Lists of folk
music traditions

This is a list of folk music traditions, with styles, dances, instruments, and other related topics. The term folk music cannot be easily defined in a precise manner. It is used with widely varying definitions depending on the author, intended audience and context within a work. Similarly, the term traditions in this context does not connote any strictly-defined criteria. Music scholars, journalists, audiences, record industry individuals, politicians, nationalists, and demagogues may often have occasion to address which fields of folk music are distinct traditions based along racial, geographic, linguistic, religious, tribal, or ethnic lines, and all such peoples will likely use different criteria to decide what constitutes a "folk music tradition". This list uses the same general categories used by mainstream, primarily English-language, scholarly sources, as determined by relevant statements of fact and the internal structure of works.

These traditions may coincide entirely, partially or not at all with geographic, political, linguistic, or cultural boundaries. Very few, if any, music scholars would claim that there are any folk music traditions that can be considered specific to a distinct group of people and with characteristics undiluted by contact with the music of other peoples; thus, the folk music traditions described herein overlap in varying degrees with each other.

Middle East and North Africa

Country Elements Dance Instrumentation Other topics
Armenian kef – folk – liturgical – Tashnakzootyoun tamzara – kochari – religious duduk – oud – dumbeg – saz – bouzouki – shvi
Algerian[1] medh – melhun – raï – zendani gasha – mandole - rabab - guellal berrah – cheikha – meddhahates – mehna – wa'adat
Assyrian diwaneh – liliana – raweh baglama – Çiftelia – davul – dhol – dutar – tambura – zurna – saz – watariyat
Bahraini See Persian Gulf region – – –
Bedouin[2][3][4] zajal fantasia mijwis – mismar – yaghul
Berber[1][5][6][a] amarg – ammussu – astara – ritual music – tabbayt aberdag – ahidu – ahouach – ahwash ajouag – bendir – ghaita – lotar (instrument) – nakous – ney – rabab – t'bel – tinde – viol amydaz – imdyazn – laamt – rwai
Chleuh See Berber – – –
Coptic See Egyptian – – –
Djiboutian balwo bowl lyre – tanbura
Egyptian[2] Saiyidi – sawahili – wedding music awalim mismar saiyidi – nahrasan
Emirati See Persian Gulf region – – –
Eritrean folk – liturgical – popular kebero – kobar – kraar – lyre – wata
Ethiopian folk – liturgical – popular begena – kebero – kraar – masenqo – sistrum – washint
Georgian[7] Georgian polyphony – krimanchuli – naduri – orovela – table song accordion – changui – chonguri – chuniri – clarinet – duduk – panduri
Hausa[8] Hausa Gummi – ganga (cylindrical drum, snared and double-membraned[9]) – kakaki – darbuka – tapsnee – qloo – tambari (large, bowl-shaped drum[10]) - goje - kalangu - Jaju umpho umpho (a flute)[clarification needed] [specify][further explanation needed][clarification needed]
Iranian[11] daf – dohol – karnay – lute – ney – ney-anban – zurna
Israeli and diaspora Jewish Klezmer – Sephardic music – Mizrahi music – Secular Jewish music Israeli folk dancing – Horah – lutes – oud
Kabyle See Berber – – –
Khaleeji See Persian Gulf region – – –
Kuwaiti See Persian Gulf region – – –
Kurdish[11][12] epic Bloor – daf – dhol – doozela – duduk – kamanche – ney – oud – santur – shimshal – tabalak – tar – tenbur – zil – zurna chirokbej – dengbêj – stranbej
Persian Gulf region[13] Khaleeji music – sawt (music)-tarab-Adani-shela Ardha, dabkah duff – teeran – nay – oud – rababa – merwass – tabla – binges – qanun
Lebanese[14] dabkah
Mauritanian al-bayda – epic – fagu – l'-gnaydiya – al-kahla – karr – labyad – lakhal – lebtayt dabkah ardin – daghumma – tbal – tidinit iggawin[15]
Moroccan[5] takht ait atta – ait Bodar – ait Bugemaz (ait bouguemaz) – taskiwin aghanin – bendir – darbuka – duff – garagab – ghaita – gimbri – guedra – kamanjeh – kanum – nai – nakous – oud – rabab – taarija – tabl – tan-tan – tar moussem
Nubian[2] duff
Omani See Persian Gulf region – – –
Palestinian[16] dalauna – meyjana – Zaghareet – wedding music- Ataaba – Sahja – zajal dabka duff – mijwiz – nay – oud – rababa – shababi – tabla – yarghoul-oud-qanun zajaleen
Pashtun[17][18] Afghan wedding music – kiliwali chub bazi – atan daireh – dhol – rubab – tanbur landai
Persian See Iranian – – –
Pontic Greek[19][20] folk - acritic - call and response - parakathi Pontic Greek folk dance, including serra, dipat, atsiapat, omal, etc. lyra - daouli - touloum - zourna - kemane - oud
Qatari See Persian Gulf region – – –
Saudi Arabia Qasida Ardah – Mizmar – Daha Oud – Rebab – Tar – Ney – Mizmar
Arabic, Islamic, Jewish music[21] cantica – copla – endechas – romance – Songs for Purim – wedding music accordion – darabouka – kanun – oud – tambourine
Somali balwo, qaraami, dhaanto batar drum – oud
Sudanese Arab[22] haqiiba oud – tambour
Tuareg See Berber – – –


Yemeni[13] oud ghat


Notes

  1. ^ Includes the music of Kabylie and the Tuareg; World Music Central Archived 2006-02-07 at the Wayback Machine

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Morgan 2000.
  2. ^ a b c Lodge & Badley 2000.
  3. ^ Badley & Jundi 2000.
  4. ^ Kinney & West 1935, pp. 207–208.
  5. ^ a b Muddyman 2000.
  6. ^ Bensignor 2000.
  7. ^ Broughton 2000.
  8. ^ Graham 2000.
  9. ^ Ames 1971, pp. 18–22.
  10. ^ Ames 1971, pp. 31–38.
  11. ^ a b Nooshin 2006.
  12. ^ Skalla & Amiri 2000.
  13. ^ a b Badley 2000.
  14. ^ Manuel 1988, p. 159.
  15. ^ Muddyman & Trillo 2000.
  16. ^ Morgan & Mu'tasem 2000.
  17. ^ Manuel 1988, p. 196.
  18. ^ Doubleday 2000.
  19. ^ Tsekouras 2016.
  20. ^ Şentürk 2020.
  21. ^ Cohen 2000.
  22. ^ Verney 2000.

Works cited

 The Rough Guide to Music (various editions and volumes):

External links

Categories