Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad
Here are some famous songs selected from folk music that has been passed down and sung in various countries and regions around the world.
Even if you don’t know the titles, you may have heard them somewhere or hummed them as a child—foreign folk songs are actually quite familiar in our daily lives.
In some cases, the version widely known in Japan is the adaptation, and you might discover, “So this was the original song!”
Learning which country a song comes from leads to learning about that country’s culture and history, and it will broaden your horizons.
Please take a listen to these time-honored folk songs that are cherished in each country!
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Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Abroad (21–30)
Dona DonaIdisshu min’yō
It is a folk song based on an original musical piece written in Yiddish in 1940.
Dona Dona became internationally famous in the 1960s, when the folk revival was sweeping the United States.
It reached many listeners after it was covered by Joan Baez, who was known as the Queen of Folk.
On the Bridge of Avignonfuransu min’yō
“On the Bridge of Avignon” is an old French folk song.
Avignon (also spelled Avignon) is the name of a city located in southeastern France.
It is also known for the 14th-century “Avignon Papacy” under the French Pope Clement V.
Folk Songs of the World | Hometown Songs Passed Down Overseas (31–40)
Lovely AugustineŌsutoria min’yō
The Austrian folk song “Ach, du lieber Augustin” (“Dear/Cute Augustin”) laments the victims of the plague that ravaged Vienna, and the word meaning “plague” is explicitly used in its lyrics.
Kecak
Kecak is a musical drama performed on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, this dance-drama is based on the traditional ritual known as sanghyang and takes its subject matter from the Ramayana, the ancient Indian epic.
Aloha ʻOeHawai min’yō / Lili‘uokalani
“Aloha ʻOe” is a Hawaiian song—Hawaiian music—said to have been written around 1878 by Liliʻuokalani, the eighth queen of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and its last monarch.
A leading view holds that the melody was adapted from an existing tune, and such melodic borrowing appears to have been common in Hawaiʻi at the time.
All mothersamerika min’yō
The American folk song “Old Gray Mare” is widely known in Japan as “Onma wa Min’na,” with lyrics by Tomoko Nakayama.
The only point it shares with the original is the appearance of a “horse”; the original song does not include a “piglet’s tail.”
In conclusion
We introduced some famous folk songs from around the world. Were there any you recognized, or any you realized were actually folk songs? Some are songs we sang as children or heard at school, which brings a sense of nostalgia. There are also many original pieces, so be sure to give them a listen!