Many of us associate folk music with 20th century artists such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan; yet these 20th century performers popularized an older form.
The folk revival of the 1950s and 60s led to innovative interpretations of traditional folk tunes that became political anthems, giving birth to genres such as folk rock which fused country, bluegrass, jugband music and other elements into one sound.
Origins
Folk music began its existence as an oral tradition passed from generation to generation through oral storytelling and was often performed without using specialized instruments. This early folk music tended to be secular and community-oriented with songs about everyday events as well as political messages or at least social awareness messages embedded into its compositions.
Folk music can often be recognized by familiar spiritual songs like “Down by the Riverside” and “We Shall Overcome.” Folk music speaks directly to its listeners and represents as much identity as it does music.
Folk music has expanded greatly over time. Once limited to its traditional roots, its reach now encompasses Country, Bluegrass, Celtic music and Psychedelic Folk subgenres – as well as even classical works by composers like Bartok who make use of folk melodies in his works.
One of the defining moments in folk music’s history came during the Folk Revival of the 1960s, driven by a desire for something other than rock and roll fad that had spread throughout America. A popular folk group like Kingston Trio capitalized on this trend.
At this time, Bob Dylan became a major force in folk music with his lyrics of protest and social commentary. Alongside other artists like Joan Baez, he appealed to an increasingly large audience that did not want to be restricted by traditional European concert music.
Folk and rock music gradually fused, due to rock being an eclectic genre that absorbs influences from all sources. Traditional Irish music played an instrumental role in giving birth to Celtic music while work songs from English and Scottish settlers crystalized into Appalachia music – this amalgam of styles giving rise to American rock like The Byrds’ hit “Mr. Tambourine Man”, as well as other subgenres of folk like Psychedelic Folk and Folk Punk music genres.
Influence
Folk music has been shaped by many factors, from Woody Guthrie’s social activism to Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger’s musical tastes. Songs have traditionally been passed from generation to generation unwritten; this allowed folk musicians to craft tunes that reflect current cultural issues.
Many popular songs from the 1930s were written to show support for causes or expose social injustices that existed at that time, like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”, which lamented how people allowed society to exploit them – taking their work, money and sometimes lives for little tangible gain or satisfaction in return.
At times, folk songs served to entertain. Many folk songs had catchy tunes and memorable lyrics that made them easy to remember; this was particularly true of work songs such as those composed by West African slaves whose hard labor inspired blues music.
Folk music evolved into an outlet for more abstract emotions and thoughts; for instance, in the 1930s and 40s folk singers like Seeger used folk music as an outlet to voice political anger against government policies that did not benefit everyday citizens – this type of musical protest proved crucial for community cohesion, making this form of art extremely significant in its context.
In the 1960s, folk music experienced an explosion of popularity due to the Kennedy administration’s cultural revolution and ideals of civil rights and social equality. A revival was witnessed with young musicians donning college clothing with long hair and performing hootenanny-style shows for an enthusiastic crowd. Unfortunately, John F Kennedy’s death put an abrupt halt to this movement and diminished its momentum significantly.
Bob Dylan and The Byrds spearheaded a revival, adding elements of rock music to traditional folk genre. This led to a new form of folk known as Folk Rock that still drew from old traditions but added modern twists such as Psychedelic Folk and Indie Folk subgenres.
Styles
Folk is an eclectic genre that has its roots in country, blues, jazz and rock music genres. Although its styles can differ greatly depending on who performs it, some common elements remain consistent across all folk musical genres – using traditional instruments and lyrics that focus on everyday life or local events; melodies are usually simple enough that even large audiences can participate easily; many folk songs also include an acoustic guitar or banjo accompaniment with vocal harmonies being performed as part of its repertoire.
Although it can be challenging to identify exactly what constitutes a folk song, most scholars agree on certain criteria used to categorize songs as folk music. This includes transmission patterns, social function and origins. Such criteria reflect the idea that folk music represents society through oral tradition rather than written documentation.
Folk music serves a dual function: as an outlet for people’s voices to be heard, often providing insight into history, mythology and nature of an area. Furthermore, it acts as a link between past and present as well as advocating for environmental protection, peace and labor rights among many folk communities worldwide.
Folk songs often go beyond political activism to explore relationships and family matters through song. Songs may recount stories about lost loves or laments about break-ups and divorces; imagery and metaphor are integral to creating powerful folk songs.
Folk has been profoundly altered by popular culture. Television and radio make folk accessible to a wider audience; furthermore, modern cultural movements like civil rights activism and environmental awareness have had their mark on it as well.
Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Lianne La Havas are examples of contemporary folk artists. While their musical genres span multiple categories, both have an affinity for crafting melancholic folk melodies that conjure feelings of sorrow or longing. Vernon recorded his album For Emma, Forever Ago in a cabin in the woods for maximum emotional impact; La Havas’ sound blends soul music and pop elements into traditional folk instruments.
Adaptations
Early folk music was passed along orally, which resulted in inevitable variations. Due to oral transmission not providing word-for-word or note-for-note accuracy, originals of songs often remain unknown and creative alterations by individual singers cannot be prevented; adding their own flair or altering elements of an existing tune or even simply altering words or music they sing leads to music becoming ever more transformed over time. As a result, folk music tends to mutate gradually over time.
As technology has advanced, many traditional songs have been preserved in written form; however, their musical styles differ significantly from their original forms. Written versions of folk songs tend to be less melodic and rhythmic than the aural versions, with lyrics taking precedence over melodies. Folk songs have become immensely popular due to their narrative nature; many popular folk songs describe events or tell a tale. Unlike classical compositions which usually require only one composer to create it, folk songs typically involve multiple people working collaboratively on creating the song together. In the past, this meant that songs would be passed from parent to child and then friend or associate, with these repeated iterations leading to its development over time. Through community creativity and forgetfulness as well as influences from other songs, different nuances developed over time in a song’s development.
Folk songs were powerful tools of transformation for isolated communities and other settings alike; their repetitive rendition would adapt over time as people encountered new events that required new interpretation. This natural adaptation gave folk music its profound and long-term power: creating identities among the masses while uniting people through shared cultural heritage.
Folk music enjoyed renewed success during the mid-20th century due to efforts led by Pete Seeger and other musicians who helped revitalize traditional and folk-derived styles; thanks to globalization and global fusions between styles and instruments, however, its meaning has continued to change; now including new creations that draw on musical or poetic features associated with older traditions.