Nordisk folkmusik som stilkoncept

Abstract

This article deals with the increasing internationalization and professionalization of Nordic folk music, and raises empirical and conceptual questions concerning style and geographical origin. By examining ongoing trends and musical/stylistic interconnections, the article aims to understand the changing role of the local, the regional and the national in the process of musicians and audiences negotiating artistic identity. This exploration is structured by the following question: is it sensible to speak of an ongoing Nordification of Norwegian/Swedish/Danish/Finnish folk music, and if so, how does this tendency manifest itself in musical practice?