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

Her business partner Bernadelle Richter, who originally hired her to perform folk music at an American Youth Hostel folk weekend, handled the business side of her career.

From Los Angeles Times

Sasha Boole: For more than 10 years, I was doing country and western folk music in Ukraine, trying to combine that with the Ukrainian soul and find new formulas.

From Los Angeles Times

All these things influenced him — the idea of folk music and freedom of expression.

From Los Angeles Times

Nickel Creek played an intimate warmup show at Largo at the Coronet for a lucky crowd Wednesday that piled into the L.A. theater for a night of skillful, spellbinding folk music.

From Los Angeles Times

Separate from the group’s rhythm, its four strings add a high-spirited element to the traditional style of folk music.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• country music