Australian Folk Music
* Name given to music which has characteristics of the culture of the country in which it has developed
* Tell stories about the people(folk) and ways of life
* Early folk songs were passed down orally
* Folk songs in every community of the world
* Australian folk music gives important music about the cultures and the beliefs of settlers
* Tells stories about their journey to Australia, impressions of country, hopes of new life
* Important historical info is given about settlement and growth of Australia in folk songs
* Organised according to the content of their lyrics
* Convict Songs: Some Australian convict songs were composed in England, Ireland and Scotland. Were sung in the 18th and 19th centuries by convicts. Expressed pain, anguish of convict’s life, telling unjust punishment and poor conditions they were made to endure. Others were about the long trips they endured on crowded boats.
Botany Bay
* Gold rush Songs: Tell history in gold fields in the 19th century. Songs express their jubilation of success, while others were on their loss and hardships endured
The Miner, The Cross of the South
* Bushranging Songs: About bushrangers and their daring lives, songs tell of their infamous ways and some tell about their demise
The Ballad of Ned Kelly, The Wild Colonial Boy
* Sheep Shearing Songs: Spoke about life of the sheep shearing men and women living in the country
Click Go the Shears, The Ryebuck Shear
* Bush Ballad: More a form of poetry in which was recited rather than sung.
Waltzing Matilda, Bold Jack Donahue
* Folk songs were generally sung unaccompanied however harmonica, piano accordion and violin became popular. Other instruments include everyday items at home.
* These were used to keep rhythmic beats:
* Lagerphone- percussion instrument, tapped, made from broom handle and used bottle tops, jingling sound
* Jug- old whisky jugs provide...