe.

Composers all over the continent began to write music derived from fold music. These composers include Dvorak, Smetana, Grieg, Rimsky-Korsakov, Brahms, Liszt, de Falla, Wagner, Sibelius, Vaughan William, and Bartok.

Despite the long history of folk music, there is still no set definition for what it truly means and includes. The International Folk Music Council says, "['folk music'] can also be applied to music which has originated with an individual composer and has subsequently been absorbed into the unwritten, living tradition of a community. But the term does not cover a song, dance, or tune that has been taken over ready-made and remains unchanged."

Folk music continued to evolve and grow with a renewed urgency following World War II in the United States and Britain. The Victorian 'volk' was heard with suspicion, but 'folk music' was regarded as a style that was directly opposite of the "popular" or "pop" music.

'Contemporary folk' grew in popularity until the Grammy Awards ceremony added a 'Folk' category to the 1959 awards. Later 'Folk' was changed to 'Best Ethnic or Traditional Recording.'

In 1987, they made distinct categories for 'Best Traditional Folk Recording' and 'Best Contemporary Folk Recording.' By the year 2000, the term 'folk' began to be applied to artists from the 1960s, including Donovan and Bob Dylan.

The Mountain Dance and Fold Festival is the oldest known folk festival. Bascom Lamar Lunsford started this festival in 1928 in Asheville, North Carolina.

The next oldest folk festival is the Sidmouth Festival which began in 1954. This festival was followed by the Cambridge Folk Festival in 1965 which was held in Cambridge, England.

However, the 1965 Cambridge Folk Festival is known for its reputation of hosting a very loose definition of folk musicians. These festivals provide opportunities for unknown musicians to present their work to an audience.

Throughout the years other branches of folk music developed. In the 1980s neofolk music was created by combining traditional European folk music and post-industrial music, as well as historical topics, philosophical commentary and paganism.

Folk punk, or rogue folk, was also developed by combining folk music and punk rock in the 1980s. Radical Folk was also developed to address political issues such as workers rights and capital punishment.

Traditionally, folk music has always been a way to pass on information and stories. Folk music has been a long tradition and provides us an important connection to the past.

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