Functions of Folk

Exploring Traditional Folk Music Through Performance Theory

[functionsoffolk]

About the Project

This blog was created to explore the functions of performance, (as described by Richard Schechner in Performance Studies: An Introduction) in contemporary performances of traditional British folk music. It is my belief that many performers in the traditional folk scene use performance in powerful ways, which extend beyond mere entertainment. By traditional folk, I mean those songs which have been transmitted orally for generations, which have no known author or composer.

The functions of performance, as described by Schechner, are as follows:

to entertain

to create beauty

to mark or change identity

to make or foster community

to heal

to teach or persuade

to deal with the sacred and the demonic

As all of the musicians I am analyzing fulfill functions 1 and 2, I will be focusing my analysis on the way performers fulfill points 3-7.

To navigate: you can simply scroll through the blog, or you can use the search function to find entries on specific musicians, or the individual “functions”.

Works Cited:

Schechner, Richard. Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York, Routledge, 2002. 

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Myn Mair - Lleuwen 

Function of Performance: to mark or change identity.

Lleuwen Steffan performs an unconventional rendition of a Welsh mourning song with an unusual history. “Myn Mair” is a Catholic song, a prayer offered up to the Virgin Mary to have mercy on the soul of the deceased. The song survived, somehow, into the Twentieth century, despite the conversion of Wales to Protestantism in the Sixteenth century.

(For more information on the fascinating history of Myn Mair, see the episode of The Old Songs Podcast on the subject, hosted by Jon Wilks.)

Performing this song has two functions: it has historically allowed people to express their religious identity as a member of a suppressed religion, and it allows women to assume the traditional role as a mourner, a bearer of grief.

In this specific performance, Steffan assumes the role of a universal mother, grieving for the children who have lost their lives as displaced refugees. Her performance allows her to take on a kind of spiritual identity, as someone who can grieve for this world, and carry our pain for us.

Works Cited:

 Steffan, Lleuwen  “ Myn Mair”   YouTube, uploaded by Lleuwen, January 11th, 2019.

Schechner, Richard.  Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York, Routledge, 2002.  

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Cynefin - Ffarwel I Aberystwyth 

Function of Performance: to make or foster community

Welsh traditional folk performer Owen Shiers (who records under the name Cynefin), explores Welsh history and culture through his work. Hailing from West Wales, he collects and performs songs which originate from the area in which he was born. Some of the songs he performs are well known, while others are almost completely unknown.

Through his music, he works toward connecting Welsh people with their own language and culture. His is work of re-rooting, of connecting people to their own land and stories. This song, translated into English as “Farewell to Aberystwyth”, tells the story of a young man who is sailing up the Welsh coast and out to sea, leaving behind his homeland. The song names specific locations along the coastline, as the speaker says goodbye to each in turn. It is bittersweet and full of love for the places named.This song allows a Welsh audience to connect to their home-country, many of whom may have had the experience of having to leave the place where they were born (rural areas in Wales, as with rural areas in the United States, suffer from many young people leaving communities for jobs in larger cities-- many of which are in England).

This performance speaks to the ability of music to foster community, to remind people of their roots and connect to their cultural heritage.

Works Cited:

Shiers, Owen “ Ffarwel I Aberystwyth ”   YouTube, uploaded by  Cynefin , June 3d, 2020.

Schechner, Richard.  Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York, Routledge, 2002.  

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Sam Lee- Turtle Dove

Function of Performance: to heal

Environmental activist and musician Sam Lee is deeply concerned with using music to address the relationship humans have with the non-human world. Through his music, he strives to address what he believes to be the deep disconnect many people have from the world around them. This song, a traditional love song, has been re-imagined as an address to the earth itself.

Through this song, Lee addresses the love which he has for the earth, and the grief and rage he feels watching the unfolding climate crisis. The bird at the heart of the song, the turtle dove, is set to be extinct in the next ten years. Lee is expressing devotion to, and grief over, an animal with which he has an emotional connection.Through this expression of cathartic emotion, he allows the audience to express their own reactions to ecological destruction.

We are rarely given a space to speak about the emotional toll of the climate crisis, and the ability to express that grief and rage (or to listen to someone else express it in song), is cathartic and healing. Performances which speak to the heart of what we want to say, but cannot, can help us heal.

Works Cited:

Lee, Sam. “Turtle Dove” YouTube, uploaded by  Sam Lee- Topic, January 30th, 2020.

Schechner, Richard.  Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York, Routledge, 2002.  

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The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin- Mo Ghille Mear (My Gallant Hero)

Function of Performance: to teach or persuade.

The Choral Scholars are a chamber choir made up of student singers. Their performances occur as part of the academic curriculum, and are part of the education of the singers. However, on a deeper level, the performances also function as a mode of cultural education.

The group performs songs in the Irish language, preserving traditional music and language at the same time. Even though the group is affiliated with an educational organization, they perform publicly, both in person, and through videos such as this one. This video, despite being in a language which a fairly small amount of people speak fluently, has well over twelve million views at the time of this post. This music, then, serves as a form of public education-- teaching and preserving  Irish language and culture.

This song is an example of how a piece of performance can serve an educational function: by aiding in the performer’s musical education, and teaching the audience about a language and culture at the same time.

Works Cited:

“Mo Ghille Mear (My Gallant Hero) - The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin “. YouTube, uploaded by The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin , February 5th 2016.

Schechner, Richard.  Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York, Routledge, 2002.  

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Will Parsons- The Leaves of Life

Function of Performance: dealing with the sacred or demonic.

Traditional singer Will Parsons is attempting to resurrect the British tradition of pilgrimage. He practices a kind of song-pilgrimage, where he takes traditional music, whether religious or secular, back to where it was originally sung. He recontextualizes music into the setting and location in which it originated. His work is deeply rooted in the spiritual, whether it is a connection to land, or religious subject matter.

Parson’s believes that practicing pilgrimage fulfills important spiritual functions for people. A pilgrimage enables us to get back in touch with our land, our culture, and ourselves. For more information about his work, I would recommend looking into the British Pilgrimage Trust, an organization which he was involved with for a number or years.

In this video, Parsons performs the Romany British Christian Carol, “The Leaves of Life”, in Wells Cathedral. This solemn song speaks to the grief felt by Mary over the death of Christ. In his performance, Parsons taps into the solemn intensity of the piece, and allows it to be a expression of universal grief and mourning. Both the setting, and the content of the piece are overtly spiritual, but so too is Parson’s belief that music has the ability to connect us to history, land, and our own emotions. Therefore, this piece fulfills the role of performance as a way of engaging with the sacred. 

Works Cited:

Parsons, William. “ The Leaves of Life (Traditional British Romany Easter carol) - in Wells Cathedral Chapter House”. YouTube, uploaded by Will Walking, March 14th 2020.

Schechner, Richard.  Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York, Routledge, 2002.  

[functionsoffolk]

About the Project

This blog was created to explore the functions of performance, (as described by Richard Schechner in Performance Studies: An Introduction) in contemporary performances of traditional British folk music. It is my belief that many performers in the traditional folk scene use performance in powerful ways, which extend beyond mere entertainment. By traditional folk, I mean those songs which have been transmitted orally for generations, which have no known author or composer.

The functions of performance, as described by Schechner, are as follows:

to entertain

to create beauty

to mark or change identity

to make or foster community

to heal

to teach or persuade

to deal with the sacred and the demonic

As all of the musicians I am analyzing fulfill functions 1 and 2, I will be focusing my analysis on the way performers fulfill points 3-7.

To navigate: you can simply scroll through the blog, or you can use the search function to find entries on specific musicians, or the individual “functions”.

Works Cited:

Schechner, Richard. Performance Studies: An Introduction. New York, Routledge, 2002.