Folk Music

The trend toward folk music in society and in our churches is a fascinating development pointing toward a desire for simplicity and clarity in musical expression. Not that this is a new thing, music trends historically respond to complexity with a return to simpler forms, construction, and ease of expression. When we study the Baroque (1600-1750), we discover a type of music that seemed to thrive on its sophistication and complexity, a full blown approach to polyphony and intellectual craft. Fugues, episodes, stretto, tonal and real entrances, toccatas, figured bass, and techniques guaranteed to keep you thinking, fill up the sound and music of the Baroque. In reaction, at least to an extent, the Classical period jumped in.

Time for melody and harmony. Time for simplicity and clarity. Mozart and Haydn gave us a simpler form of music that did not necessarily defenestrate the older ways but it did allow for less intellectual rigor and sophisticated craftsmanship. Not to say the music of the Classical period is only for simpletons, some kind of naive child-like expression. In fact, a closer look simply finds an alternate way to express sound and joy.

Moving forward to music of today. I have often bemoaned the loss of American folk music in our society. Our rich heritage of music from the past, music of the folks, music indigenous to our native land has slowly fallen by the wayside and replaced with electronic gadgetry and big forms. We saw a revitalization of a type of folk music in the early 1960s with the hippie, beatnik generation creating music that expresses emotions and concern, music with a simplicity and honesty of heart-felt expression. Put a guitar in the hands of a talented, honest singer and you have folk music. The rise of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, and later John Denver gave us a wealth of new folk music in the tradition of the past with current problems and social concerns being articulated. Pete Seeger continued to perform folk music from our history, discovering new gems from the past.

The Vietnam War may have given us cause for a new generation of folk music, but it was also partly a reaction to the complexity of music making in both popular and art cultures that gave it wings. As popular music once again grew in sound and complexity in the 70s onward to today, and although we never saw a complete lack of folk music, it was its very nature of a hammering pulse and added instruments that has caused a new kind of expression today.

The idea of complexity leading to simplicity may be true to an extent but we must be cautious in assuming that all folk music is simple. In fact, melodic and harmonic complexity is abundant although not always obvious. The charm of much of folk music is not necessarily its basic construction but rather its honest and deep emotional expression. Because folk music has not preconceived ideas of what music must be or what it should sound like, and because folk music is often a heart-felt expression emanating from the soul, the music itself is often new, fresh, and original.

Therein we find the joys of folk music--originality, honesty, and freedom. Regardless of the subject matter and regardless of the reaction, the music has an important and vital spot in our heritage and in our current presence. May folk songs reign at the forefront of our culture, taking their rightful place as music by the people and for the people.