List of folk music traditions

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.

• Americas: North, ^[2] Central, ^[3] South American, ^[4] and the Caribbean.
• Asia: ^[5] East, Southeast, Northern, Central, Caucasus, and South Asia.
• Europe: Northern, Eastern, Southeastern, Western, and Southern Europe.
• Middle East and North Africa: Southwest Asia and North Africa. ^{[6] [7]}
• Oceania and Australia: ^{[8] [9]} Polynesia, Australasia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.
• Sub-Saharan Africa: East, Southern, Central, and West Africa.

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

• War song, ^[10]
• Anti-war song, ^[11]
• Tamang Selo, ^[12]
• Sea songs, including sea shanties, ^[13]
• Drinking song,
• Epic song, [14]
• Work song, ^[15]
• Love song, ^[16]
• Child Ballads (tragic ballads), ^[17]
• Children's song, ^[18]
• Protest song, ^[19]
• Murder ballad, ^[20]
• Sporting song ^[21]

Other folk music relates to social events:

• Christmas carol, ^{[22] [23]}
• Pub session ^{[24] [25]}

See also

• Category:Contemporary folk genres

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.