Folk-Inspired Neoclassical vs Folk-Inspired Compositions

Abstract

My research project focuses on folk inspired music of Poland, England, China, and Ireland. In my applied lessons on clarinet, I studied two neoclassical Polish folk pieces, so the question answered in the research is how the two neoclassical Polish pieces compare to folk inspired pieces from other countries. The pieces chosen for this study are mainly pieces that I have heard before. Therefore, I chose the pieces based upon my familiarity with them. Folk music expresses the sounds and rhythms that represent countries all over the world. Over time these sounds and rhythms evolve to reflect the country at that moment. This study will reflect how folk music was implemented into different pieces with a focus on Polish neoclassical folk pieces versus English, Chinese, and Irish folk pieces. There is a detailed analysis focused on two Polish compositions. While the focus of the other global pieces is to allow one to understand how folk music was being used in compositions specific to the country being studied. The purpose of this study is to understand how folk tunes and characteristics can be expressed through larger compositions, and how the different countries and genres approached that. Furthermore, the study compares Polish folk music to the folk music of other countries and where Polish folk composers stand in originality and experimentalism with the composers of England, China, and Ireland.