Guest Post by Sonny: The Power of Folk music

Folk music

Traditional folk music is the trademark for classical and pop genres. Why? Because these genres all come from folk or other related songs. This can be attributed to folk songs being the predecessor of many contemporary song types. For centuries, folk music has been a part of the lives of people in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Folk music is more than just a genre; it’s an essential part of the culture that has been passed down through generations. So why do all these different types of music have the same signature sound? Let us take a deeper look at this question by answering some questions about folk music as we explore what makes up this powerful genre!

The True Signature of Traditional Folk Music

Folk songs have been passed down through generations by word-of-mouth. The term “folk” refers to traditional or common people. Folk musicians typically play instruments (such as acoustic guitar, wooden flute, hand drums) while singing without any accompaniment from other instruments.

American Folk Music

American folk music has its roots in European folk traditions that were brought over by immigrants arriving at Ellis Island during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In Europe, the earliest folk songs were those sung by peasants in Europe before the spread of literacy or modern technology. These peasant songs became known as ballads, which are still popular today.

Folk music is alive and well, all of the world even in this century!

South Asian Folk Music

A group of toy figurines playing folk musical instruments

It’s not uncommon to hear a song on the radio that was originally written as a folk song before it became adopted by other genres like country or rock. And such is the cause with South Asian music. There are many Bollywood and regional artists like Nooran Sisters that create songs inspired by traditional music, rather than popular music.

This revival of older worlds is not uncommon. Whether it is dance, music, poetry, or visual art, each form naturally tells the story of people. Folk art was the first to do it.

So, its only natural that our developed world, even with all our advancements, has singers singing about love, longing, heartache and social issues. The words might change, but the themes music is often working around are the same that were what folk music was about.

Full Circle: Folk Music Beyond the 20th Century

Whether you compare American Folk Music to pop, or Bollywood music to Indian Folk songs, one will find a common thread of romantic and social poetic themes. Folk music was yesteryear’s Social Media. Folk art and Folklore was the way history , tradition, principles, stories of a country or people were and continue to be passed down. These are important forms for us, for the purpose of entertainment and education.

Author Bio:

Sonny leads the ensemble as the artistic director for Riyaaz Qawwali. A Qawwal with over 29 years of classical music training, he has spent half of that time devoted to understanding and growing awareness of qawwali. With fluency in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English, he can be a cultural ambassador for taking a secluded/folk art form and the associated poetry to Western audiences and the younger South Asian generations.