What question did this study set out to answer?

The essay aims to examine the social implications of singing technique in folk music performance.

May 17, 2026

Folk Song and the Voice: Toward an Ethnography of Singing

Key Points

The essay aims to examine the social implications of singing technique in folk music performance.
Analyzes contrasting recordings of Frank Proffitt to reveal influences of African American music.
Integrates ethnomusicological studies with African American music scholarship.
Proposes a new ethnographic approach focused on singing in folklore studies.
Identifies underacknowledged African American blues influences in Proffitt's vocalization.
Demonstrates the importance of singing technique in social meaning-making.
Argues for a dedicated ethnography of singing to enrich folklore studies.

Abstract

Abstract Drawing from ethnomusicological voice studies and African American music scholarship, this essay advocates for attention to singing technique as a space of social meaning-making and enculturation in folk song performance. I analyze two contrasting recordings of white Appalachian traditional musician Frank Proffitt (1913–1965) that highlight underacknowledged influences from the African American blues tradition in Proffitt's vocalization. Finally, I propose that attending to the singing voice in folklore studies necessitates an ethnography of singing, modeled after the folkloristic ethnography of speaking.

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