Why Did the Study of Folk Music Change in the Twentieth Century?

The study of folk music changed in the twentieth century for a variety of reasons. One reason was the increasing popularity of recorded music. This made it easier for people to access music from different cultures, which in turn made it more difficult to define what constituted “folk” music. Additionally, the rise of nationalism led to a renewed interest in folk music as a way to promote national identity. Finally, the rise of the academic field of ethnomusicology also contributed to changes in the way

The study of folk music changed in the twentieth century because of the influence of the mass media, the rise of commercial music, and the growth of the recording industry.

The study of folk music changed in the twentieth century because of the influence of the mass media, the rise of commercial music, and the growth of the recording industry. These factors led to a change in the way that folk music was studied, as well as a change in the focus of research.

In the early twentieth century, folk music was often seen as a primitive and unrefined form of music. However, by the mid-twentieth century, folk music had come to be seen as a valuable cultural resource. This change in attitude was due in part to the work of scholars such as Charles Seeger and Alan Lomax, who showed that folk music could be a source of historical and anthropological information.

The rise of commercial music and the growth of the recording industry also played a role in changing attitudes towards folk music. As more and more people were exposed to recorded folk music, they began to appreciate its aesthetic value. This led to a resurgence of interest in traditional folk musics, as well as the development of new genres such as country and western and rock ‘n’ roll.

The mass media had a profound impact on the way folk music was studied and collected.

In the early twentieth century, folk music was commonly understood to mean the music of rural, working-class people. This understanding was largely based on the work of European scholars and collectors, who tended to view folk music as a source of national identity.

However, in the United States, folk music was also studied and collected by people from a variety of backgrounds, including middle- and upper-class intellectuals. These individuals were interested in folk music for different reasons than European scholars; they often viewed it as a source of social commentary or as a cry against modernity.

The mass media also had a profound impact on the way folk music was studied and collected. In the early twentieth century, phonograph records and radio broadcasts made it possible for people to hear popular music from other parts of the country and world. This made it easier for people to compare and contrast different musical traditions.

The rise of mass media had a particularly profound effect on rural communities, where people were now able to hear popular music for the first time. This led many young people to abandon traditional musical styles in favor of more modern genres such as rock and roll.

The rise of commercial music led to a decline in the popularity of folk music.

In the early twentieth century, folk music was widely popular, both in Europe and the United States. However, the rise of commercial music, such as jazz and blues, led to a decline in the popularity of folk music. This was due in part to the fact that folk music was associated with rural life, while commercial music was more closely associated with urban life. In addition, commercial music was often seen as more sophisticated and cosmopolitan than folk music. As a result, the study of folk music began to decline in the early twentieth century, and it was not until the 1950s that scholars began to take an interest in it again.

The growth of the recording industry changed the way folk music was studied and collected.

The twentieth century saw a dramatic shift in the way folk music was studied and collected. The growth of the recording industry, combined with the rise of academic institutions devoted to the study of music, led to a more systematic and academic approach to folk music. This shift was reflected in the work of scholars such as Cecil Sharp, who began to collect folk songs in a more systematic way. The development of ethnomusicology as a distinct field of study also contributed to this change. As folk music became more closely associated with specific cultures and regions, it became more difficult to study it as a single genre. This increased focus on cultural context led to a greater understanding of the role of folk music in society.