Traditional and folk music

Folk songs are short stories from the souls of common people.

This VSI offers readers something no other introduction to folk music does: a cross-cultural, comparative approach, a survey of the basic issues as they have unfolded over time, and specific examples from widely differing sites of how folk musicians themselves, as well as corporations, non-governmental organizations, and governments have made full use of the available resources, older and newer strategies, and multiple agendas that keep the folk music process alive in an increasingly interconnected, yet still localized world.

This VSI offers readers something no other introduction to folk music does: a cross-cultural, comparative approach, a survey of the basic issues as they have unfolded over time, and specific examples from widely differing sites of how folk musicians themselves, as well as corporations, non-governmental organizations, and governments have made full use of the available resources, older and newer strategies, and multiple agendas that keep the folk music process alive in an increasingly interconnected, yet still localized world.

The ballad "e;John Henry"e; is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry--the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill--is a towering figure in our culture.

Joni Mitchell is one of the foremost singer-songwriters of the late twentieth century.

The Musical Playground is a new and fascinating account of the musical play of school-aged children.

Ethnomusicological fieldwork has significantly changed since the end of the the 20th century.

In 1946, Harry Choates, a Cajun fiddle virtuoso, changed the course of American musical history when his recording of the so-called Cajun national anthem "e;Jole Blon"e; reached number four on the national Billboard charts.

While Western medicine has conventionally separated music, science, and religion into distinct entities, traditional cultures throughout the world have always viewed music as a bridge that connects the physical with the spiritual.

Roark Bradford's 1931 novel and 1939 play dealing with the legendary folk-hero John Henry (both titled John Henry) were extremely influential in their own time but have long been unavailable or extremely hard to find.

Intimate, anecdotal, and spell-binding, Singing Out offers a fascinating oral history of the North American folk music revivals and folk music.

Despite its isolation on the western edge of Europe, Ireland occupies vast amounts of space on the music maps of the world.

Applied studies scholarship has triggered a not-so-quiet revolution in the discipline of ethnomusicology.

Perhaps the most widely recognized figure in folk music and one of the most well-known figures in American political activism, Pete Seeger now belongs among the icons of 20th-century American culture.

The ballad "e;John Henry"e; is the most recorded folk song in American history and John Henry--the mighty railroad man who could blast through rock faster than a steam drill--is a towering figure in our culture.

In the 1960s and 1970s, a number of British musicians rediscovered traditional folk ballads, fusing the old melodies with rock, jazz, and blues styles to create a new genre dubbed "e;electric folk"e; or "e;British folk rock.

What are the new directions in ethnomusicological fieldwork?

When Jimi Hendrix transfixed the crowds of Woodstock with his gripping version of "e;The Star Spangled Banner,"e; he was building on a foundation reaching back, in part, to the revolutionary guitar playing of Howlin' Wolf and the other great Chicago bluesmen, and to the Delta blues tradition before him.

Explicitly or not, the historical musicology of post-Revolutionary France has focused on Paris as a proxy for the rest of the country.

Explicitly or not, the historical musicology of post-Revolutionary France has focused on Paris as a proxy for the rest of the country.

"e;Pygmy music"e; has captivated students and scholars of anthropology and music for decades if not centuries, but until now this aspect of their culture has never been described in a work that is at once vividly engaging, intellectually rigorous, and self-consciously aware of the ironies of representation.

Based on extensive fieldwork and documentary research in China, this book is a chronicle of the musical history of Lijiang County in China's southern Yunnan Province.

Calling Back the Spirit describes how, in the face of Indonesian and foreign cultural pressures, the Makassarese people of South Sulawesi are defending their local spirit through music and dance.

Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) is frequently considered the most significant American female composer in this century.

This volume examines how the search for "e;cultural authenticity,"e; the dispute over the past, and the role of "e;modernity"e; have been instrumental in building the regional musical culture of the Mantaro Valley, a central Peruvian region with about half a million inhabitants.

A freewheeling blend of continental European folk music and the songs, tunes, and dances of Anglo and Celtic immigrants, polkabilly has enthralled American musicians and dancers since the mid-19th century.

What do Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Cassandra Wilson, and Ani DiFranco have in common?

This book, based on the Clarendon Lectures for 2016, is about the use made by poets and novelists of street songs and cries.

This book, based on the Clarendon Lectures for 2016, is about the use made by poets and novelists of street songs and cries.

'The Poetic Genius of my Country.

'The Poetic Genius of my Country.

Richly ethnographic and a compelling read, After the Dance, the Drums Are Heavy is a study of carnival, politics, and the musical engagement of ordinary citizens and celebrity musicians in contemporary Haiti.

Richly ethnographic and a compelling read, After the Dance, the Drums Are Heavy is a study of carnival, politics, and the musical engagement of ordinary citizens and celebrity musicians in contemporary Haiti.

In Local Fusions, author Barbara Rose Lange explores musical life in Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria between the end of the Cold War and the world financial crisis of 2008.

Sound Relations delves into histories of Inuit musical life in Alaska to register the significance of sound as integral to self-determination and sovereignty.

Sound Relations delves into histories of Inuit musical life in Alaska to register the significance of sound as integral to self-determination and sovereignty.

How do marginalized communities speak back to power when they are excluded from political processes and socially denigrated?

Melodious panpipes and kena flutes.

Melodious panpipes and kena flutes.

When he emerged from the nightclubs of Greenwich Village, Bob Dylan was often identified as a "e;protest"e; singer.

When he emerged from the nightclubs of Greenwich Village, Bob Dylan was often identified as a "e;protest"e; singer.

During the Cold War, state-sponsored musical performances were central to the diplomatic agendas of the United States and the Soviet Union.

Klezmer: Music, History, and Memory is the first comprehensive study of the musical structure and social history of klezmer music, the music of the Jewish musicians' guild of Eastern Europe.

Despite its isolation on the western edge of Europe, Ireland occupies vast amounts of space on the music maps of the world.

Istanbul is home to a multimillion dollar transnational music industry, which every year produces thousands of digital music recordings, including widely distributed film and television show soundtracks.

During the Cold War, state-sponsored musical performances were central to the diplomatic agendas of the United States and the Soviet Union.

Roark Bradford's 1931 novel and 1939 play dealing with the legendary folk-hero John Henry (both titled John Henry) were extremely influential in their own time but have long been unavailable or extremely hard to find.

In 1946, Harry Choates, a Cajun fiddle virtuoso, changed the course of American musical history when his recording of the so-called Cajun national anthem "e;Jole Blon"e; reached number four on the national Billboard charts.

Divi Zheni identifies itself as a Bulgarian women's chorus and band, but it is located in Boston and none of its members come from Bulgaria.

What do Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Cassandra Wilson, and Ani DiFranco have in common?