The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #166789 Message #4013679
Posted By: punkfolkrocker
14-Oct-19 - 06:29 PM
Thread Name: The current state of folk music in UK
Subject: RE: The current state of folk music in UK
"And these traditions have survived due to folks being impressed by how THEIR OWN forebears did things
- hence, as I also said, many classical musicians wishing to give a nod to nationalism have turned to folk music."
errrmm.. many classical musicians aint exactly a huge number of people really, is it..
not compared to an entire mass poplation that they are only a tiny minority of...???
So that's a very over optimistic spin on statistics to support your enthusiasm for nationalism...
Don't be too surprised if you get a gurt big "so what...!!!"
from most of the population who couldn't give a monkey's about folk, or classical, music;
and similar response from a fair few obsessive folkies
who aren't too impressed by elitist classical composers pilfering our old tunes...
So let's run your theory/opinion to hear what it sounds like...
"Trad Folk music inspires nationalist pride because a handful of classical musicians occasionaly dip into it..." wow...!!!!!!
Hang on, is that right..?? or maybe it's...
"Nationalism gets a boost from a handful of elite classical musicians borrowing from trad folk music
that most ordinary folks couldn't give a toss about anyway..."...???
Oh I don't know.. nationalism is too much of a minefield of crank theorising to get my head round...!!!
..and of course I am also playfully indulging in simplistic stereotypes..
We shouldn't be so presumptious and snobbish.. eh...???
Of course ordinary folks can know about and enjoy folk, classical, and all kinds of pop culture music...
That should have been the benefit of good state mass education..
.. or at least was until the early 1980s...
WE don't want nationalist soap boxers, or any other crackpots preaching what we should or shouldn't listen to, or reject...
So then, if we ignore the efforts of various nationalist think-tankers attempting to appropriate our trad heritage for their own ideological motives:
obviously we'd all agree it's great to be proud of and promote our own traditions..
Even if other folk's traditions from other parts of the world
are far more enjoyable to listen to and perform than ours...
Yep, can't beat positive internationalism... it's great...
I'm currently listening to Russian and Japanese Surf Music and Rockabilly bands..
Bloody good musicians with their own culturally filtered interpretation,
possibly playing it even better than the real old thing...