Folk Music: A Timeless Genre

They’re the songs that you know without consciously recognizing that you know them. They lay dormant at the back of your mind until needed, when they appear on your tongue with tunes and lyrics remembered to perfection. “Rock-a-Bye Baby”, “Frère Jacques”, “London Bridge is Falling Down”, “Ring Around the Rosie”, “Home on the Range”, “Kumbaya”: this list barely scratches the surface of the endless folk songs around the world. Even so, it’s likely that at least one of these titles is familiar, if only as a distant childhood memory.

In a world dominated by Top 40 pop music, is there still a place for traditional music? It’s easy to wonder if folk music is in danger of fading out of the modern memory entirely, replaced by more modern tunes. Countries have gone to great lengths to write down and preserve their folksongs; is this because traditional music is doomed to exist only within these scores as a historical testament to a dead genre?

The idea of listening to a song like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on the radio may be laughable, but this doesn’t mean that traditional music has no place in society. Folk songs have defined cultures throughout history and continue to do so. More importantly, they have withstood the test of time; there is no reason to assume that they will die out now.

What Makes a Folk Song?

For such a simple question, defining a folk song is incredibly complicated. Not only do definitions vary, but they have evolved over time. Folk music used to be synonymous with traditional music, but the term now covers a far wider selection of music: after all, folk music festivals today don’t tend to have artists singing songs like “Yankee Doodle”. ¹ As a result, the concept of “folk music” is a bit of a grey area. However, in this article, folk music and traditional music will be used as interchangeable terms.

In 1955, the International Folk Music Council decided on several characteristics that make a folk song: a folk song was a song that had been passed down orally, that “evolved within a community uninfluenced by ‘popular’ and ‘art’ music”, and that was “absorbed… into the unwritten living tradition of a community”. ²

Another definition, by Samuel Forcucci, goes into even more detail:

“1. Folk songs represent the musical expressions of the common people.

2. These songs are not composed in that they are not the works of skilled, tutored musicians. It is more accurate to say that they have been created rather than composed.

3. These songs are ordinarily the product of an unknown person or group of persons. The credits often read: Anonymous, American Folk Song, Traditional.

4. The words of lyrics of folk songs are usually colloquial in nature to reflect the speech patterns and expressions of a particular people or region.

5. These songs are highly singable, primarily because they were first presented with the singing voice rather than having been written down in musical notation beforehand.

6. Folk songs are simply structured, both musically and verbally. It is their naiveté that gives them their charm.

7. These songs can be effectively performed without instrumental accompaniment. When they are accompanied, a less formal instrument is considered appropriate”. ³

While each definition is a bit different, there are some common elements. First of all, a folk song has to be simple. A community at large won’t be made up entirely of skilled singers. For a song to become part of a culture, it has to be singable by the average person. It also has to be simple enough to be easily remembered if it relies on oral transmission (at least initially, since folk songs are usually published eventually). Secondly, if it’s passed down orally, it’s likely old enough to have had the chance to prove its timelessness and become part of a community. Any song can become part of a community briefly, but being passed down through generations is what makes the difference between “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off”. Will Taylor Swift’s music still be sung in hundreds of years? Probably not.

Building an Identity

Historically, folk music has played a significant role in defining nations. It’s a pattern that occurs again and again; a new nation is formed, and a unique national sound is developed. Arguably, music even plays a role in helping to make nations.

Before Germany was unified, those who wanted a single German nation were aleady working towards unity through music. ⁴ Their concern with music is completely justifiable in hindsight. To become a single country, the separate German states needed more in common than just a shared language; creating a mutual folk culture through music became a necessity.

To understand why, it’s important to look beyond just sound and look at the subliminal messages that music can send. A collective folk music can help to create a unified way of thinking, influencing morals, values, and even a sense of national pride. ⁵ The German people could come to view themselves in a certain way, and see themselves reflected by the people in other German states. If their folk music was similar – both musically and thematically – it stood to reason that they themselves also shared many similarities. Looking at it that way, becoming a single German nation made a lot of sense.

Defining a national sound isn’t without its dangers. Another historical pattern with folk music is its use by totalitarian regimes as propaganda. If music can change the way people think, then that means that music holds an incredible power that can be harnessed by those who know how to use it. Nazi Germany, communist China, and Soviet Russia are all examples of dictatorships that used music to influence the mentality of the people. For example, Soviet Russia changed the text of existing folk melodies – a common technique in dictatorships – so that the “happy, modern lives” of the Russian peasants were praised. ⁶ After all, if the peasants sang about how happy they were, it was quite possible that they would come to believe it.

Again and again, folk music has been used for political reasons with incredible results. In fact, it is such a powerful political tool that it isn’t just a historical phenomenon; it’s still used! The Palestinian resistance uses folk music as a form of peaceful protest:

“Palestinians dwelling in different geographic zones can often only unite and reveal sentiments through communicative media like music. The songs provide a forum for subaltern/nationalist ideologies and promote powerful feelings ‘of national identity both within and between communities in ’48 (Israel), in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip (al-bila-d), and in exile (al-ghu-rba) ( Jordan, Syria, Lebanon)’ (p. 39). But beyond this, songs frequently have a greater purpose, in that they actually generate sentiments, shape national identities, and provide a space for signifying power structures. As the title suggests, the voice, the song, is the weapon, not just a mirror, but the tool of action or defense.” ⁷

It’s easy to take the musically simple folksongs worldwide for granted, but its important to remember that this music, while  often disregarded, has incredible power; it can literally change the world.

American Folk Music

Folksong doesn’t have to have a direct political agenda to play an important role within a nation.

As the three largest countries in the world, Russia, Canada, and the United States of America include many diverse pockets of people. Folksong is particularly important in countries with such an eclectic mix of citizens so that everyone can feel a connection to their country, regardless of physical distance and cultural diversity.

Despite this, American folksong took a very long time to develop. Native Americans had their own folksong, but the colonists “had little to no folk tradition of their own”, possibly because they had very little history of their own; as a “new” country, they had to make some history of their own before they could write about it. ⁸ As a result, a clear American style of folk music didn’t even begin to develop until the late 1800s, and some would argue that it wasn’t fully developed until the 1920s! ⁹

Having an independent history is necessary for the development of folksong. Not only are many folksongs based on history (think “London Bridge is Falling Down” or “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”), but it’s through historical events that a people are defined. Are they survivors? Are they warriors? A great example of using history combined with music to define a nation is the French national anthem. Even someone with no musical knowledge can likely tell that it is militaristic, if only from the fact that it sounds like amazing marching music. Anyone who speaks French or reads a translation will only have this confirmed; the text literally says “march!”. In addition, there are some blatantly gruesome and violent sections, including “let impure blood water our fields”. Suddenly, the listener is transported back to the French Revolution and gets a taste of the essence of the French people; this is their chosen anthem, after all. It reveals both what the French had to lose and how far the French people were willing to go for their country and its freedom.

What can be learned about Americans through their folk music? Again, it’s a bit complicated and could probably fill an entire article on its own. However, the brief version is said very well by Marion Bauer:

“‘At heart we are a nation of pioneers, and that spirit of fearlessness, bravado, and energy, the vitally essential spark of Americanism, is gradually finding its way into our music.’ This folk tradition, embodying the American idiom of ‘fearlessness, bravado and energy’, had emerged, as Bauer states, ‘in the English folk-tunes of Kentucky and Tennessee, the Lumber-jack songs of Maine, the cowboy songs of the plains, [and] the mining camps songs of ’49.'” ¹⁰

From this quote, a unifying theme in American music – regardless of style or origin – is clear, as well as its origin. Of course bravery would play a role in American folksong; the early colonists were explorers and settlers brave enough to leave their homes for the unknown.

European immigrants weren’t the only people to influence American folksong, of course. A great part of American folksong is influenced by African Americans. Some of these influences are more positive than others. On one hand, “distinctly African rhythms” are present in American traditional music: rhythms that are “beyond comparison with any other music in the world”. ¹¹ From African Americans, there is a huge repertoire of “children’s songs, work songs, lullabies, and songs for leisure time, in addition to the great numbers of religion-inspired spirituals”, each with its own style. ¹² On a less positive note, minstrel songs and blackface also play a role in American song. ¹³ While the music from that era is definitive of a time in history and the style itself is not an affront to the ear, its unpleasant historical origin will always taint it to some degree.

Folk music is not just music meant for the past. A notable folk music revival came with composer Aaron Copland in the 1900s. He set two books full of arrangements of American folksongs in addition to including them in larger works such as ballets and operas. His use of folksongs were hugely popular, especially because of the rising nationalism that came after two world wars. ¹⁴ His settings of American folk music in his two editions of Old American Songs are still popular today.

Through American folk music – particularly a sub-genre called the folk ballad which focuses on telling a tale through many verses, used by most of the groups mentioned in Marion Bauer’s above quote  – “stories from the history of early Americans, that may not have otherwise been written down, have been preserved”. ¹⁵ Not only has it recorded historical events, but it also shows major shifts in the psyche of Americans. As discussed, folk music reflects the people within a society, so it naturally changes as the society evolves; an example of this is the adoption of jazz in American folk music.

Folk music holds onto history and keeps it relevant, providing a nation with an identity. In this sense, folk music is irreplaceable.

Helen Creighton and Selectivity

While folk music reflects the identity of a group of people, it doesn’t always do it accurately.

At the same time that Copland was working on his Old American Songs, a woman named Helen Creighton was going to great lengths to record the folk music in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Creighton also preserved music that may have otherwise been lost, but that’s only the start of the effect she had on Nova Scotians; through her decisions on what music to preserve and promote, she ultimately created their culture.

Her original purpose in collecting folk music was not related to her modern legacy at all, but rather for a tourism promotion that called for “pirate songs”. ¹⁶ In the end, she found music that reflected the lives of women, black Nova Scotians, fishermen, and others. ¹⁷ She found common themes to try to bridge differences and create a single Nova Scotian people; for example, child ballads and superstition became prevalent parts of their heritage. ¹⁸ In other words, she was doing exactly what other countries had done, but within a province. She was shaping the Nova Scotian vision of self in an attempt at both provincial pride and unity of a people. However, she also used folk music very selectively to promote her own values:

“But Creighton was in fact someone who, in the 1930s, actively disliked many of the songs and ways of working Nova Scotians. Because she adhered firmly to the Child ballad tradition, she discounted many songs of Nova Scotian composition… All of these parts of the Creightonian approach to the Folk – organic social unity, idealizing relations between men and women, ethnicity, Britishness, magical thinking – congealed into an extremely conservative whole. There was a definite pattern to the way Creighton selected, and that pattern was consistent with her social position. The “Lady of the Legends” was an intelligent and gifted conservative who had a definite vision of the social order which subtly influenced everything she produced.” ¹⁹

Helen Creighton’s selectiveness teaches the importance of folksong once again. Perhaps it’s merely another form of propaganda, but it just goes to show that an identity can be chosen rather than just formed. It can be chosen by one person initially but, if it’s adopted by enough people, it can truly define them. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a completely accurate reflection of the people if it’s accepted by them.

Why would people accept such a selective folk tradition?

There’s a possibility that they didn’t realize it was selective. However, whether they did or not, it was likely accepted because it allowed people of such diverse heritage to finally feel like a single entity. Folk music helped to give them a sense of belonging, whether or not it was an accurate representation of their original culture.

In the Classroom and Recital Hall

Traditional music creates cultural identities and influences politics, but it also plays less radical roles. Today, folk music is used by classical musicians (here, “classical” does not refer to the time period in music history, but rather the more widespread definition that refers to music that is not pop, jazz, folk, rock, or other more modern forms) in composition, performance, and the classroom.

Composers still use folksong within new, original works. In a song cycle – essentially a group of songs chosen by the composer to be performed as a set, often due to consistent themes, poets, or musical material – called Try Me, Good King by Libby Larsen, there are various traditional melodies embedded within the piano part. Each folksong relates thematically to the sung text of the work. As mentioned, Copland did the same in many of his most famous compositions. While folksong is quite simplistic on its own, it can enhance more complicated compositions by serving a dramatic or thematic purpose.

In fact, it’s the very simplicity of folk music that makes it such a valuable teaching tool. Folk music transcriptions tend to have very few directions for the performer. Most music will instruct the performer in dynamics (loudness or softness), tempo (speed), and interpretation. Since folk music tends to not have this, the music is completely at the mercy of the musician’s creativity (within reason). ²⁰ If there are markings, they tend to be added later by an editor, which means that they can be used, but they don’t have to be. As a result, folk music doesn’t just teach people to play or sing notes; it teaches them how to be musicians. Copland’s Old American Songs are still sung by classical voice students, even at a university level, which goes to show that folksong is a useful educational tool at any skill level.

Students can be taught about their own heritage through folk music, but they aren’t limited to local songs. Folksongs from around the world are often part of the teaching repertoire, which helps to give students – often children – understanding of other cultures. ²¹ Folktales are often part of traditional music and can demonstrate the values and ideals of people around the world. By learning about other cultures, students can also become more empathetic, open, and imaginative.

Folk music is so important that it has become a significant part of Royal Conservatory of Music’s voice syllabus, used in many countries around the world including Canada and the United States. The syllabus has an entire category devoted to folksong for the first six grade levels out of a possible ten. For students taking exams at these levels, that means that they need to prepare one or two traditional songs. Even in the upper levels, some more difficult folksongs are on the list of acceptable repertoire. ²² Its prevalence only confirms the importance of the genre.

A Timeless Genre

From politics to teaching, traditional music plays a huge role in society. It can be used as a unifying force, a form of protest, propaganda, a teaching tool, and, perhaps most importantly, to express an identity. Traditional music often survives centuries, recording history as well as subtly influencing it.

All music is powerful, but folk music is rarely thought of that way. It’s an intimate genre not intended for huge concert halls or the radio, so it’s easy to overlook its value or even forget about its existence. However, it’s sewn into the fabric of each society, inseparable from cultural identity. It’s a genre that is often underestimated, which is what makes it so effective throughout history and today. It can change hearts and minds – and unite them – so it will always be useful politically (whether for good or for evil) as well as personally.

Will “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” ever be a hit on the radio? Probably not. But will it still exist in hundreds of years?

Almost definitely.

What do you think? Leave a comment.