What is German Folk Music?
This question is dealt with exhaustively in my bible on the matter, namely Eine Geschichte der Folksmusik by Jürgen Frey/K. Siniveer. All sides of the conundrum are discussed here, but to make the matter simple (for myself, that is) I've made my own definition. Taking my lead from the Irish, the argument goes like this:
If I am a folk musician (the answer being an unquestionable "yes" in my simple BSE-ridden multi-year corned-beef-eater mind) then any song I sing is a folk song. Therefore any German song I choose to sing becomes a German folksong, if it's not one already. QED My case rests, M'Lud.
To be fair to myself, with two or three exceptions practically all the songs listed are indeed considered as folksongs in most songbooks that I possess. The exceptions are "Bummel-Petrus", "Dear Uncle Sam", "Lilli Marlen" (even if the Clancy Brothers have recorded it) and the Erich Kästner song, "Weihnachtslied, chemisch gereinigt".

Geoff Grainger, Bremen-Vegesack, January 2001

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Festival Maritim Bremen Vegesack
Having lived in the Bremen area for nigh on 40 years, Festival Maritim has been one of the highlights in my annual programmes since its inception in 1999. Now living in Newcastle upon Tyne, I make my annual pilgrimage to my old hometown where I used to call myself an "englischer Vegebüüdler" to enjoy perhaps the largest folk festival of its type in Europe. Over the years I have performed both as an artist both in the festival itself and at various fringe events surrounding the Vegesack's Maritime Mile. Each festival had its personal highlights and I have met many artists from different countries and made many, many friends. The final evening is most moving when all the artists gather on the stage to sing the final songs Leave her, Johnny and The Leaving of Liverpool. During the final song, the audience light-up sparklers and wave them towatrds the stage. If you have the great good luck, as I had, to stand on the stage and look out over the sparkler waving crown towards Lemwerder, you are rewarded with a most amazing spectacle. The climax of the festival is a magnificent fireworks display whose brilliant and dazzling lights are reflected in the waters of the Weser. Each festival has concluded with a this fireworks display both in bad weathers and good except for one year when the weather was too hot and Lemwerder suffered drought conditions causing a cancellation of this spectacle on safety grounds. I shall continue to attend the festival as long as I am able.

Geoff Grainger, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, August, 2013.

German Websites

The German Corner Webring is open to ALL German-American Friends! all family oriented sites by people of German descent.
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The German Volksmusik Webring features sites related to German folk music. It also includes sites of bands that play traditional German folk songs. Dieser Ring enthaelt Seiten zum Thema deutsche Volksmusik. Er auch enthaelt Seiten von Kapellen, die traditionelle deutsche Volkslieder spielen.
This webring has currently (January 2017) 4 members and this webpage has been a member since 1999.

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