Definition of Folk Music

Folk music is really hard to define; there is not one set definition of folk music. It is really hard to put folk in a typical cookie cutter category, because folk music encompasses so many different types of music. I like the idea that folk is music for the people by the people. Simple music that many people are able to play on a shoestring budget.

In Bruno Nettle’s An Introduction to Folk Music in the United States, he discusses many different aspects of folk music compared to classical music, under a few main comparisons:

Simple vs. Complex

Nettle talks about how folk music is much simpler than classical music. It is the kind of music that anyone can play. Folk music is usually not written down and the players will makes up harmonies and solo’s to go with the feel of the song. I agree with him on the idea that classical music is more complex. In a classical piece every part is mapped out and written down along with the harmonies. The players have to follow the music much more carefully and will sometimes practice the piece for weeks of not months. Since folk music is not as focused on the correctness or the perfectness of how it was played performers feel much more comfortable jumping in on a song and making it up as they go along.

Passive vs. Participatory

Folk music is meant to invoke a sense of community. During folk festivals such as Porchfest, the audience feels comfortable enough to dance along with the music. It is a community activity to listen to folk music, and it is played in a much more relaxed setting. Classical music on the other hand is more passive on the part of the audience. Usually it is played in a concert hall or a more formal setting. The audience sits and remains silent until the piece is over and then they will clap and sometimes give a standing ovation if the piece was really good. It is harder to dance to classical pieces(unless it is a waltz, then it is meant for that style of dancing) because of their complexity and constantly changing tempos and time signatures. As a result classical music does not bring forth the same sense of community that folk music brings, it is a passive listening experience.

Nettle uses the terms cultivated music to describe classical music and primitive music to describe folk. I do not agree with these terms. The use of the word primitive gives the sense that folk music is lowbrow and not as important. On the other hand the use of cultivated suggests that classical music is more highbrow and has more importance than folk. I also see it as suggesting that classical music is better than folk. I don’t think that this is true. While classical music may appeal to a different crowd than folk music I do not think that either one is better than the other. Folk music serves to get a message out in the world and to unite people in their communities with music for the people by the people. It tells a story to the listeners and guides them towards an emotion. Classical music does not always carry a message, it is lovely to listen to and while it may unite people on their tastes of music, it does not unite in the same way. It is much more open-ended on the emotions that people feel while listening to it. Each person might feel something different during each movement, but the music might not serve to portray that specific emotion.   

I think that both folk music and classical music are important. They are both interesting to listen to. They may not be treated the same in the eyes of music theorists and critics, but in the end they are both good music and that is what is really important.