List of folk music traditions
Encyclopedia
Folk music
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, racial, 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:
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
is one of the major divisions of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, 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, racial, religious, tribal, political or geographic boundaries.
- North, Central, South American and the Caribbean
- Asia: East, Southeast, Northern, Central, Caucasus and South Asia
- Europe: Northern, Eastern, Southeastern, Western and Southern Europe
- Middle East and North Africa: Southwest Asia, North Africa
- Oceania and Australia: Polynesia, Australasia, Melanesia, 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 songWar songA war song is a musical composition that relates to war, or a society's attitudes towards war. They may be pro-war, anti-war, or simply a description of everyday life during war times....
- Anti-war song
- Sea shantySea shantyA shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
- Drinking songDrinking songA drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music...
- Work songWork songA work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song....
- Love songLove songA love song is about falling in love and the feelings it brings. Anthologies of love songs often contain a mixture of both of these types of song. A bawdy song is both humorous and saucy, emphasizing the physical pleasure of love rather than the emotional joy...
- Child BalladsChild BalladsThe Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century...
(tragic ballads) - Protest songProtest songA protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
- Murder balladMurder balladMurder ballads are a sub-genre of the traditional ballad form, the lyrics of which form a narrative describing the events of a murder, often including the lead-up and/or aftermath...
- Sporting songSporting songA Sporting Song is a folk-song which celebrates Fox hunting, Horse racing, Gambling and other recreations.Although songs about boxers and successful racehorses were common in the nineteenth century, few are performed by current singers. In particular fox-hunting is considered politically incorrect...
Other folk music relates to social events:
- Christmas carolChristmas carolA Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
- Pub sessionPub sessionA pub session refers to playing music and/or singing in the relaxed social setting of a local pub, in which the music-making is intermingled with the consumption of ale, stout, and beer and conversation...