How does folk music differ from art music?

Folk music and art music are distinguished primarily by their methods of transmission, social function, and the communities they serve.

• Transmission: Folk music is traditionally transmitted orally or aurally within informal social networks, such as among friends or relatives. In contrast, art music is typically associated with a written tradition and is composed by trained musicians.123
• Social Function: Art music is generally intended for aesthetic enjoyment. Folk music, however, is more often participatory and integrated into daily life, serving functions related to work, games, enculturation, and life-cycle or calendric rituals.1
• Audience and Context: Folk music is identified with broad segments of the population, particularly rural or lower socioeconomic classes, and often acts as a unifier for ethnic or national groups. Art music is traditionally maintained by and for a smaller, technically sophisticated social, economic, and intellectual elite in urban or court settings.1

While these categories are distinct, the lines between them have frequently blurred, particularly since the 19th century, as art music composers have incorporated folk themes into their work and folk traditions have been influenced by written music and mass media.124