Definition: Folk music
Etymology
So called as it is the music of the common folk; music of the everyday people, rather than the sophisticated people associated with art music/classical music.
Noun
folk music (usually uncountable, plural folk musics)
- Any genre of music originating from the ethnic community of a specific region, often passed down through oral tradition, without recorded songwriters and possessing a clear purpose or social function.
- Any contemporary music in the style of traditional folk music, especially a specific genre of originally American popular music that draws on Anglo-American musical forms.
Related terms
- folk rock
- folk song
Credits
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