Geography and Culture: Folk to Popular Music Mr Kuhn

Review: Folk vs Popular Culture Folk Culture Folk Culture is locally developed and formed in isolated communities It is often handed down orally and has a strong sense of community Traditionally practiced by small homogenous groups in rural settings Popular Culture Found in large heterogeneous societies Developed largely due to increase in communication technologies and global connections

What is Folk Music? Music that has been passed orally through in localized areas often though the lower classes While most of the lower class was traditionally illiterate, Folk Songs were not written down but carried over from previous generations Folk Music was often created for local traditions or enjoyment on a local scale, not for money or success It is important to note that not all old music is Folk Music, Classical Music has had widespread commercial success for long periods of time

Folk Music in Canada Early Canadian Folk Music was heavily influenced by its French and British heritage in terms of lyrical and musical style Different regions within Canada were unique, however, due to the common careers of the lower class (Often determined by what resources the area they lived in supplied) Maritimes Thinking geographically, the Maritimes were situated in an area with and abundance of fish which led the majority of the lower class to become fishers and sailors It was these people who created Folk music and their music was heavily influenced by their daily life British Columbia Abundance of wood and minerals in landscape led to elements of daily life being incorporated into folk songs

The Start of Popular Music The term “Pop Music” was coined around the middle of the 1920’s It was in this era that genres such as rhythm and blues, country, and pop folk music became popular Pop music began to grow as modern technologies gave more people free time and communication devices began to grow As technology replaces jobs people have traditionally done, less people are needed for a community to survive With more freedom new occupations are created and the “common man” has more time to enjoy the luxuries of life

Mass Production and Popular Music The Phonogram (Record Player) was created by Thomas Edison in 1877 Original phonogram were found in public arcades and not owned by individuals due to their price and impracticality It was not until 1895 when German born American immigrant Emile Berliner created a flat disc record that could be mass produced that phonographs became more popular Record players only became affordable after World War Two which led to an even bigger boost in their sales

Tin Pan Alley: The Diffusion of Pop Music With the creation of records and popularization of the radio in the late 19th century, music was now a product that people could sell Manhattan, New York became the largest publishing area in North America People from around the world began coming to this area to sell their songs Popular Genres at this time were country, pop-folk, show tunes, and rag time Diffusion of American popular music started during the World War II. English became the language of popular music

Key Differences Between Popular and Folk Music Folk Music is localized, orally passed on, and not for profit (Most folk music is not protected under copyright and even today can be duplicated for free) Pop Music is built for profit and its success depends on it being spread globally (Copyright protects Artists profits) Folk Music is typically created and shared amongst the lower classes while Pop Music has traditionally spread through large companies owned by the upper class While it is almost impossible to find who wrote Folk Song, Pop Music artists are idolized and celebrated

Today in the Text… How folk music was created Stephen Foster steals African- American music Music After the Tin Pan Alley Era Memphis, Rock and Roll, and Elvis steals African-American Music Seattle and the Grunge Music Movement