folk music

American  

noun

1. music, usually of simple character and anonymous authorship, handed down among the common people by oral tradition.

2. music by known composers that has become part of the folk tradition of a country or region.

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folk music British  

noun

1. music that is passed on from generation to generation by oral tradition Compare art music

2. any music composed in the idiom of this oral tradition

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folk music Cultural  

1. A kind of music originating from the ordinary people of a region or nation and continued by oral tradition. The ballad (see also ballad) is a typical form of folk music. Music is also called “folk” when it is made by artists and composers who are inspired by, or imitate, true folk music. Composers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie are folk musicians of the second kind.

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Etymology

Origin of folk music

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

folk music

During his reign at Columbia/CBS, the company threw open its doors to rock and folk music, issuing early albums from Springsteen, Santana, Aerosmith, Laura Nyro and Billy Joel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

The concert leaned heavily on the band's new album Arirang, which folds the melody and mythology of Korea's folk music into the band's hyperactive, experimental pop sound.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026

It’s not just about folk music; it’s about the artists — the people, really — who make it.

From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026

“Because really that, to me, is what folk music is. It’s passed on, it’s transformed — it turns into something else and then passed on again.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025

It never went away in folk music, so whenever composers were trying to sound rustic, earthy or homesick for their native countryside, you could expect them to dip back into the modal well for inspiration.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• country music