Folk music vocal or instrumental music that is traditional to a specific culture or nationality and that has been passed down by word of mouth through the generations. Folk music originated from unknown, everyday people and was rarely written down. There are often many versions of the same tune (and/or words) because, like in the game “Chinese Whispers”, small changes happened as the music was passed from person to person! Folk traditions continue to this day, with living folk musicians keeping the traditions alive and adding to the body of folk music. Many composers of notated, classical music have taken folk music of their own or other cultures and traditions as inspiration for their own compositions.
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