Music is probably one of the most powerful forms of feeling expression that significantly vary across the countries. Each nation has its unique vision of the world and implements different genres to share people’s joy, sorrow, pleasure, problems, happiness, and other emotions (Manard and Coelho 61). In the United States, music plays an important role as it is a common way to establish and enhance musical traditions, culture, and local interests. American folk music and American roots music are essentially the same subject matter, but historical research may prove the differences that have changed over time. Some roots musicians do not refer themselves to folk musicians and vice versa, using the existing differences in genres’ scopes as their excuse. In this paper, the evaluation of American history and national development will be offered to create an opinionated definition of folk and roots music and demonstrate specific characteristics of both terms. While American folk music introduces a group of genres performed by people who use instruments during their performance, American roots music is a broader genre that became the basis of music progress in the country.
Today, people are free to use music for multiple purposes and develop their projects in regard to the already offered genres and examples. However, when some individuals enjoy the beauty of traditional, authentic, or digital music, others focus on the analysis of its historical roots. The discussion of American folk music and American roots music attracts attention because scholars can underline the differences in terminology and talk about their similarities, and the two opinions are correct. However, looking closer at the peculiarities of the chosen concepts, it is possible to give two different definitions, underline the worth of both types for American history and culture.
Not many people are aware of a true definition of American roots music because it was commonly accepted and promoted at the beginning of the 1900s and forgotten or replaced today. According to the Public Broadcasting Service, American roots music is a variety of musical genres that draw lived experiences depending on cultural and social factors (“American Roots Music”). With time and under the impact of social and political changes, roots music underwent certain changes and obtained new forms. As a result, this type of music was dependent on current traditions, people’s expectations, and knowledge, which allowed gathering music and dividing it into multiple categories. Therefore, American roots music may be accepted as a symbolic umbrella or a background for any genre of music introduced in the United States in the 20th century. The brightest representatives were Woody Guthrie, Muddy Waters, Bessie Smith, and Clarence Ashley, who were able to transform their feelings and experiences into great musical works and inspire society (“American Roots Music”). Someone could define these singers as the representatives of folk music, but their contributions influenced the development of music, making them roots musicians.
Compared to a general meaning and an overall impact of roots music, American folk music does not define the development of other genres but continues expanding within its framework. Some people call this type of music Americana and include such styles as Bluegrass, country, gospel, and traditional ballads. It is allowed to define folk music as roots music because the former meets the characteristics of the latter and leads to the creation of new musical forms with time. Still, the main peculiarity of roots songs is their creation on American land. In their turn, songs from “England, Scotland, and Ireland” are prevalent in American folk music, although the first songs were created by African-American slaves (qtd. in Manard and Coelho 61). The Anglo-centric perspective of folk music is also observed in Kelly-McHale’s evaluation, underlining the role of indigenous and immigrant populations (60). Therefore, geographical roots can be used to distinguish the offered genres.
If the revival of folk music was possible in different centuries, roots music remains the same at various epochs. Folk artists changed their styles and preferences under the impact of politicians, local communities, resources, and current problems. For example, the works of Lead Belly belong to the folk genre, but this singer had a diverse repertoire in regard to his personal experience, witnessed violence, and hope for a better life. Bob Dylan, the representative of the next century, demonstrated successful movements from folk to rock and pop. This transition was a sign of American folk music and its variety. Each folk work tells a story of the American nation, including the challenge of marginalization, segregation, inequality, and discrimination (Kelly-McHale 62). Some songs are full of joy and happiness because people could obtain freedoms and achieve their goals by sharing their stories with the world. American folk music is not simple, but its progress depends, not determined (like roots music), on society.
In conclusion, the differentiation between American folk music and American roots music cannot be ignored. People who consider these styles as the same concept do not make mistakes, but they should understand that this terminology has changed with time. Therefore, both types of music deserve separate definitions and evidence from American works. This assessment is enough to define American roots music as a broad genre of music created mostly by Native Americans or people who lived on the territory of the United States in the 20th century. American folk music may have different roots, but its main idea is to represent the American lifestyle in different epochs. These terms have ambiguous definitions, which provokes new discussions in the field of music education.
References
“American Roots Music: Historical Background.” PBS. n.d. Web.
Kelly-McHale, Jacqueline. “Equity in Music Education: Exclusionary Practices in Music Education.” Music Education Journal, vol. 104, no. 3, 2018, pp. 60-62. Web.
Manard, Krista Delany, and Joseph R. Coelho. “Insects in Folk Music.” American Entomologist, vol. 65, no. 1, 2019, pp. 61-65.