The
folk music of England is traditionally based music, which has existed since the later
medieval period. It is often contrasted with courtly,
classical and later commercial music. Folk music has been preserved and transmitted orally, through print and later through recordings. The term is used to refer to English
traditional music and music composed, or delivered, in a traditional style. English folk music has produced or contributed to several important musical genres, including
sea shanties,
jigs,
hornpipes and
dance music, such as that used for
Morris dancing. It can be seen as having distinct regional and local variations in content and style, particularly in areas more removed from the cultural and political centres of the English state, as in
Northumbria, or the
West Country. Cultural interchange and processes of migration mean that English folk music, although in many ways distinctive, has particularly interacted with the music of
Scotland,
Ireland and
Wales. It has also interacted with other musical traditions, particularly classical and
rock music, influencing musical styles and producing
musical fusions, such as
electric folk,
folk punk and
folk metal. There remains a flourishing
sub-culture of English folk music, which continues to influence other genres and occasionally to gain mainstream attention.