Paper short abstract:

Contemporary Swiss folk musicians are often sonically categorized as 'modern' or 'traditional', yet these labels are also bound with sociopolitical identities, as the music is made sense of through socially-entrenched forms of listening, sounding, and participation within particular environments.

Paper long abstract:

In the wake of renewed interest in traditional practices in recent years, contemporary folk musicians in Switzerland are often glibly categorized as 'modern' or 'traditional', aligning them and their music with particular sonic, and sociopolitical, identities. Yet these labels are often as much a reflection of the context, engagement parameters, and listening expectations associated with the music as they are indicators of genre or form. Space and sound are made sense of through socially-entrenched forms of learning, hearing, and recognition—critical elements of folk music practice which connect to modes of sociality and participation outside of musical bounds. Musicians and participants themselves may be variable, but it is these spaces and the behaviours that take place within them which situate the music socially and aesthetically. A ‘traditional’ folk music context is often characterized by informality and exuberant clamour, including talking, drinking, eating, dancing, or taking part musically. ‘New’ folk music, on the other hand, is almost exclusively found in formal performance settings and is often attended by cosmopolitan audiences, familiar with the anticipated stillness and resonance of a concert hall. These specific types of sounds and listening practices have become bound with identities and ideologies, associated with both the musicians and attendant communities. As themes of heritage, place, and belonging continue to figure prominently in global debates, these mundane acts of listening become central to broader discourses and politics of participation.