Folk Music

When I think of folk music, I think of traditional songs learned in childhood, such as “Oh Susanna,” and also of more recent songs that have been referred to as folk music, such as Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin.”  After reading Bruno Nettl’s article on defining folk music, I was surprised that the recent songs I considered to be folk songs do not fall under the definition of traditional folk music.  In my opinion, I do not believe music today has to fulfill all of the traditional defining characteristics of folk music to be considered authentic folk music. I believe the traditional definition of folk music is limiting and must evolve to encompass the new folk music that is being created today. My definition of folk music is very broad and basic, upholding a few characteristics of the traditional folk song definitions. I believe folk music is simple in form, emphasizes storytelling, is created by common people, and survives because it resonates with the masses.

My definition upholds four of the six characteristics Nettl’s uses in defining folk music. First, I agree with Nettl that folk music is not primitive music; it is born from a literate culture and absorbs the popular sounds of culture. Due to this, folk music sounds similar to the cultivated (written) music of the time. Second, I uphold that folk music is not complex; it tends to be simple and short, gaining length through repetition. Third, I believe that folk music is created through participation, not passivity. Many people make the songs that become known by all members of the culture. People don’t need to be music specialists. We can easily see this today when anyone, with or without academic music training, can create a song and put it on YouTube and if it connects with the masses, it can go viral.  Finally, I do agree that folk music must be a narrative, telling the story of the common person, as opposed to just serving a function, such as songs for religious ceremonies.

My definition clashes with two of Nettl’s distinguishing characteristics of folk music. He defines folk music as non-cultivated music; its origin and transmission over generations is oral, not written, most often making the author anonymous.  In today’s culture, with evolving technology, songs are written with documented authors and the lyrics are recorded and available to all for the remainder of time. Nettl remarks that oral and written music are inherently the same, but that the oral retelling over the generations that produces variation, known as communal re-creation, is the important defining feature. I disagree that folk music has to change in order to be considered folk music. Modern folk music will not change as much over time through the process of communal re-creation because with modern technology the music and lyrics will be available to the masses forever. Folk music will be a genre of cultivated music.

Nettl's categories are useful because they clearly outline the characteristics of traditional folk music. It allows us to categorize music that we know today, but which has no known origin. We only know it because it has been passed down through generations. Nettl's categories could be improved by expanding them to encompass folk music being created by current generations. His categories can also be improved because he fails to address the effect technology has on the evolution of folk music.  Computers, the Internet, and YouTube, through documentation and connectivity, will effect how folk music is produced and passed down through the generations. Technology will allow more people to create music, will speed up the time music is spread throughout the culture, will slow down communal re-creation, and will allow individual people to receive credit for their music. I believe folk music is alive and well today. Previous traditional definitions are too narrow and reject many current songs that are stories of the common people. The definition of folk music should evolve as the social and technological culture evolves. Music does not have to old, oral, or anonymous to be considered folk music; it only has to be created by the common people and resonate with the common people to have a life of its own.