14 The Power of Folk Music

If one listens carefully through its features, folk music can convey an array of information or complex concepts that through time becomes vital knowledge for the local community that has preserved it. For instance, the rhythm within the song can communicate the action being or meant to be performed in the song.

Working songs are a category of folk songs designed to be performed and often are in sync with the breathing, movement, and other components that accompany a certain task. This could include weaving, farming, the pounding of rice, or other tasks (Maliangkay, 2017, pg.53). The rhythm and the performance of these songs can showcase the knowledge that it takes in order to perform a certain duty successfully. As mentioned before, a folk song could teach the listeners the appropriate pace for pounding rice as to not mess up or fall behind with such an intricate task.

Not only that, but folk music can convey convoluted social concepts like social stratification or complex social networks, as well as addressing concerns in the local community and the impact of culture at large. This can be reflected in Korean folk music, which often has pointed out the toll that may come with abiding strictly to Confucian morals and the social divisions within it that may add further strain on an individual or community. For example, there is a Korean folk song that describes and condemns the high and crushing expectations that are put on a wife by her parents-in-law (Maliangkay, 2017, pg.61). The listeners of this song are able to understand and form ideas about the Confucian system and how even those who know this system well may still struggle with practicing it. This song also creates a sense of belonging to those who may feel outcast by the high demands of this philosophy and social system. Additionally, this music may be a way for many to cope with these hardships. This conveys how folk music can help people understand their struggles and emotions, find ways to deal with them, and also find community support through songs like these.

In other cases however, folk music has been utilized as a way to spread awareness and solidify societal rules and to discourage social deviance. Many traditional Nigerian cultures have relied on folk music as a way for their people to keep track of their obligations, and to teach them the consequences of immoral or forbidden behavior. It is in this way that folk music can function as an unofficial code of law (Nzewi, Meki, 1980).

Yet, the purpose of folk music is not only to pass down knowledge but also preserve it. There are groups of people who lack a written tradition and thus rely on oral tradition or other means to preserve their history and customs (Gunara, et al., 2022). This can also be a reliable tool of preservation, since documents and artifacts can deteriorate over time, but people and their predecessors can revitalize their songs and stories. These concepts can be observed within the Kampung Naga and other Indonesian indigenous communities, who use folk music to share and preserve their cultural values with each future generation (Gunara, et al., 2022).

Folk music can also act as a bridge that connects people to culture but also to the natural world. In Serbian culture among other groups around the world, animal mimicry has been an important component of their folk music tradition. Such a component acts as a tool to pass down knowledge about the surrounding fauna, as well as to symbolize the importance of nature, but in some instances it has been used as a hunting technique to lure animals (Petrovic, M. & Ljubinkovic, N., 2011).

Overall, the functions of folk music are endless, and it has been used by diverse groups of people throughout history in similar or unique ways to share valuable knowledge and lessons. The many human experiences and stories embedded in this timeless form of communication prove to be just as valuable as any piece of empirical data.

Reference(s):

Gunara, S., Setiawan Susanto, T., & Cipta, F. (2022). The authenticity of music culture of Kampung Naga and Cikondang Indigenous people, West Java, Indonesia. AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 18(1), 26–36. https://doi-org.proxy-ub.researchport.umd.edu/10.1177/11771801221084517

Nzewi, Meki. 1980. “Folk Music in Nigeria: A Communion”. African Music : Journal of the International Library of African Music 6 (1):6-21. https://doi.org/10.21504/amj.v6i1.1091.

Petrovic, M., & Ljubinkovic, N. (2011). Imitation of animal sound patterns in Serbian folk music. Journal of Interdisciplinary Music Studies, 5(2), 101–118. https://doi.org/10.4407/jims.2011.11.001