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Songs, tunes and instrumental accompaniments written in any era in the traditional style folk music genre which has its roots in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Traditional Folk music encompasses songs and ballads, tunes, airs, and dance tunes some dating back to medieval times. Many of the traditional songs we still enjoy today were originally broadside ballads, printed between the 16th and 19th centuries and sung to tunes which were passed along orally, often changing over time according to the popular tunes of the day. The ballads were stories of love, seafaring, murder, the supernatural, highwaymen, poaching and often of longing and loss.
Sam Lee sings Broadside Ballad Lovely Molly →Understanding Broadside Ballads →
Traditional folk music includes songs written during the Industrial Revolution of hard work in factories and danger in the mines
Louis Killen Dirty Blackleg Miner →Songs written in Victorian times and set to old Irish and Scottish airs and tunes.
Carolina Oliphant's Victorian Composition →The song was written by Carolina Oliphant (1766–1845), who was also known as Lady Nairne. She was a Scottish songwriter who wrote the lyrics of many popular pieces. She set some of her lyrics to pre-existing tunes. She could read music, however, and is thought to have created some of the tunes that she used.
Perhaps the earliest collection of tunes was John Playford’s 1651 “The English Dancing Musician” “Grimstock” from the English Dancing Master J. Playford (1623 -1686)
"Grimstock" from The English Dancing Master - J. Playford (1623-1686) →Samuel Pepys had gathered a substantial collection of ballads by 1703. Sir Walter Scott published his three-volume collection Border Minstrelsy in 1802-3, The use of the term “folk” to describe the music of the “common” people was first used in 1846 when William J Thoms proposed a new word, Folk-Lore, which would replace the term “popular antiquities” to describe the tales, customs, beliefs, and songs of the common people. The collectors generally saw the music of the common people as a relic that needed to be preserved least it die out. Between 1882 and 1898 Francis Child published his collection of English and Scottish Ballads
Willie's Lyke-Wake →At the end of the19th Century, Cecil Sharp became inspired to begin his folk song collection which would become the song archives of Cecil Sharp House, the “home of English Folk Music” with its vast recording and manuscript archives,
The 1950’s saw a revival of British traditional folk music with the Copper Family amongst others collecting, performing, and recording the traditional songs that were still being sung by older folk.
The Copper Family singing Spencer the Rover →Songs were also being written in traditional style by such people as Cyril Tawney and Ewan McColl. This was the beginning of the Folk Club era.
Cyril Tawney singing the Grey Funnel Line →Ewan McColl singing The Manchester Rambler →The 1960’s and 70’s saw the re interpretation of traditional folk songs by, amongst many others, Martin Carthy, The Watersons, Nic Jones, Dick Gaughan, Dave Burland, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, and Steeleye Span, to name but a few of the luminaries of that era.
Steeleye Span - All Around My Hat →Raggle Taggle Gypsy/Tabhair dom do laimh - Planxty →Dick Gaughan sings the World Turned Upside Down →The 21st century has seen a revival of interest in traditional music in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. In Wales, music groups such as Ar Log have revived traditional folk music alongside the revival of the Welsh Language. Celtic music traditions in Ireland and Scotland have continued to be a part of cultural life and feature in school programmes at all levels including tertiary study. The National Youth Folk Ensemble UK, is encouraging more young musicians to play traditional folk music. There are annual awards for traditional folk performance in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales including the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards,
Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker perform the banks of sweet primroses at the BBC Radio 2 Folk awards 2015 →and dozens of clubs and pubs playing host to a vast range of new and established artists from the UK and Ireland. From the top of the Highlands to the South of Cornwall, there are hundreds of annual Folk Festivals, from very large scale to single day events. Many established musicians are keeping the music vibrant and accessible to all. To name but a few: Fay Hield, Granny’s Attic, Lucy Pringle and Chris Wright, John McCusker, Eliza Carthy, Daoiri Farrell, Kris Drever, Blazin fiddles and the Young’ uns and Sam Lee.
the Young’ uns singing Gafoors Bus →Granny’s Attic sing Away to the South’ard We’ll Go →There have also been a couple of major projects bringing new life into traditional folk music. The imagined village, a folk band putting English balladry into new settings. In 2013 Fay Hield established The Full English, a supergroup who put together significant early 20th century folk song collections, reinterpreting, and returning them to the contemporary world.
Champions of New Zealand Folk Music
The revival of interest in Folk Music which began in the late 1950's also reached New Zealand
In Wellington, Mary Seddon established the Monde Marie. This was one one of several "bohemian" coffee bars which sprung up in Wellington, and other cities, to champion live performances of folk music.
The Monde Marie became known for performance of traditional folk music, and so began the search for traditional songs from earlier times in New Zealand.
Looking to collect songs from and about New Zealand's colonial past was Rona Bailey. She, along with Neil Colquhoun collected enough material to create an album titled New Zealand Folk Songs: Song of a Young Country. This was published by Kiwi Pacific Albums in 1971, and followed a year later with a book of songs of the same title, written by Neil Colquhoun and published by AH and AW Reed.
Song of a young country →In 2010 this book was updated by Neil Colquhoun and published by Steel-RobertsAround New Zealand others were collecting and writing songs of New Zealand, often needing to compose tunes to go with snatches of verse; amongst them were Rudy Sunde, Robyn and Mitch Park.
In 1958, Peter Cape recorded the first of his songs about Kiwi life, Perhaps one of his better known titles
being Taumaranui on the Main Trunk Line.
Phil Garland was a major contributor in the promotion of New Zealand Folk Songs. He collected as much material as he could find, performed the songs all over New Zealand, recorded numerous albums and wrote books about his collecting and about the songs he discovered.
Mike Harding is also a major contributor in the collection and promotion of New Zealand songs, his book 'When the Pakeha Sings of Home' gathering together references to a large amount of material.
Mike has also recorded albums of the songs, written
new songs, and had toured New Zealand extensively over the past forty years.
John Archer became interested in New Zealand Folk songs and how they reflected our culture. He also wrote quite a few himself.
In 1998 John launched the 'New Zealand Folk Song website https://folksong.org.nz/ initially to share the music he collected.
This has evolved into a major collection and a valuable resource for any one interested in finding songs from and about New Zealand.
More recently Chris Priestly has been collecting stories of interesting characters from NZ's past and writing songs about these fascinating people.
These songs are, collectively, Unsung Heroes (songs and stories from New Zealand's distant past) and Chris has gathered together a group of very talented musicians to help him perform and record these songs.
Champions of New Zealand Folk Music
The revival of interest in Folk Music which began in the late 1950's also reached New Zealand
In Wellington, Mary Seddon established the Monde Marie. This was one one of several "bohemian" coffee bars which sprung up in Wellington, and other cities, to champion live performances of folk music.
The Monde Marie became known for performance of traditional folk music, and so began the search for traditional songs from earlier times in New Zealand.
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/wellington-s-folk-coffee-bars
Looking to collect songs from and about New Zealand's colonial past was Rona Bailey. She, along with Neil Colquhoun collected enough material to create an album titled New Zealand Folk Songs: Song of a Young Country. This was published by Kiwi Pacific Albums in 1971, and followed a year later with a book of songs of the same title, written by Neil Colquhoun and published by AH and AW Reed.
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/articles/song-of-a-young-country
In 2010 this book was updated by Neil Colquhoun and published by Steel-Roberts
Around New Zealand others were collecting and writing songs of New Zealand, often needing to compose tunes to go with snatches of verse; amongst them were Rudy Sunde, Robyn and Mitch Park.
In 1958, Peter Cape recorded the first of his songs
about Kiwi life, Perhaps one of his better known titles
being Taumaranui on the Main Trunk Line.
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/peter-cape
Phil Garland was a major contributor in the promotion of New Zealand Folk Songs. He collected as much material as he could find, performed the songs all over New Zealand, recorded numerous albums and wrote books about his collecting and about the songs he discovered.
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/phil-garland
Mike Harding is also a major contributor in the collection and promotion of New Zealand songs, his book 'When the Pakeha Sings of Home' gathering together references to a large amount of material.
Mike has also recorded albums of the songs, written
new songs, and had toured New Zealand extensively over the past forty years.
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/mike-harding
More recently Chris Priestly has been collecting stories of interesting characters from NZ's past, and writing songs about these fascinating people.
These songs are, collectively, Unsung Heroes (songs and stories from New Zealand's distant past) and Chris has gathered together a group of very talented musicians to help him perform and record these songs.
https://www.audioculture.co.nz/profile/chris-priestley
For more detailed information about these people who have been key figures in the development of traditional style folk music in New Zealand, check our links, which are mostly to the relevant articles published on the Audio Culture website, funded by
NZ On Air
Listen to a couple of New Zealand's Folk songs recently discovered and recorded by Scottish Musicians!
Traditional Folk music encompasses songs and ballads, tunes, airs, and dance tunes some dating back to medieval times. Many of the traditional songs we still enjoy today were originally broadside ballads, printed between the 16th and 19th centuries and sung to tunes which were passed along orally, often changing over time according to the popular tunes of the day. The ballads were stories of love, seafaring, murder, the supernatural, highwaymen, poaching and often of longing and loss.
Sam Lee sings Broadside Ballad Lovely Molly →Understanding Broadside Ballads →
Traditional folk music includes songs written during the Industrial Revolution of hard work in factories and danger in the mines
Louis Killen Dirty Blackleg Miner →
Songs written in Victorian times and set to old Irish and Scottish airs and tunes.
Carolina Oliphant's Victorian Composition →
The song was written by Carolina Oliphant (1766–1845), who was also known as Lady Nairne. She was a Scottish songwriter who wrote the lyrics of many popular pieces. She set some of her lyrics to pre-existing tunes. She could read music, however, and is thought to have created some of the tunes that she used.
Perhaps the earliest collection of tunes was John Playford’s 1651 “The English Dancing Musician” “Grimstock” from the English Dancing Master J. Playford (1623 -1686)
"Grimstock" from The English Dancing Master - J. Playford (1623-1686) →
Samuel Pepys had gathered a substantial collection of ballads by 1703. Sir Walter Scott published his three-volume collection Border Minstrelsy in 1802-3, The use of the term “folk” to describe the music of the “common” people was first used in 1846 when William J Thoms proposed a new word, Folk-Lore, which would replace the term “popular antiquities” to describe the tales, customs, beliefs, and songs of the common people. The collectors generally saw the music of the common people as a relic that needed to be preserved least it die out. Between 1882 and 1898 Francis Child published his collection of English and Scottish Ballads
At the end of the 19th Century, Cecil Sharp became inspired to begin his folk song collection which would become the song archives of Cecil Sharp House, the “home of English Folk Music” with its vast recording and manuscript archives,
The 1950’s saw a revival of British traditional folk music with the Copper Family amongst others collecting, performing, and recording the traditional songs that were still being sung by older folk.
Songs were also being written in traditional style by such people as Cyril Tawney and Ewan McColl. This was the beginning of the Folk Club era.
The 1960’s and 70’s saw the re interpretation of traditional folk songs by, amongst many others, Martin Carthy, The Watersons, Nic Jones, Dick Gaughan, Dave Burland, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, and Steeleye Span, to name but a few of the luminaries of that era.
The 21st century has seen a revival of interest in traditional music in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. In Wales, music groups such as Ar Log have revived traditional folk music alongside the revival of the Welsh Language. Celtic music traditions in Ireland and Scotland have continued to be a part of cultural life and feature in school programmes at all levels including tertiary study. The National Youth Folk Ensemble UK, is encouraging more young musicians to play traditional folk music. There are annual awards for traditional folk performance in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales including the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards,
and dozens of clubs and pubs playing host to a vast range of new and established artists from the UK and Ireland. From the top of the Highlands to the South of Cornwall, there are hundreds of annual Folk Festivals, from very large scale to single day events. Many established musicians are keeping the music vibrant and accessible to all. To name but a few: Fay Hield, Granny’s Attic, Lucy Pringle and Chris Wright, John McCusker, Eliza Carthy, Daoiri Farrell, Kris Drever, Blazin fiddles and the Young’ uns and Sam Lee.
There have also been a couple of major projects bringing new life into traditional folk music. The imagined village, a folk band putting English balladry into new settings. In 2013 Fay Hield established The Full English, a supergroup who put together significant early 20th century folk song collections, reinterpreting, and returning them to the contemporary world.
For more detailed information about these people who have been key figures in the development of traditional style folk music in New Zealand, check our links, which are mostly to the relevant articles published on the Audio Culture website, funded by NZ On Air.
Listen to a couple of New Zealand's Folk songs recently discovered and recorded by Scottish Musicians!
Traditional folk music has always depended on enthusing the next generation to enjoy the music, to reinterpret it and to reinvigorate it. Traditional folk music is like a tree. From its roots in Medieval times, and on through the ages, grow the music and stories; of celebration and ritual, of lovers parted by cruel circumstances, tall tales of daring and trickery, tales to entertain and tales from which we can learn about life. Choruses to join in, tunes to dance to, tunes to play together. Our task is to nurture the tree, to keep it growing new branches relevant for the present and supporting a future which is always connected to the past.
