Was it really Folk? - Page 4

Originally posted by: buttercup

i loved chang a lot yday..puja was good too..
but i dunno i dun like puja and emon..so i usually dun watch their performance fully.. 😳

Actually, I have that problem with Puja, not so much with Emon. I think the guy is sweet, just focused on his singing and pretty nice really. Puja on the other hand is a little off-putting at times. Can't really lay my finger on it, but something about her doesn't gell well with me.😕

Thanks Sonya. So may be then it makes Nimbooda a folk song. 😕

Googling this is what I could find.

Defining folk song

Folk songs are commonly seen as songs that express something about a way of life that exists now or in the past or is about to disappear (or in some cases, to be preserved or somehow revived). However, despite the assembly of an enormous body of work over some two centuries, there is still no certain definition of what folk music (or folklore, or the folk) is.

Recent research has suggested that the "folk process" may not be so simple to distinguish from other popular music processes. Early folk music was often written down and transformed by experts, even though they may have been amateurs.

The English term folk, which gained usage in the 19th century (during the Romantic period) to refer to peasants or non-literate peoples, is related to the German word Volk (meaning people or nation). The term is used to emphasize that folk music emerges spontaneously from communities of ordinary people. "As the complexity of social stratification and interaction became clearer and increased, various conditioning criteria, such as 'continuity', 'tradition', 'oral transmission', 'anonymity' and uncommercial origins, became more important than simple social categories themselves."

Charles Seeger (1980) describes three contemporary defining criteria of folk music:^[4]

A "schema comprising four musical types: 'primitive' or 'tribal'; 'elite' or 'art'; 'folk'; and 'popular'. Usually...folk music is associated with a lower class in societies which are culturally and socially stratified, that is, which have developed an elite, and possibly also a popular, musical culture." Cecil Sharp (1907)?, A.L. Lloyd (1972). "Cultural processes rather than abstract musical types...continuity and oral transmission...seen as characterizing one side of a cultural dichotomy, the other side of which is found not only in the lower layers of feudal, capitalist and some oriental societies but also in 'primitive' societies and in parts of 'popular cultures'." Redfield (1947) and Dundes (1965).
1. Less prominent, "a rejection of rigid boundaries, preferring a conception, simply of varying practice within one field, that of 'music'."

Some consider "folk music" simply music that a (usually) local population can - and does - sing along to. Much modern popular music over the past few decades falls into this category. Jack Knight, a modern songwriter, defines a "folk song" as any song that when played or performed gets people's lips moving in unison. Jazz musician Louis Armstrong and blues musician Big Bill Broonzy have both been attributed with the remark, "All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music

Originally posted by: rima_bhatt

Actually, I have that problem with Puja, not so much with Emon. I think the guy is sweet, just focused on his singing and pretty nice really. Puja on the other hand is a little off-putting at times. Can't really lay my finger on it, but something about her doesn't gell well with me.😕

INDIAN FOLK MUSIC

by David Courtney

India has a very rich tradition of folk music. The extreme cultural diversity creates endless varieties of folk styles. Each region has its own particular style.

There is a tendency to lump folk music along with tribal music. There is actually a difference. Where folk music is a mere rustic reflection of the larger Indian society, tribal music often represents cultures that are very different. Some of these tribal cultures are throwbacks to cultural conditions as they were thousands of years ago.

Tribal and folk music is not taught in the same way that Indian classical music is taught. There is no formal period of apprenticeship where the student is able to devote their entire life to learning the music, the economics of rural life does not permit this sort of thing. The musical practitioners must still attend to their normal duties of hunting, agriculture or whatever their chosen profession is.

Music in the villages is learned almost by osmosis. From childhood the music is heard and imbibed along with ones mother's milk. There are numerous public activities that allow the villagers to practice and hone their skills. These are the normal functions which syncronize village life with the universe.

The music is an indispensable component of functions such as weddings, engagements, and births. There is a plethora of songs for such occasions. There are also many songs associated with planting and harvesting. In these activities the villagers routinely sing of their hopes, fears and aspirations.

Folk music is also used for educational purposes. For instance sex education has traditionally been taught in Andhra Pradesh by song. There is a function when a girl has her first menses. In this function the elderly women in the community gather at the house (men are definitely excluded), the girl is given her first woni and langa (half sari which is worn by unmarried girls), rich food and other gifts. During this function the women sing songs that are extremely bawdy. To an outsider this would seem uncharacteristic of obviously respectable community members. However the function of such songs is to provide the girl's first instructions on her emerging womanhood and what her future marital duties will be.

Musical instruments are often different from those found in classical music. Although instruments like the tabla may sometimes be found it is more likely that cruder drums such as daf, dholak, or nal will be used. The sitar and sarod which are so common in the classical genre are absent in the folk music. One often finds instruments such as the ektar, dotar, saringda, rabab, and santur. Quite often they will not even be called these names, but may be named according to their local dialect. There are also instruments which are used only in particular folk styles in particular regions. These instruments are innumerable.

The instruments that folk musicians use are generally not as refined as the classical musicians use. The instruments of classical music are crafted by artisans whose only job is the fabrication of musical instruments. In contrast the folk instruments are commonly crafted by the musicians themselves.

It is very common to find folk instruments that have been fabricated of commonly available materials. Skin, peritoneum, bamboo, coconut shells, and pots are but a few commonly available materials used to make musical instruments

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There is a tendency to lump folk music along with tribal music. There is actually a difference.

Thanks Sonya. Actually I was thinking on similar lines as mentioned in this piece. Is any song sung in husky voice a folk song? Does reference to states make it a folk song? I am still confused.

Originally posted by: Maya_M

Emon: 10/10 It was brilliant. One of the best renditions in Indian Idol 3

Prashant: 5/10 His start was off-key. His voice is good but he needs to learn a lot otherwise all his songs will sound like renditions attempted in a college party.

Deepali: 6/10 It was a tough song but since she chose it we have to rate her on that. One of the worst of hers. No feel and technically too she was not up to the mark. I am very sad because she is my fav. in this show.

Abhishek: 4/10 It was terrible. I am surprised to hear such a poor rendition in galas.

Puja: 9.5/10 Her voice suits for off-beat songs. She is mostly in sur and shines in this genre.

Amit Paul: 9/10 He was very good but wrong selection of song because the song has no charm. Not like his previous renditions but still fabulous.

Ankita: 5/10 Her song selection was right. She was a hit because the song is a hit but totally off-sur. I hope she concentrates on sur too along with performance.

Chang: 8.5/10 He was technically good but at times I felt like a Non-Indian singing (just some words). Still it was his best in the galas. Ashu (Tally Ho) will be happy seeing my rating on her Dr. Chang😃.