Questions tagged [folk]
For questions about folk music, both traditional as well as contemporary.
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Is there a term for this style of ethnic European folk song?
The style features verses that are slow, sometimes speeding up, but ending with a rallentando and often a fermata, then going into a chorus that begins slowly (sometimes very slowly) with a gradual ...
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0answers
30 views
identify 1970s folk song “when the darkness of the night begins to show / streetlight always says hello”
In the 1970s, I lived in a strict religious communal organization, part of the Jesus People Movement, in which we sang (as it now seems) all the time.
We sang spontaneously, a capella --- never used a ...
2
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0answers
36 views
seeking to identify popular folk song “when the darkness of the night begins to show / streetlight always says hello”
In the 1970s, I lived in a strict religious communal organization, part of the Jesus People Movement, in which we sang (as it now seems) all the time. We sang spontaneously, a capella --- never used a ...
0
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1answer
42 views
Were royalties paid in the USA folk scene in the 60's? — The Bob Dylan example
Taking as an example the Bob Dylan album released in 1962 by Columbia, how likely is it that the fees for covering famous folk songs were paid and that original authors actually received the fees?
For ...
0
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1answer
40 views
Where can I read information about the English folk song “Monday Morning”?
I'm talking about this song:
For years now, I've tried to find a Wikipedia article on it, or any information at all. Oddly, I've been unable to. All I know is that a ...
2
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1answer
50 views
What traditional songs do parents and close family sing to their young (birth - 4) children? [closed]
Background
I met a boy, about five years old, from a Persian family, and wanted to teach him some familiar (to him) songs on the piano. However, the children's songs familiar to me were not familiar ...
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2answers
28 views
Does anyone know of any bagpipe albums I could buy that have just 2 or 3 bagpipes performing together?
Does anyone know of any bagpipe albums I could buy? Not massed pipes (i.e. lots of pipes, sometimes up to 100), but 2 or 3.
I really like the Triumph Street Band, from Canada, but I don't think they ...
2
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0answers
40 views
In the folk song “The Wild Rover,” how did the narrator get the money he has in the tavern?
In the Irish folk song "The Wild Rover," the narrator has been spending his money on beer for a long time, many years (and maybe living nomadically). He regrets this very much and resolves ...
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0answers
28 views
What do these lyrics in “Angeline the Baker” mean?
In the song "Angeline the Baker," the lyrics go:
Angeline the baker, age of 43
Fed her sugar candy, but she still won't marry me
What does "fed her sugar candy" mean? Is it referring to sweet ...
3
votes
1answer
127 views
Is Santiano's “Mädchen von Haithabu” intentionally very similar to Tha Mi Sgith?
An excerpt from this Wikipedia page:
Santiano is a German band from the northern region of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, whose genres include Irish folk, sea shanty, and schlager music. The name ...
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0answers
50 views
What kind of instrument/synthesizer did Finntroll use for 2012's “Under Bergets Rot”?
I'm currently on an adventure to find the best folk/black metal bands in Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. I have just come across the wonderful band Finntroll, which describes their music as "...
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1answer
50 views
Looking to find out the name and origin of this song
Here is a clip of the Spanish Children's song
My cousin started singing it, but he made up words. However, the melody sounded vaguely familiar, so I sang along.
4
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6answers
2k views
Other than the electric guitar, which plucked chordophones (guitar-like instruments) originated in the United States?
Many countries all around the world took inspiration from stuff like the Lute, the Baroque Guitar, and the Classical Guitar to develop new forms of guitars, that deeply shaped the folklore of the ...
3
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1answer
10k views
Origin and meaning of “Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby”
Most famously heard in the movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou", the traditional lullaby "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" is performed by artists Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch. This ...
3
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1answer
77 views
Led Zeppelin's “Kashmir” origin
I recently found this band that plays Jewish folk songs or uses motives from them in their own material. They're called Black Ox Orkestrar. One of their songs called "Tsvey Tabelakh" seemed very ...
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1answer
5k views
Are “Londonderry Air”, “Danny Boy”, and “You Raise Me Up” the same song?
I notice that the Irish air Londonderry Air, the ballad Danny Boy by Frederic Weatherly, and You Raise Me Up by the band Secret Garden sound pretty much the same (or at least similar) when I listen to ...
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1answer
5k views
What's the difference between Bluegrass and Country?
I'm diving into North American folklore music of the 20th century, and two of the staples are the Bluegrass and Country genres / styles.
They seem to be intimately connected though, so: How are they ...
3
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1answer
106 views
What's the difference between Cuban Son and Mexican Son?
Both are very important folkloric, traditional, styles in their respective countries. They sound very similar, but seems that they developed somewhat independently, at least at their beginnings.
Here ...
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2answers
1k views
Who is Johanna in this Joan Baez song - The Winds of the Old Days
In this song, The Winds of the Old Days, by Joan Baez, the last stanza is:
And get you down to the harbor now
Most of the sour grapes are gone from the bough
Ghosts of Johanna will visit you there
...
1
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1answer
25 views
The inspiration behind the song: What Have They Done To My Song, Ma
I recently came across this beautiful song, but could find very little about what inspired this song. Any details about what inspired it, any other information about it, would be appreciated.
3
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0answers
77 views
End of AVICII's The Nights: Why is the end of the sound wave not centered around zero?
This is the end of AVICII's The Nights (YouTube) viewed in Audacity:
Question: Is there a particular purpose for keeping the wave out of the center?
I guess it does not change the sound (or at least ...
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0answers
12 views
Does anyone know examples of old Danish rowing songs?
Some friends of mine told me they were on a trip with an old viking dragonboat when some of the girls started to sing some ancient rowing song.
To be able to have some imagination how that might have ...
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1answer
59 views
Who knows the name of this song? [closed]
I am looking for name of this music and it's artist. Thanks!
https://ufile.io/bvai5
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3answers
292 views
What is going on in the lyrics of Kate Rusby's song “The Lark”?
What is going on in the lyrics of Kate Rusby's song “The Lark”?
This song is moving but cryptic—it's hard for me to tell what's going on. There may have been a breakup between the narrator and the ...
3
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0answers
188 views
Original “Glory To The Sun” Russian folk song used as a theme in Beethoven String Quartet No. 8 and others
In String Quartet No. 8, Beethoven made use of a Russian theme based on the folk song (or hymn) "Glory To The Sun". Other composers also used this song as a theme: Mussorgski in "Boris Gudunov", ...
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0answers
49 views
Roma 2018 - Alfonso Cuaron - beach wedding song
I'm trying to identify the title of the simple beach wedding music, performed by a local Mexican orchestra in Roma (the great movie on Netflix, Venice festival winner, from Alfonso Cuaron)
It is not ...
2
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1answer
154 views
What's the origin of the phrase “Rise Up Singing”?
There's a famous song book called "Rise Up Singing."
That expression appears in the lyric of Summertime, from Porgy and Bess. I wonder whether that's the whole story of the phrase (it was created by ...
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1answer
60 views
Song used on “Maps that Will Change the Way You See Russia” video
Does anybody know what is the name of this music?
I find it very interesting.
Thanks
4
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2answers
2k views
“I Riden Så” (Ye Ride So Carefully) Interpretation
There are lyrics of a song that I'd love to understand better:
"I Riden Så" (Ye Ride So Carefully) by the Finnish band Gjallarhorn
My questions are:
How is the singer related to Silibrant and his ...
5
votes
0answers
65 views
“Are you going to leave me here alone and forsake your own country?”
I'm trying to remember a folk song I heard (recorded, sung by a man with a guitar) as a child. The only part I can remember now is from the refrain, which goes
Singing Jimmy, dearest Jimmy,
On ...
3
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1answer
89 views
Identify traditional Scottish folk song about a kiss
Trying to figure out the name of a traditional Scottish (and not Irish folk song I heard on the Ed Miller radio show last year. I recall it was performed by a woman and I know I found a video of her ...
2
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1answer
115 views
What does characterize “dirty” folk?
As different to "normal" folk? Is it so because of "dirty" sounds?
Example
https://youtu.be/_ILe0_DovlU
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2answers
71 views
How could Iron and Wine open for Jason Isbell in concert
I recently went to a concert in Canandaigua, NY, in which Iron and Wine opened for Jason Isbell.
Iron and Wine seems to be a much more established artist.
A quick glance at Wikipedia shows that ...
3
votes
1answer
58 views
Name for commercial song which becomes accepted as folk song?
Is there a term for a commercial song, in a folk/roots style, which gets accepted as an authentic folk original ?
I'm thinking of a song like The Wheel of the Wagon is Broken.
Country/Western Swing ...
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0answers
37 views
The connection between Kurdish music and the sound of horses galloping?
The characteristic background rhythm of Kurdish music (like this) is very similar to the sound of horses galloping. Given that horses were domesticated by Indo-Europeans, it seems likely there could ...
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2answers
2k views
What Do The Lyrics Of “O Shenandoah” Refer to?
I've been looking at some arrangements of "O Shenandoah", and am utterly confused about the lyrics. First of all: None make too much sense. I always thought it was about a river, but a good number of ...
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1answer
119 views
Australian or NZ bands like Mountain Goats, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.?
I am looking for Australian or New Zealand bands like Mountain Goats, Neutral Milk Hotel, etc.? This may not exist.
I am also interested in any bands with a similar sound from other languages or ...
2
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1answer
73 views
Lyrics to Jake Bugg song 'Swept Away"
I have seen several different transcriptions of the lyrics to this Jake Bugg song. And I was wondering if anybody had seen a physical copy of the lyrics like sometimes come in the case when you by a ...
3
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1answer
1k views
What is the meaning of this line in Loch Lomond?
This verse of Loch Lomond is usually sung as :
The wee birdies sing
And the wild flowers spring
And in sunshine the waters lie sleeping
But the broken heart it kens, nae second spring again
...
2
votes
1answer
124 views
Name of Irish-like Christmas song?
I was watching this video to get some ideas on what to play on an informal Christmas concert. From 0:21 to 0:56 the boy plays a song that sounds quite good. It looks like and Irish song , but I don't ...
4
votes
1answer
856 views
Meaning of “Blowing in the Wind”?
The song Blowing in the Wind has the following lines
How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man
I have no clue what this means
How many seas must a white dove sail
...
3
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2answers
49 views
Where does the 5th line in Wild Mountan Thyme go?
The song "Wild Mountain Thyme" (or "Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go", "The Blooming/Purple Heather" or any other line you'd like to pull out of it) has this verse/chorus structure:
Oh the summer time is ...
3
votes
1answer
305 views
Russian folk song sung in the movie Russkies?
Approximately 30 minutes into the 1987 film "Russkies" the main character, Mischa, sings what I assume to be a Russian folk song. A clip is available on YouTube at this link. Can you name that tune ...
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0answers
233 views
Are there any records of Woody Guthrie's FBI verses to “Acres of Clams”?
In Pete Seeger's Introduction to Acres of Clams, he states that he and Woody Guthrie once improvised verses to it, including the verse:
They asked, "would I fight for my country?"
I answered the ...
2
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2answers
456 views
Sponge Cake in “True Blue” by John Williamson
In the famous Australian folk song "True Blue" written by John Williamson, he asks "If they sell us out like sponge cake, Do you really care?" Is this referring to anything in particular? For example, ...
4
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1answer
199 views
What are the two hornpipes in “Two Hornpipes” from the Pirates of the Caribbean
In the soundtrack to the second Pirates of the Caribbean, there is a track titled "Two hornpipes" (Video). I can only hear one in it, and it sounds rather similar to the Lamplighter's Hornpipe, but ...
4
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2answers
910 views
Japanese Folk Song “Sunayama”
There is a Japanese folk song called Sunayama and I think it is very beautiful but I cannot find any reliable information upon it. I know there are a few songs on iTunes of it but pretty much nothing (...
2
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2answers
158 views
How the celtic music were evolved? What is the true meaning of 'Celtic'?
I am a very big fan of celtic music and i often listen to them for hours straight. But how did these music evolve, like what are the main occasion for these musics, what purpose these music served etc....
