Folk Music Historian Crossword – Can You Solve It?

Take a break from work and test your knowledge with our Folk Music Historian Crossword. See if you can solve it!

Introduction

Folk music has been around for centuries, and its cultural significance cannot be overstated. It is the music of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is a living, breathing history of our shared experience as human beings.

This crossword was created by a folk music historian, and it covers a wide range of topics related to folk music. This is not your average crossword – it is designed to challenge even the most knowledgeable folk music aficionados. So dig in, and see how much you really know about this important musical tradition!

The History of Folk Music

Folk music is a genre of music that is passed down orally from generation to generation. It is typically simple in form and content, and it is often based on traditional melodies and chord progressions. Folk music has been around for centuries, and it has been an important part of many cultures.

Early Folk Music

Folk music has its roots in the medieval folk traditions of Europe. These traditions were based around the music and dance of the common people, and were typically passed down orally from one generation to the next. Early folk music was often simple and functional, used for work or for celebratory occasions such as weddings and funerals. Over time, these traditions evolved and became more complex, incorporating elements of art music and popular culture.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, folk music began to be collected and catalogued by academics and enthusiasts in Europe and North America. This helped to preserve many of the older folk traditions that were in danger of being lost. Folk music also began to be performed by professional musicians, particularly in the US, where it became hugely popular as a form of patriotic “Americana”.

Folk music is still alive and thriving today, with new styles constantly emerging. It remains an important part of many people’s cultural heritage, and continues to be a source of inspiration for musicians all over the world.

The Growth of Folk Music

Folk music has its roots in the oral traditions of cultures around the world. For centuries, folk music was passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. In the 20th century, folk music began to grow and evolve as it was influence by other genres of music.

One of the most influential figures in the growth of folk music was Woody Guthrie. Guthrie was a singer-songwriter who wrote songs about the issues that were important to him, such as labor rights and social justice. His songs were simple and easy to remember, which made them perfect for sing-alongs. Guthrie’s songs gave voice to the working class and helped to raise awareness of the struggles they faced.

Bob Dylan is another important figure in the history of folk music. Dylan began his career as a folk singer, but he soon began experimenting with different musical styles. He wrote protest songs about social injustice and war, but he also wrote more personal songs about love and loss. Dylan’s willingness to experiment with new sounds and styles helped to broaden the scope of what folk music could be.

Today, folk music is more popular than ever before. There are now many different subgenres of folk music, such as Americana, Celtic, and world folk. Folk musicians continue to write songs about the issues that are important to them, and their music continues to inspire people all over the world.

The Decline of Folk Music

Folk music began to decline in popularity after the Second World War. Although there was a massive revival of interest in the genre during the 1950s and 1960s, it failed to maintain its mainstream appeal and slowly retreated to the fringes of popular culture.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, folk music experienced something of a renaissance thanks to the emergence of new artists such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Simon & Garfunkel. However, this new wave of folk music was very different from the traditional genre, incorporating elements of rock and roll, pop and even punk rock. As such, it failed to gain traction with the older generation of folk fans and failed to attract a new audience.

The decline of folk music continued into the 1990s and 2000s with very few mainstream artists enjoying any significant success. That said, there has been a recent resurgence in interest in traditional folk music, with a new generation of performers such as Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and The Avett Brothers finding success.

The Crossword

The answer to 1 across is “Lomax”, the answer to 2 down is “Leadbelly”, and so on.

The Clues

1ACROSS
Clue: Newport, Rhode Island was the site of this famous annual music
festival from 1959 to 1971 (seven letters)
Answer:Folk Fest

4ACROSS
Clue: Legendary jazz cornetist and bandleader who was born in New Orleans in 1900 and died in 1931 (five letters)
Answer:Bessie

The Answers

1. a 2. folk 3. ballads 4. work 5. songs 6. blues 7. jazz 8.9. Americana 10. 11. Appalachian 12. country 13. bluegrass 14. fiddle 15. banjo
16. guitar 17 .harmonica 18 .mandolin 19 .piano 20 .bass

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have completed the Folk Music Historian Crossword. How did you do?

If you got stuck on any of the clues, don’t worry – we’ve provided the answers below.

ACROSS
1. Woody Guthrie
6. The Carter Family
10. “The Wreck of the___ Ship”
11. “I Am a Man of___ Words”
13. “The Ballad of Tom Dooley”
14. “She___Ran Away With the Shaker Boy”
16. “In the Pines”
17. Folk music recorded by Alan Lomax in the 1940s and 50s for the Library of Congress
19. “Barbara Allen”
20. Lead Belly was convicted of this crime in 1915
DOWN
2. Pete Seeger wrote this song about his father in 1955
3. This term describes songs that are performed without instruments
4. “The House of the Rising Sun” is also known as this
5. This musician popularized folk music in the 1960s
7. This $2 record by Harry Smith contained 84 folk songs and was released in 1952
8. This group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002
9. This musical film starring Robert Redford was released in 1980
12. “I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground” is an example of this type of song 15. These two brothers were members of The Weavers 18