Folk Music in the United States gives readers a broad overview of many kinds of folk music found in this country, from the songs of rural Appalachia an d New England through the indigenous music of the American Indians and the African music brought by slaves, to the folk songs of European minorities. It traces the way folk music lives in the modern city, in the academic world, and in the contemporary music of American composers.
The book introduces readers to the study of folk music as a kind of music and as an aspect of human culture. It uses music as an index to understanding American culture while it introduces readers to various concepts in the field of ethnomusicology.