Folk Music Research Articles

Musical Structures of Weifang Folk Songs: A Study in Contemporary Social Contexts

Background and Aims: This study delves into the musical structure of Weifang Chinese folk songs within their contemporary social context, aiming to investigate the musical structure of Weifang Chinese folk songs in their current social context. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive methodology integrating ethnographic fieldwork, archival research, interviews, and musical analysis was employed. Fieldwork in the Weifang region involved observing folk song performances, interacting with local musicians, and documenting cultural practices. Archival research examined historical materials, while interviews gathered insights from folk musicians, community members, and cultural experts. Musical analysis and transcription techniques were applied to understand the intricate musical structures of Weifang folk songs. Results: The study revealed the diverse genres, expressive themes, and unique musical structures of Weifang folk songs, including the two-sentence, three-sentence, four-sentence, and multisentence patterns. The songs exhibited rich cultural tapestries, reflecting local customs, language traditions, and communal sentiments. Conclusion: Weifang folk songs have evolved to adapt to changing social dynamics, serving functions ranging from labor encouragement to educational inheritance and entertainment. The study underscores the significance of cultural heritage preservation programs and interdisciplinary collaborations to safeguard and promote Weifang's musical legacy.

A Research on Analysing and Improving the Auditory Experience of Visitors in Museum Using Customer Journey Maps: Focusing on the Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music

A Research on Analysing and Improving the Auditory Experience of Visitors in Museum Using Customer Journey Maps: Focusing on the Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music

Research on the Application of Computer-Aided Electronic Music Technology in Folk Music Creation

Research on the Application of Computer-Aided Electronic Music Technology in Folk Music Creation

Musical Preferences among Students Aged 9–19: A Study on Musical Genres and Styles

This study aimed to explore students’ musical genre preferences, exploring variations across gender and age groups in Hungary. Additionally, we investigated the relationships among the popularity of musical genres and connections between musical programs and related activities. With the help of stratified sampling, we examined the opinions of students aged 9–19 about each genre (N = 1159) using specific musical examples. In this study, musical genres were classified into four main types based on related music videos, including classical popular music (CPM), rock music (RM), classical art music (CAM), and folk music (FM). Different types of analyses, such as t-tests, one-way and two-way ANOVAs, and correlational analyses such as correlation coefficients (r), chi-square tests, and eta squares, were employed in this study. The results showed that the popularity of the four pieces of music classified as CPM, RM, CAM, and FM had a moderately strong correlation with each other. The correlations between FM, CPM, and RM did not differ from each other, but they showed significantly weaker correlation values than the correlation between FM and CAM. Moreover, significant differences were found in the students’ perceptions of the genres based on their gender and age groups. Among the four performances, the girls had a greater preference compared to the boys for each one, except for the folk music piece. The youngest age group (9–12) showed the highest preference for the CPM, although the difference compared to the oldest age group (17–19) was not statistically significant. Therefore, this study is beneficial for music education, focusing on students’ genre preferences, including CPM, RM, CAM, and FM.

Exploring Organology and Learning Techniques of Dongxiao Chinese Folk Musical Instruments in Shandong Province

Back ground and Aims: This study explores the organology and learning skills of Dongxiao Chinese folk musical instruments in Shandong Province, a traditional Chinese folk musical instrument with deep historical and cultural significance, particularly in Shandong Province. The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of Dongxiao music culture, ensuring its preservation and development alongside contemporary music cultures in Asia. Materials and Methods: The study is conducted through fieldwork in Heze, Shandong, China, involving data collection, identification of key informants, and systematic data collation. Observations and interviews are used as research tools to gain insights into Dongxiao materials, organology, and playing techniques. Data analysis includes quantitative and qualitative methods to identify patterns and themes related to Dongxiao. Results: The study reveals the organology of Dongxiao, highlighting materials such as bamboo, hardwood, jade, metal, and PVC, along with their advantages and disadvantages. It categorizes the instrument's components, including the mouthpiece, body, finger holes, and barrel holes, elucidating their roles in sound production. Additionally, the study explores the learning techniques for Dongxiao, emphasizing playing postures, finger hole techniques, and lip positioning. Conclusion: Dongxiao, with its rich history and cultural significance, plays a vital role in traditional Chinese music. Understanding its organology and learning techniques is essential for its preservation and promotion. Recommendations include the establishment of music education centers, digital learning platforms, collaborative performances, music festivals, and documentation efforts. Further study avenues include acoustical analysis, pedagogical approaches, regional variations, cross-cultural studies, contemporary compositions, and exploring the psychological and health benefits of Dongxiao.

The Hybrid Musical Landscape of Ligeti's Late Concertos

AbstractDiscussing his Horn Trio, György Ligeti imaginatively describes the second movement as a dance that was “inspired by different folk musics of nonexistent people, as if Hungary, Romania, and all of the Balkans were located somewhere between Africa and the Caribbean.” And in more general remarks about his works, he goes on to suggest that, rather than overtly referencing their stylistic features, he abstracted technical principles from various traditions and combined them into an idiosyncratically amalgamated musical language. This essay shows an expansive approach to hybridity in Ligeti's Violin Concerto and Hamburg Concerto, going well beyond previous remarks about African rhythmic influences. Ligeti's practice encompasses not only rhythm, but also texture, pitch, and tuning systems; it spans a wider breadth of traditions as well, including newly identified sources such as flute and panpipe ensembles from New Guinea and yodeling traditions from across the globe. An analysis of passages from these late concertos – undertaken alongside evidence from his ethnomusicological sources, recordings, and sketches housed at the Paul Sacher Stiftung – demonstrates the intricacies and patterns of Ligeti's late style and the compelling statement it makes about the role of hybridity and globalization in contemporary life.

Preservation of Shiping Folk Songs in Weiyuan County, China

This comprehensive study focuses on the preservation of Shiping Folk Songs in Weiyuan County, China, with an emphasis on education, literacy, and the critical role of diverse stakeholders. The study emphasizes the region’s cultural relevance as well as educational programs, highlighting the critical role of schools in promoting cultural literacy and ensuring the preservation of Shiping Folk Songs. In addition, the research investigates the roles of Hakka folk musicians and singers in the transmission and development of this national folk music tradition. Government policy and assistance have been recognized as critical components for managing budgetary restrictions and executing preservation and development programs. The participation of local higher education institutions and cultural research units in the preservation of Shiping folk music is also carefully investigated, highlighting their critical significance in furthering cultural heritage. This multimodal approach emphasizes the interplay of education, literacy, and preservation in maintaining the vibrancy of Shiping Folk Songs, providing significant insights into the long-term preservation of this cultural asset.

The Significance of Percussion Instruments in Isan Thai Folk Music within the Context of Music Education and Learning

In northeastern Thailand, the beating heart of tradition and music intertwines seamlessly. The objective of this study was to explore the significance of percussion instruments in Isan Thai folk music within the context of music education and learning. The scope of the research site spans the northeastern Provinces of Thailand. The study employs qualitative interviews with experts and practitioners, complemented by field visits and observations. The findings emphasize that Isan Thai folk music serves as a cultural bridge, nurturing mutual understanding and expressing the extraordinary occurrences within the community. Music education emerges as a pivotal tool in safeguarding the cultural heritage of Isan Thai folk music, offering students a window into diverse cultures, and enriching their appreciation of the world's cultural tapestry. Despite challenges such as a dearth of successors and waning interest among the younger generation. The preservation of Isan percussion instruments is an invaluable component of intangible cultural heritage, thus contributing substantially to the broader discourse on cultural heritage preservation and the role of music education in fostering cross-cultural appreciation and understanding.

Animal style in Siberian and Central Asian Music

In traditional music, it is possible to talk about stylizations that have persisted for many years and are widespread. The musical styles mentioned are often linked to social traditions and various cults. This work is themed on the «animal style», which we claim is a dominant style in Siberian and Central Asian music. This article is a continuation of the study titled «Animal Style in the Music of Central Asian and Siberian Turks», published in 2020, and the research I submitted as my second doctoral thesis at the Department of History at Ankara University in 2018. This article has been prepared for the purpose of briefly introducing the scope of our animal style claim and the subheadings it includes. The study is a summary of the studies on the folk music of Sakhas-Yakuts, Tuvans, Khakas, Altai, Nenets, Khanty-Mansi in Siberian peoples and Mongols, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis in Central and Western Asia. The data of this descriptive study have been obtained as a result of field research along with literature review.

Этнографические экспедиции вузов в контексте изучения народной музыкальной культуры

The purpose of the scientific article is to consider the process of conducting musical and ethnographic expeditions to collect folklore material in a higher educational institution and the problems faced by the organizers. The analysis was carried out using the example of expeditionary activities of the Department of Folk Music of the National Research N. P. Ogarev Mordovia State University for the period 2014–2023, as well as expeditions of individual cultural universities located in Russia. The problems of financing expeditions, using special equipment for sound recording, digitizing the collected material and its subsequent storage are touched upon. The potential of field research of folk culture for educational and scientific activities is shown, as well as their contribution to the preservation of original folk traditions. The novelty of this article is determined by the perspective of the analysis: the work focuses on several problems that are not discussed in scientific articles. Conclusions are drawn about the need to increase funding for expeditions, including strengthening state support for events aimed at preserving the disappearing folk musical tradition.

Augmented Reality Applications of Spanish Folk Music Elements in 7 Spanish Ballads and Don Quixote to the Intended Lovers

Abstract Spanish folk music is characterized primarily by folk song tunes, dance rhythms, and folk instrumental music. This paper combines the understanding of the artistic expression of “7 Spanish Folk Songs” and “Don Quixote to the Intended One” music works, proposes to start the sound envelope computation to perceive the music beat, and utilizes the dynamic planning algorithm for real-time tracking. Combined with the three-dimensional model of stereo-visual rendering, an interactive module for presenting Spanish folk music has been established. The selected dataset, the dynamic programming algorithm of this paper, and other algorithms are used to compare the results of music beat recognition. Design the questionnaire of instinctive layer emotional experience and behavioral layer emotional experience, analyze and process the research data, and compare the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional music presentation with the music embodiment of the augmented reality group. This paper proposes a music beat recognition algorithm that has the advantage of real-time detection. In terms of automatic music emotional experience, the mean values of instinctive layer emotional experience for the traditional group and augmented reality group are 5.22 points and 6.125 points, respectively. By combining reality and information interaction, the augmented reality group is more adept at conveying the flavors and art of Spanish national music.

Research on Primary School Folk Music Art Education Based on School-based Curriculum

Research on Primary School Folk Music Art Education Based on School-based Curriculum

M.N. Zhirkov – the first researcher of the Yakut khomus: questions of origin, execution, existence

The article is devoted to a previously unexplored problem - M.N. Zhirkov's study of the Yakut khomus, the study of which he undertook for the first time in the history of Yakut musical culture. The author of this article summarizes for the first time the aspects posed by the researcher about the Yakut khomus. The subject of research is the scientific views of M.N. Zhirkov about the Yakut musical instrument - the khomus. The object of study is the scientific heritage of the first Yakut composer and an outstanding musical figure. The main results of our research are the following theses. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an increase in interest in traditional musical instruments and their performing practices. This statement is also relevant in relation to the Yakut khomus, which in modern conditions is experiencing its revival and active introduction into musical and cultural turnover. The article uses a retrospective and historical-comparative, as well as a comprehensive research method, in which the khomus is considered as an integral part of the traditional, and now wider, musical culture of the Yakuts, taking into account the data available today from archaeology, ethnography, and history. M.N. Zhirkov is presented as the first researcher of the Yakut khomus and as the composer and founder of the national school of composition. In the fundamental work "Yakut folk Music", published only after almost half a century after author's death (a new edition of this study dates back to 2022, made in an edition preserving the style and position of M.N. Zhirkov from the standpoint of the historical time when the famous scientific work was created), its author for the first time turned his gaze to the issues of the origin, existence, and functioning of the khomus in the traditional musical culture of the Yakuts. The materials presented by him have not previously been generalized in the scientific literature and are of great interest to modern researchers of the Yakut Khomus.

Canzone Napoletana, Chanson Française and Southern Italian Folk Music: Who Took From Whom?

Canzone Napoletana, Chanson Française and Southern Italian Folk Music: Who Took From Whom?

Informal Learning Based on the Educational Practices of Folk Musicians

Informal Learning Based on the Educational Practices of Folk Musicians

Reflections on the Lived, Endured, Overcome... (for the 80th birthday of Bohdan Yaremko)

In the article outlined the life path of Professor Bohdan Ivanovych Yaremkо as a researcher of traditional Hutsul and Boyko panpipe-type instruments, a performer, an innovative educator in high school, and a representative of Ukrainian and European organological science. After graduating his studies at the Lviv Conservatory in the clarinet class, Yaremkо began his career in the Department of Wind Instruments of the Rivne Art University. Over the 41 years of his work at this institution, B. Yaremkо evolved as a panpipe (“sopilka”) music performer and, from 1977 onwards, as a researcher of Hutsul and Boyko traditional music. From 1979, he also became the founder of the “sopilka” class. In the article identified key milestones in the perfor- mance activities of Yaremkо’s panpipe class students, who, in different years, became laureates and diploma winners of international, national, regional competitions, and festivals, leaving a lasting impact on their artistic careers. A significant result of 29 B. Yaremkо’s research activity, involving meticulous transcription work, systematic folklore expeditions mainly in the Carpathian region, creative interactions with folk musicians and folklore experts at various scientific events, and laboratory experiments, is his doctoral dissertation “The Role of Performance in the Formation of Musical Tradition (based on the material of Ukrainian sopilka music of the Carpathians)” and the publication of several dozen scientific articles and three study books: “Utorop Sopilka Improvisations”, “Boyko Sopilka Music”, and “Ethnoorganology”. In the article is characterized the final period of B. Yaremkо’s work in Rivne, marked by the same circle of scientific interests, as evidenced by over 20 publications dedicated to “sopilka”, violin, and “trembita” вthemes. From 2013, the Lviv period of B. Yaremkо’s career began, associated with his work at the T. Shevchenko Kremenets Regional Humanities and Pedagogical Academy and the publication of the monograph “Sopilka Music of the Hutsuls”, numerous scientific articles, and participation in online scien- tific conferences.

How to Participate in Participatory Music Making at a Contemporary Folk Music Festival: Runosong Nests at the Viljandi Folk Music Festival and Pelimanni Evenings at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival

The article studies, compares and analyses participatory music making at Estonian and Finnish folk music festivals. By comparing the empirical research materials collected during comprehensive fieldwork in 2004–2019 from the regilaulupesa (Eng. runosong nest) of the Viljandi Folk Music Festival (Est. Viljandi pärimusmuusika festival) in Estonia and from the pelimanni (Eng. folk musician, fiddler) evenings of the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival (Fin. Kaustisen kansanmusiikkijuhlat) in Finland, answers were sought to the following questions: What kind of participatory music making takes place at these folk music festivals? What are the social dynamics between and within the groups and individuals in participatory music making situations? How are the primary and secondary functions of music making formed? As a result of the qualitative comparative phenomenological research, it was found that although in participatory music situations at Estonian and Finnish folk music festivals the musical behaviour of participants and the social dynamics of groups could differ radically, they still strive for direct musical experience at a community and personal level and bring the older musical tradition closer to the contemporary people. During participatory music making the secondary function, that is, musical behaviour directed outside the group, could turn naturally into a primary function – musical activity that unites the community and fulfils its internal needs. Situations of participatory music making at Estonian and Finnish contemporary music festivals revealed the common music making as a cultural, social, creative, and emotional phenomenon which has symbolic and direct connections with traditional Finnic folk music culture.

The concept of professionalism in Ukrainian traditional ensemble instrumental music

The term “musical professionalism” is used not only for written academic Euro- pean music, but also for world oral traditions and is primarily related to the level of skill and social status of the performers. In the context of Ukrainian traditional culture, there are three groups of profes- sional musicians: 1) Wandering minstrels known as “kobzari” and “lirnyky” (lute “kobza” and hurdy-gurdy players) who, by the mid-20th century, formed professional organiza- tions with their own hierarchy and rules. Their repertoire mainly consisted of epic songs of historical, religious, or moralistic nature. 2) Musicians-shepherds, primarily playing wind instruments, for whom music was an integral part of their pastoral activities, often performing signaling melodies. 3) So-called “trojisti muzyky”, musicians who formed ensembles to provide mu- sic for wedding ceremonies, dances, and other events. The kobzari and lirnyky’s musical culture has mostly lost its direct oral trans- mission and exists today mainly in reconstructed forms. Equally, with the evolution of their profession, musicians-shepherds moved to the status of amateur performers. Therefore, ensemble musicians remained the only professional folk musicians who re- present the current state of development of Ukrainian traditional instrumental music. The criteria of folklore professionalism depend on the specifics and needs of certain environments. Despite this, there are several attempts to define universal signs of traditional professionalism. But criteria of professionalism, which are suitable for ones cultures, are not quite suitable for others and change not only in space, but also in time. Based on the predecessors’ experience, as well as numerous own field studies, the author defines the following criteria for the Ukrainian professional folk ensemble musicians. These include: natural talent, elements of the educational process, perfect mastery of one or more instruments, the ability to make or fix them, publicity and pay- ment for the playing, mandatory participation in rituals and entertainment of their en- 54 vironment, knowledge of their repertoire, constant performing practice and improve- ment, professional terminology, high competition between musicians, association in instrumental (wedding) bands. So, each group of folk performers had its own standards of professionalism. Folk professional musicians are the creators, bearers, masters, innovators, and “promoters” of instrumental culture, gifted and vibrant personalities who shape the future of their tradition.

Йойги в контексте свадебной обрядности северных карелов: семантика и особенности функционирования

The article deals with the joiks as a genre of North Karelian folklore, which in traditional culture marks the transitional, crisis situations in the life- and calendar cycles and is an element of the wedding ritual’s musical code. In terms of the poetic text content, the joiks bear a typological similarity to the reprobating (korilnye) songs from the folk music of Slavic peoples. The lack of research on the semantics and functions of the joiks in the context of wedding rituals, as well as on the correspondence between the joik poetic texts and ritual tunes makes this study relevant. The task for this article is to identify the ritual and non-ritual functions of the joik musical and poetic texts based on ethnographic data and the study of the etymology and the semantic field of the term’s meanings. Another aspect examined in the article is that of the features of functioning of the joiks when they are performed with wedding song tunes. The material for the study was provided by a set of published and archival texts and audio records made by folklorists and musicologists predominantly in the mid-20th century.

Klyment Kvitka. About syncretism.

The proposed essay by K. Kvitka, written probably in the late forties of the last century and has significant methodological and theoretical interest. Here, for the first time in global practice, the popular theory of the existence in the dawn of human de- velopment of a primitive polyelemental form – choral play – has been criticized. This form encompassed words, music, dance, and action as a unified whole, from which, in the process of evolution, not only separate artistic forms emerged - literature, mu- sic, choreography, and theater, but also genres specific to each of them - epic, lyrical and dramatic. Through a comprehensive analysis of the main points of this concept, the scholar concludes, albeit presented in a thesis-like manner, its complete logical incapacity. This conclusion is drawn not only based on the Eastern European folklore, containing numerous rituals comparable to the creative expressions of non-European peoples, for constructing assumptions about the essence of primitive art but also re- futes the theory of universal primordial syncretism both worldwide and in ancient Slavic cultures. K. Kvitka’s essay, still lost in his manuscript heritage kept in the archives of the K. V. Kvitka Center of Folk Music at the Moscow Conservatory named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, is being published for the first time in Ukrainian translation. Therefore, one should hope that the reservations of the great scientist, becoming the acquisition of broad literary and art circles, will be taken into account, and the pseudo- theory of primitive syncretism will fade into obscurity.