folk songs
Passed-down melodies
Folk songs are traditional songs passed down orally within a community, typically of unknown authorship.
They often reflect the experiences, values, and history of ordinary people—work songs, ballads, lullabies, protest songs.
The term extends to modern compositions written in that style: She learned folk songs from her grandmother.
Also written as one word: folksongs.
Fretted drum-stringed instrument
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
- guitarFretted stringed instrument
- harmonicaHandheld reed wind instrument
- mandolinPlucked eight-string lute descendant
accordion · concertina · dulcimer · autoharp · bouzouki · balalaika · sitar · kora
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
- rootsUnderground nutrient absorbers
indigenous · tribal · pastoral · agrarian · peasant · regional · Appalachian · Celtic
Musical sequence of notes
- airGaseous envelope surrounding Earth
- liltRhythmic speech quality
- dittyShort, simple song
- refrainAbstain from acting
chorus · hum · whistle · catchy · earworm · haunting · plaintive · modal
Narrative poem or song
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- lamentMournful expression of grief
saga · murder ballad · broadside · sea shanty · work song · lullaby · protest song · love song
banjo
Fretted drum-stringed instrument
- fiddleAdjust restlessly; folk violin
- guitarFretted stringed instrument
- harmonicaHandheld reed wind instrument
mandolin · accordion · concertina · dulcimer · autoharp · bouzouki · balalaika · sitar · kora · ukulele
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- ancestryFamily line of descent
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- customsTraditional practices or import taxes
roots · indigenous · tribal · pastoral · agrarian · peasant · regional · Appalachian · Celtic · Andean
tune
Musical sequence of notes
refrain · chorus · hum · whistle · catchy · earworm · haunting · plaintive · modal · pentatonic
ballad
Narrative poem or song
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- legendUnverified traditional tale
lament · saga · murder ballad · broadside · sea shanty · work song · lullaby · protest song · love song · epic
singalong
Communal vocal session
- campfireOutdoor fire for gathering
- hootenannyFolk music social gathering
- hoedownLively rural dance gathering
jamboree · busking · coffeehouse · festival · gathering · circle · chorus · refrain · verse · harmony
homeland
One's native land
- wanderingTraveling with no fixed course
- laborStrenuous effort; also childbirth
- loveIntense fond attachment
death · sea · mining · farming · freedom · protest · war · emigration · poverty · nature
- cultural heritagetraditions, customs, museum collections, museums, language revival
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, fairy tale, folktale
- folk collectionsproverbs, legends, myths, fairy tales, nursery rhymes
- folk traditionsharvest festivals, wedding traditions, wedding rituals, regional crafts, ballads
- old musicclassical music, traditional tunes, hymns, waltzes, marches
- village culturefarming, harvest, livestock, storytelling, rituals
folk songslieder
Archaic word for songs
classical compositions · original compositions · written music
folk songspop songs
Mainstream musical tracks
hit singles · chart music · studio productions · licensed music · jingles
folk songsart music
Formal composed tradition
court music · classical music · orchestral works · chamber music · opera