Folk music, the music of the
people, includes ballads, sea shanties, and hymns. Because folklore is flexible, the lyrics, which express the longings of everyday people, can
be adapted to specific concerns, melodies, and instruments.
American roots music (a
popular folk music category) includes blues, zydeco, and gospel. All are either
native to this country or grew into unique forms out of earlier, foreign
origins.
Songs of praise, also known
as spiritual music, in particular, are often meant for group singing in which anyone
can participate. Casey Bell, author of Casey’s Song Book, several young
adult books, poetry books, and producer of the CSB.tv series of interviews with
writers, took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions
about the music he writes:
Q: When did you start writing song lyrics?A: I was six years old when I wrote my first song.
“You Gotta Share It.” It was a quick and simple song I wrote to music from a
video game that my brother played continuously. After hearing the music over
and over again, for whatever reason, I started signing these lyrics and can still
remember them today.
Q: Casey’s Song Book does not include musical notation. The only instrument required appears to be the human voice. Is that because you want people to develop their own styles?
A: Yes and no. When I write a song, I create it in my
head; I do not know how to read, write, or compose music. That is why there is
no musical notation. I do believe though that we as musicians should not
segregate our music into genres. Anyone should be able to create in any and as
many genres as desired. This book’s lyrics only give the musician (the reader)
the freedom to sing according to the compositions of their choice. This allows for
many styles and interpretations.Q: In your book, there are many songs of praise. Tell me
what your process is for writing them.
A: It depends on the day I wrote them. Some of the
songs are dated. I have songs written in journals from the 1990s to 2021. My
inspirations come from the day itself: successful, challenging, etc.
Q: You also write other types of folk music, many of which are
poems on the page. How do you decide if the words will be a poem or a song?
A: As weird as it sounds, everything I write decides
for itself what it will be. I simply let it write itself. In most cases I do
not even plan to write a song or poem. An event happens in my life and the
words fill my spirit and so I write them.
Q: You are also a playwright, performer, speaker, and
educator. What are a few of the other projects you are currently working on?
A: I recently finished a short film, “#MaleToo.” It is a
film about male models dealing with sexual assault in the modeling industry. I
have entered the film in a few film festivals. It won the Award of Recognition:
Liberation / Social Justice / Protest and Issues / Awareness Raising from Best
Shorts Competition.
To learn more about Casey, visit his website. And be sure to check out his Ready Writer series.
The word 'poetry' comes from the Greek word poiesis which means 'making'. It is a form of literature that uses rhythm and intentional syntax choices to convey sentiment and sensations.
