folk music

noun

1. music, usually of simple character and anonymous authorship, handed down among the common people by oral tradition.

2. music by known composers that has become part of the folk tradition of a country or region.

folk music

noun

1. music that is passed on from generation to generation by oral tradition Compare art music

2. any music composed in the idiom of this oral tradition

folk music

1. A kind of music originating from the ordinary people of a region or nation and continued by oral tradition. The ballad (see also ballad) is a typical form of folk music. Music is also called “folk” when it is made by artists and composers who are inspired by, or imitate, true folk music. Composers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie are folk musicians of the second kind.

Word History and Origins

Origin of folk music¹

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Last month, award-winning singer Emily Portman got a message from a fan praising her new album and saying "English folk music is in good hands".

From BBC

The Scottish folk music festival has run across three days annually since it was founded in 2010 - except when it was cancelled due to bad weather in 2023.

From BBC

The Carter Family - which featured singer June Carter who later went on to perform with her husband Johnny Cash - was an influential American folk music group that recorded and performed between the 1920s and 1950s.

From BBC

“It’s all just folk music — protest music,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times

Unusually, they perform most of their lyrics in Irish, reclaiming the language from rural folk music.

From BBC

Related Words

• country music