List of folk music traditions

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Folk music [1] is one of the major divisions of music, now often divided into traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. There are many styles of folk music, all of which can be classified into various traditions, generally based around some combination of ethnic, religious, tribal, political or geographic boundaries.

As well as dividing songs according to geography, it is possible to categorise them by subject matter:

Other folk music relates to social events:

See also

Related Research Articles

American folklore encompasses the folklore that has evolved in the present-day United States mostly since the European colonization of the Americas. It also contains folklore that dates back to the Pre-Columbian era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Folk music</span> Music genre

Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted orally, music with unknown composers, music that is played on traditional instruments, music about cultural or national identity, music that changes between generations, music associated with a people's folklore, or music performed by custom over a long period of time. It has been contrasted with commercial and classical styles. The term originated in the 19th century, but folk music extends beyond that.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American folk music</span> Roots and traditional music from the United States

The term American folk music encompasses numerous music genres, variously known as traditional music, traditional folk music, contemporary folk music, vernacular music, or roots music. Many traditional songs have been sung within the same family or folk group for generations, and sometimes trace back to such origins as the British Isles, Mainland Europe, or Africa. Musician Mike Seeger once famously commented that the definition of American folk music is "...all the music that fits between the cracks."

The folk music of England is a tradition-based music which has existed since the later medieval period. It is often contrasted with courtly, classical and later commercial music. Folk music traditionally was preserved and passed on orally within communities, but print and subsequently audio recordings have since become the primary means of transmission. The term is used to refer both to English traditional music and music composed or delivered in a traditional style.

The Archive of Folk Culture was established in 1928 as the first national collection of American folk music in the United States of America. It was initially part of the Music Division of the Library of Congress and now resides in the American Folklife Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Folklife Center</span> Research center

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. was created by Congress in 1976 "to preserve and present American Folklife". The center includes the Archive of Folk Culture, established at the library in 1928 as a repository for American folk music. The center and its collections have grown to encompass all aspects of folklore and folklife worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Ritchie</span> American folk singer, songwriter and musician (1922–2015)

Jean Ruth Ritchie was an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player, called by some the "Mother of Folk". In her youth she learned hundreds of folk songs in the traditional way, many of which were Appalachian variants of centuries old British and Irish songs, including dozens of Child Ballads. In adulthood, she shared these songs with wide audiences, as well as writing some of her own songs using traditional foundations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-American music</span>

Anglo-American music is derived from the English culture of the Thirteen Colonies of the United States and has been a founding influence for American folk and popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mermaid (ballad)</span> Traditional song

"The Mermaid" is a traditional folk ballad. Originating around the mid-18th century, this song is known by a number of names, including "Waves on the Sea", "The Stormy Winds", "Our Gallant Ship", and "The Wrecked Ship".

James Madison Carpenter, born in 1888 in Blacklands, Mississippi, near Booneville, in Prentiss County, was a Methodist minister and scholar of American and British folklore. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Mississippi, and the Doctor of Philosophy degree from Harvard in 1929. He is best known for his substantial work collecting folk songs in England, Scotland and Wales. He recorded well-known singers and musicians that other folklorists had documented, as well as some never recorded before or since such as Bell Duncan, whose repertoire consisted of some 300 songs, including 65 Child ballads. His collection methods included Dictaphone recordings as well as transcriptions of lyrics.

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" is a traditional African-American spiritual, first published in 1927. It became an international pop hit in 1957–58 in a recording by English singer Laurie London, which is one of the best-selling gospel songs of all time. The song has also been recorded by many other singers and choirs, including Mahalia Jackson, Marian Anderson, Judy Garland and Nina Simone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Hartness Flanders</span> American historian

Helen Hartness Flanders, a native of the U.S. state of Vermont, was an internationally recognized ballad collector and an authority on the folk music found in New England and the British Isles. At the initiative of the Vermont Commission on Country Life, Flanders commenced a three-decade career capturing traditional songs that were sung in New England—songs that, in many cases, traced their origin to the British Isles. The timing of her life work was critical, coming as it did when people were turning away from traditional music in favor of listening to the radio. Today her nearly 4,500 field recordings, transcriptions and analyses are housed at the Flanders Ballad Collection at Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont and have been a resource for scholars and folk singers since the establishment of the collection in 1941.

"Children, Go Where I Send Thee" is a traditional African-American spiritual song. Among the many different versions of the song, a defining feature is the cumulative structure, with each number accompanied by a biblical reference. Today, many Americans know it as a Christmas carol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret MacArthur</span> Musical artist

Margaret Crowl MacArthur was an American singer and player of the MacArthur Harp and lap dulcimer.

"The Little Old Sod Shanty On The Claim" is an American folk song written by Oliver Edwin Murray of South Dakota. It appeared somewhere around 1880 published in several American newspapers. The printings suggested that it be sung to the tune of "The Little Old Log Cabin In The Lane" written by Will Hays in 1871. The song tells of the trials of homesteading on the Great Plains and became immensely popular among the settlers. The title comes from variations of a refrain found in the verses and the chorus:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Heffron Roberts</span> American ethnomusicologist

Helen Heffron Roberts (1888–1985) was an American anthropologist and pioneer ethnomusicologist. Her work included the study of the origins and development of music among the Jamaican Maroons, and the Puebloan peoples of the American southwest. Her recordings of ancient Hawaiian meles are archived at the Bernice P. Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Roberts was a protege of Alfred V. Kidder and Franz Boas.

Inez Catalon was an American Creole ballad singer, who was one of the most well-known performers of the genre known as Louisiana "home music". These are a cappella versions of ballads and love songs, drinking songs, game songs, lullabies and waltzes performed by women in the home, passed down from earlier generations to provide entertainment for the family before radio and television existed. Home music is not considered part of the public performance repertoire of Cajun and zydeco music because the songs were sung in the home by women, rather than in the dance halls of southwestern Louisiana which featured almost exclusively male performers.

Anne Grimes was an American journalist, musician and historian of American folklore. An Ohio folksinger, she collected and performed traditional songs now preserved in the Anne Grimes Collection in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. She also collected vintage dulcimers and other instruments now housed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., in 1997. Grimes was a classically trained vocalist and accomplished pianist among other musical pursuits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph P. Skelly</span> Composer (1850-1895)

Joseph Paul Skelly, also abbreviated J. P. Skelley, was a composer of music. He arranged the music for songs published as sheet music. For other songs he composed the words and music. The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection at Johns Hopkins University has sheet music for many of the songs he composed. The Library of Congress has several of his works in its collection.

Emily Bruce Roelofson (1832-1921) was an American composer, pianist, poet and singer. She composed songs and collections through at least opus number 15.

References

  1. ↑ "Collections | American Folklife Center | Research Centers | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  2. ↑ "The Fascinating History of American Folk Music". LiveAbout. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  3. ↑ rilm (2023-09-26). "Central America's vast dance and musical heritage". Bibliolore. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  4. ↑ "Folk / traditional music of South America". folkcloud.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  5. ↑ "Folk / traditional music of Asia". folkcloud.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  6. ↑ "Love Songs from the Middle East". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  7. ↑ O’Dell, Cary (2022-11-16). "Exploring African Music Through the Collections of the Library of Congress | Now See Hear!". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  8. ↑ "Oceanic music and dance | Traditional Melodies & Rituals | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  9. ↑ "Aboriginal songs - collection of Australian folk music". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  10. ↑ "Echoes of Courage: Folk Music's Ties to America's Wars". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  11. ↑ "Protest Music of the Vietnam War". Peace History. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  12. ↑ "Tamang Selo songs: Music as an agent of restoration of ethnic identity". Cafe Dissensus Everyday. 2020-10-17. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  13. ↑ Winick, Stephen (2021-01-29). "A Deep Dive Into Sea Shanties | Folklife Today". The Library of Congress. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  14. ↑ "Exploring Epic Stories and Themes". www.launchnotes.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  15. ↑ thenestcollective-admin (2020-07-07). "Work Songs". The Nest Collective. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  16. ↑ "What's With All the Songs About Love? | Arts | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  17. ↑ "Tragic Ballads at Mostly Medieval - Exploring the Middle Ages". www.mostly-medieval.com. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  18. ↑ Migoni, Alda Allina. "Research Guides: Children's Songs and Games: Resources in the American Folklife Center: Searching the Collections". guides.loc.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  19. ↑ "Patriotic and Protest Music". National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) | Library of Congress. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  20. ↑ Zelvin, Elizabeth. "Folk Music and Murder Ballads" . Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  21. ↑ "Songs of Sports and Pasttimes[sic]". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  22. ↑ Saelee, Mike. "Research Guides: Christmas Carols: Topics in Chronicling America: Introduction". guides.loc.gov. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  23. ↑ "Christmas songs and carols". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  24. ↑ StephenJones.blog (2022-05-25). "The Irish pub session". Stephen Jones: a blog. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
  25. ↑ "The most popular irish session tunes". Funkywhistle. Retrieved 2024-11-15.
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