What is folk music?

The world is full of music.  Over time different types of music have assimilated together to form entirely new genres of music.  Folk music is an ideal example of this assimilation.  Folk music came about from various artists interpreting a song in their own way and performing the song the way they think it should be performed.  While some genres of music fall cleanly into their specific category, folk music can’t be encapsulated into one little box.  Folk music is defined by its originality and uniqueness that transcends through multiple generations.

Many sources attempt to create a clean cut definition of folk music and that simply isn’t possible.  The cultural diversity that is the backbone of folk music creates an infinite number of different interpretations of folk music.  Nettl’s categories could be somewhat useful to someone who is searching for a clean cut definition of what folk, “primitive”, and cultivated music engulfs.  Even so, Nettl’s ideas about the different categories of folk music are puzzling.  At one point in his essay he states, “The difference between folk and primitive music is largely a reflection of the differences between folk and non-literate cultures; but we can also distinguish these two kinds of music by their styles, by the way they sound (Nettl 4).”  Nettl’s use of the word primitive comes with a negative connotation that implies uneducated or inferior.  In that statement he is making the parallel that primitive music comes from those cultures that are non-literate while folk music is produced by cultures that are more developed.  A few paragraphs later he explains that while Africa is classified as primitive continent, it was able to produce some of the most elaborate and complex music.  Not only is he presenting conflicting ideas about primitive music but he is insulting that form of music as well.  Nettl’s terminology is confusing and he failed in his attempt to decipher the differences between folk music and primitive music.     
  

Nettl is more successful when he speaks to what the function of music is.  His description of the function of music relates to the contrasting categories of passive music versus participatory music.  Nettl makes a good point when he explains that within each culture the function of music depends upon how much the members are invested in the music.  Depending on the culture, the amount of participation will vary. The number of professional musicians and unspecialized musicians affects the amount of participation that is taking place between the performer and the audience.  If there are more professional musicians the amount of participation will be less.  The different interactions between the performer and the audience are one reason why all folk music is unique.  An example of this would be the differences between attending a Dave Matthews concert and walking along the streets of downtown Ithaca to view the musical festival Porchfest.  Both venues are examples of folk music.  However, the concert setting is more passive than the Porchfest setting.  While each venue has its strong and weak points, neither venue could claim to be better than the other.  The different types of passive and participatory music clearly demonstrate the diversity of folk music.       
         

Another important function of music that Nettl addresses is the idea of functional music versus narrative music.  Although his thoughts concerning this topic are brief, they are significant.  He states that an important function of folk music is the accompaniment of a narration, and that narrative songs are in primitive music.  While his thoughts about primitive music may be flawed, his explanation that narration plays a key role in folk music is spot on.  A majority of the enjoyment that comes from folk music is the audience discovering the story behind the lyrics or notes.  The infinite number of stories that can be told through music adds to the assortment of different tunes that artists can create.  One song may have different meanings depending on how the audience interprets it.  Folk music is beautiful because it often allows the listener to decide what story is being relayed to him or her. 

Overall, Nettl’s essay was fairly accurate in describing what folk music represents.  He may have been more successful had he compared the different uses of folk music.  He talked about the function of music but never spoke to the variety of the different venues or different groups of people that listen to folk music.  Through an explanation of how folk music is used in society he and his readers may have been able to grasp the concept of folk music more readily.  The ideas Nettl explained in his essay are a good way to bounce one’s own ideas off of and create their own interpretations of folk music instead of accepting everything Nettl has to say.