Types of Folk Song: Lyric, Chorus etc.
Lyric Songs
We rarely talk about lyric songs, but they generally are considered to be songs which just talk about feelings or situations but which don’t have a sustained critical narrative in the same way as a ballad. Some of these are philosophical in nature or might fall into other categories like love songs, or songs in praise of food or drink.
Example: The Life of a Man (Clive Carey Collection CC/1/39)
Chorus Songs
Chorus songs are folksongs with a hook – often important as part of a social gathering, where many singers in a room can join in with the leader on a chorus or repeated refrain. Sometimes, the chorus’ popularity is what keeps a song popular with the actual verses being of less importance. Examples include drinking songs like Fathom the Bowl, Drink Old England Dry and many other songs feature a chorus to help keep the audience engaged with a story. Because of the importance of social function, many custom songs have choruses.
Example 1: Fathom the Bowl (Clive Carey Collection)
Example 2: Drink Old England Dry (Lucy Broadwood Collection)
You can also see the Folk Chorus Songs Pack in the Resource Bank for more material and information.
Cumulative Songs
Cumulative songs are a special kind of chorus song where they develop in length and complexity with each repetition, often for humorous value or to show off the skill and memory of the singer. Famous examples include:
Example 1: One man went to Mow (Lucy Broadwood Collection)
Example 2: The Twelve Days of Christmas (Cecil J. Sharp Collection, at Clare College, Cambridge)
Example 3: The Barley Mow (Clive Carey Collection)
Example 4: Tree in the Wood (The Rattling Bog) (Cecil J. Sharp Collection, at Clare College, Cambridge)
Custom Songs
Many folk songs are connected with customs, and the act of singing folk songs could be said to be a custom in itself, but many songs relate directly to specific activities or times of year. Obvious examples are Christmas Carols many of which have traditional roots, but there are also carols for May and Easter which have become less well known. Traditional activities such as harvest time, hunting, traditional sports like football and special days like May Day all have their own songs. The many types of traditional dance and drama, including processions, Morris, Sword and plough Monday customs often also have songs related to them.
Example: May Song (Lucy Broadwood Collection)
Lullabies
Lullabies are part of a body of songs including dandling songs used for the purposes of entertaining or soothing children, with lullabies often being perceived as intended to help put a child to sleep.
Example: A Lullaby (Anne Geddes Gilchrist Collection)
