Folk music was often closely interwoven with the beliefs and values of its society, providing an avenue for musical exchange – often as a result of invading armies bringing with them songs & styles from their homeland to new territories.
Pete Seeger played an essential part in driving the Folk Revival movement. He inspired musicians to explore traditions outside the Kingston Trio mainstream such as Country and Western music.
Origins
Folk music refers to music sung by lower classes in culture, as opposed to elite-focused styles that are performed for them in palaces or other urban venues. Folk is deeply rooted in tradition and passed down orally from generation to generation through oral communication; featuring simple melodies with easy lyrics for memorization that capture its appeal among listeners who enjoy singing along and clapping along. Furthermore, its roots may include political messaging within this genre of music.
Folk songs may celebrate local festivals or recount historical events, memorializing tragedies or disasters such as those associated with American Civil War and its aftermath as well as more recently those related to AIDS epidemic.
Folk music is generally determined by its environment in which it flourishes, from reflecting cultural heritage or geographic climate to folk dance traditions in rural Europe and America, such as those created by black Creoles living in Texas southwestern counties with an accordion-playing population creating their own folk dancing tradition that eventually resulted in conjunto and zydeco genres of musical compositions.
Musicologists who study folk music tend to favor pieces uninfluenced by popular radio songs, which explains why Alan Lomax or John Jacob Niles no longer travel into rural villages to record and transcribe traditional folk music.
Early folk musicians were highly esteemed within their communities for the beauty and emotional depth of their voices and words. Unfortunately, some became frustrated with the restrictions imposed on them by folk music and transitioned into more commercial ventures – one such was Jimmie Rogers with “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”, a hit country song which eventually brought him mainstream success as an artist.
Influences
Folk music has seen a recent renaissance. Its appeal lies in its simplicity and authenticity; audiences craving songs that express meaningful human experiences have found refuge in folk’s timeless sound. Meanwhile, modern artists are also experimenting with mixing it with other genres to produce fresh sounds that resonate with modern audiences.
Folk musicians were sometimes met with suspicion by their communities, often seen as outsiders and bohemians. Their connections with religion, classical music and other elitist forms of culture further solidified this reputation. Furthermore, unlike popular music that could easily be copied over, folk was usually performed for local audiences rather than being written down and made readily available online.
Folk songs were only properly documented on a wide scale after sheet music became widely available and printed, as most music prior to this was only written down by educated musicians in personal manuscripts – meaning much of this music was religious or classical in nature.
As folk music became more and more popular during its resurgence, musicians from other genres began gravitating toward it to express their artistic vision and creativity. This trend continues today: artists combine traditional instruments with contemporary effects for an original sound that draws in new audiences.
Subgenres such as folk rock and indie folk provide listeners with a wider selection of sounds. Furthermore, many contemporary artists use acoustic instruments for authentic folk music composition.
Folk music’s roots in history provide an essential framework for its growth and evolution today; at its heart is its relevance in modern society; folk music can inspire change while forging connections across society. It has the ability to bring people together from diverse backgrounds.
Styles
Folk musicians and story tellers were sought-after entertainment options during a period without many entertainment choices; their songs were spread around by travelling minstrels, migrant workers, word of mouth transmission and repeated across regions by camp fires, meeting places or living quarters across regions; therefore making them easily identifiable no matter your location.
These songs were steeped in tradition, yet their musical styles evolved with time and location. Country music took inspiration from folk-song traditions to craft its sound of guitar picking and lyrics; blues was inspired by both African and Western traditions as well. Some of the earliest folk recordings ever created were made at Vernon Dalhart’s Texas cowboy camps during the late 1800s.
Folk music reflects society’s attitudes and beliefs in both its romantic and political forms, making it an integral component of cultural identity. Even today, artists draw from folk roots when creating their music; Iceberg Ferg is an acoustic guitar singer/songwriter who blends traditional folk sounds with elements from pop and country for his signature sound.
Contemporary folk music has evolved significantly over time. Now including Americana, Indie Folk and Singer Songwriter styles among others.
Recent years have seen an upsurge in folk music’s popularity, thanks to contemporary producers experimenting with innovative instrumentation and arrangements in order to make their folk sounds distinctive from those produced elsewhere. Popular artists such as Bon Iver, Ed Sheeran and Rosalia have all adopted this genre of music as well.
Trends
Folk music was heavily associated with labor movements from the 1940s through 1960s, making it immensely popular with counter culture groups of that era. Bob Dylan was among the first artists to use folk music for political activism by writing “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” This song addressed both Civil Rights protests and Vietnam war protests simultaneously and used it as an impetus to mobilize people against injustice.
Folk musicians still perform with an unshakeable sense of tradition and community since its revival during the 60s, though their genre has diversified greatly and accommodated for current trends.
Traditional instruments and songs have been blended with contemporary electronic effects and acoustic-leaning musicians to modernize folk music for younger audiences. This trend has been helped by social media, technology, such as smartphones, recorders and laptops that make creating and sharing music easy.
Bon Iver has managed to remain true to folk while taking advantage of contemporary trends. He recorded For Emma, Forever Ago in a cabin in the woods to express his emotions over an ex-partner; receiving critical acclaim for its stark yet emotionally raw recordings.
Folk singers generally include any individual who performs original material while accompanying themselves on an acoustic instrument, although this term has become more formalized since the late 80s/early 90s when more acoustic artists began performing at coffeehouses and open mic events – this was when Suzanne Vega and Bruce Cockburn first made an impactful mark as singer/songwriters in this genre.
Poco and the Eagles both kept elements of Folk in their music long after the Folk Revival had passed. This allowed folk musicians to remain relevant even after this movement had subsided.
Folk is hard to predict as it continues to change with time and evolve with technological innovations. Traditionalists can be resistant to innovation, viewing artists who stray away from familiar arrangements as artistic heresy; yet as technology becomes more accessible and affordable it’s inevitable that some musicians will explore ways of merging folk music with other genres.