Australian Folk Songs

Over 50,000 years ago the original settlers of Australia crossed the ocean to reach the northern edge of the continent. They would spread throughout the vast continent, and eventually splinter into distinct cultures speaking 250 languages. In 1788, England created a convict colony on the eastern coast near present-day Sydney, and in the following century they expanded settlement across the continent. This expansion was largely at the expense of the Aboriginal people, who at best faced European disease and forced abandonment of their culture and language and at worst outright extermination.

It was not until the 1960s that Aboriginal rights became a national issue and recognition and redress of past wrongs became instituted in government policy. Today the Aboriginal people still live throughout the continent and continue many of their traditional cultural practices, including music and dance. Music among the Aboriginal peoples of Australia is inherently a spiritual and religious activity, and as a result many types of music are considered sacred and have only been studied on a limited basis by outsiders.

Aboriginal Song

Given the diffusion and diversity of Aboriginal peoples, there are a great number of music styles that can be quite different from one another. However, many themes are evident, such as common beliefs of music and song origins as well as instruments. Aboriginal cultures have long traded songs (and more recently instruments, such as the didgeridoo), so more specific similarities can be found as well.

Songs are believed by many Aboriginal peoples to be able to influence events in the non-musical world. For this reason, strict control is often held over the performance of many music types. Learning to play music can involve seemingly non-musical instruction, such as locating the correct piece of wood from which to make beating sticks or creating a mound of earth on which to perform. Children often learn abbreviated song versions that leave out important information if it is believed to be too powerful for them. Gradually, as children grow older, they are given more and more of this information.

Dreamtime

The ideas and concepts of Aboriginal music can be complex and abstract, particularly for outsiders. Many songs come from experiences in Dreamtime (also called the Dreaming), a concept that exists across Aboriginal cultures. In Dreamtime, a person may be shown a song by the ghost of an ancestor, a deceased musician, or a natural spirit. Many songs describe the landscape, including both natural formations and animals. Showing the intimate connection between the people and the land, Aboriginal people believe songs are connected through "songlines," which describe paths across and around the continent. Through old and new songs, it is believed people can participate in the ongoing history of creation.

Performances

Musical performances are often tied to ceremonies that include elaborate preparation and performance. Ground painting and body painting are an important part of many performances. Often, any marks left on rocks or the earth, either by paint or by footprints, are removed after the performance, both to protect the secrecy of the music but also to protect the performers from the power of the music.

Instruments

There are relatively few instruments used by Aboriginal people. By far the best-known instrument is the didgeridoo, a long hollow tube made from the limb of a eucalyptus tree. The instrument was originally found only in northern Australia, but has since spread throughout the continent. By buzzing the lips and employing circular breathing, a performer can create pulses and complex overtones. Depending on the culture, the didgeridoo can be played solo or to accompany a song. Like songs, the music of the didgeridoo often comes from experiences in Dreamtime.

Percussion instruments include wood clappers and boomerangs, which are stuck together to accompany songs. In central Australia, these instruments often play a repetitive rhythm pattern. The skin drum or skin pillow is made from the skin of a opossum or kangaroo turned inside out and filled with fur. Often held in the lap, it is beaten with a stick to produce a muffled thump. The bull-roarer is a piece of wood on the end of a string which is swung quickly in the air to create a low, buzzing sound. In central Australia, the bull-roarer is regarded as the voice of the sacred ancestor.

Other Australians

The original settler groups of convicts and prison guards brought with them the music of their English and Irish homelands, such as ballads and theatrical songs. Compositions in these styles are documented as early as the 1830s, but they were certainly being created before this time. Early songs discussed the troubled life of a convict, homesickness, and loneliness.

By the late 19th century, there was a sizeable farmer and herder population in Australia, and as a result a new set of songs about these lifestyles sprouted and made their way around the country. These songs, including "The Old Bark Hut," "The Wild Colonial Boy," and "Waltzing Matilda," went on to become the focus of the folksong revival of the 1950s, which mirrored those in England and the United States. The popular instruments of this period were the accordion, harmonica, and fiddle. The piano was often played when available.

In the 1930s, Australians fell in love with the "hillbilly" and country music of the United States, including performers like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family. This American interest foreshadowed a trend that would continue through rock and country music throughout the century.

Following World War II, Australia opened its doors to eastern and southern European settlers, including Serbians, Poles, and Greeks. Beginning in the 1970s, immigrants from Asia and the Pacific Islands began arriving as well. Today to varying degrees these immigrants groups continue to practice the folk styles of their homelands, particularly in the larger cities.

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