What's in a name?

Labelling matters. We all wish it didn't. We might argue that it shouldn't. But let's not kid ourselves - what you call something has a major effect on how it's perceived. No surprise, then, that labelling is an issue for many people involved in the musical genre which on this site we call folk.

The trouble is the term folk music means such different things to different people in different places. And in many cases it's a term which is definitely off-putting. Many people are prejudiced against it - and therefore instinctively avoid any music which comes with that tag.

The young British folk singer Kate Rusby - a smash hit at many festivals and a regular performer on British radio and TV - says she is frequently asked to describe her music by people who hear it for the first time and find it very appealing. When she says it's folk music they often reply: "It can't be, surely - I don't like folk music!"

Kate's website url is http://www.purerecords.demon.co.uk/

And it's commonly reported by pub landlords that a notice advertising "folk music" will usually result in an empty bar, but if exactly the same session is described as "Irish night" or "traditional music session" or simply "live music," people will come in and say they've had a great time.

So, if people are being put off a wealth of really good music just because of what it's called, we surely need a new name for it. But what?

In Ireland it's called "traditional music" and this is perfectly well understood by the mass population, but that's a country where it is considered to be an important part of the national heritage and is highly respected - even among people who really don't like it.

Elsewhere the term traditional music' would mean nothing to the general population, and indeed it is likely to be confused with traditional jazz. Shortening the first word to trad would cause even more confusion with the jazz style.

Call it dance music - with or without the "traditional" prefix - and people think of ballrooms and sequins. Besides, this excludes traditional folk songs and airs.

In England the term "country dance music" is sometimes used - indeed there's an excellent band called the English Country Dance Band. But this can't provide the universally acceptable label we need because of its obvious confusion with the very specific genre of American country music. And anyway, for the same reason you can't leave the word 'dance' off, so it's too restricted

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic