Adirondack Folk music plays a vital part in the region’s cultural history. For centuries, the music has tied people together, contributing to the “cultural melting pot” of the Adirondacks. Adirondack Folk still plays an important role today, though like all music has significantly evolved with the influence of other musics and cultures. In this post, I hope to show that Adirondack Folk, in the past and still now, brings people together and contributes to the unique social and cultural identity of the Adirondacks.
You’re probably wondering what Adirondack Folk is. Here is a recording of Roy Hurd performing “Adirondack Blue,” which has been heralded as an anthem of the Adirondacks.
Adirondack Folk is “A sweet mix of Northern Ireland work songs with homemade musical traditions” (1). This is just one description, and in fact, styles of Adirondack Folk vary even more within the park. The music typically involves instruments from typical Folk and Bluegrass styles including guitars, banjos, mandolins, fiddles, and harmonicas. Many Adirondackers also take advantage of any noise-producing tool, such as beer bottles (1).
There is little known about the exact origins of Adirondack Folk, though the music reflects music from many nations. Shea Lynch, a contributor to Adirondack.net describes Adirondack Folk as a “living diary” of the stories from communal gatherings with peddlers, laborers, and trappers (1). In the 1800s, the logging and mining industry attracted many internationals who each incorporated their culture and style into Adirondack Folk. Among these internationals are immigrants from Quebec and Ontario who had strong influences on fiddling style (2). Both then and now, Adirondack Folk music is performed largely by “ordinary people” for leisure (2). In the beginning, the music was passed on by ear, so written scores of the original Adirondack Folk are rare (2). However, Marjorie Lansing Porter and Frank and Anne Warner recorded old folk songs to preserve the cultural history.
Adirondack Folk is still thriving today. In fact, PBS recently filmed Songs to Keep, which documents Marjorie Lansing Porter’s preservation of Adirondack Folk. Also, Schroon Lake hosts the Annual Folk Music Festival to celebrate the music and culture! Adirondack Folk has a rich cultural history and continues to develop and change today.
(1)
“Adirondack Folk Music for Virgin Ears.” Adirondack.net, Adirondack.net, 29 January 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
(2)
“Traditional Adirondack Music.” Tauny. Tauny, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
Love this! For years my answer to the old "what is the strangest music on your iPod right now?" question was always Adirondack Folk Music. Thanks to my parents and grandparents I grew up listening to various Adirondack artists both on CDs and at the occasional live performance. Aside from the nostalgic value it has for me, I also really enjoy the way the genre captures the appreciation for wilderness and history that is so present in the park.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Adirondack Folk music before, and I really appreciate your post on it. I feel like often times, we discuss the culture and art of the Adirondacks but have so far neglected to learn about the music and performing arts found in the Adirondacks. Beautiful and unique indeed. This music makes me want to grab a few friends, take a guitar into the woods, light a fire and sing songs around the fire. It definitely has a rustic and natural feel.
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