▁with ▁them ▁new ▁styles ▁and ▁instruments . ▁African ▁slaves ▁brought ▁musical ▁trad itions , ▁and ▁each ▁subsequent ▁wave ▁of ▁imm igr ants ▁cont ributes ▁to ▁a ▁mel ting ▁pot . ▁Fol k ▁music ▁includes ▁both ▁traditional ▁music ▁and ▁the ▁genre ▁that ▁evol ved ▁from ▁it ▁during ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century ▁folk ▁rev ival . ▁The ▁term ▁origin ated ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century ▁but ▁is ▁often ▁applied ▁to ▁music ▁that ▁is ▁older ▁than ▁that . ▁ ▁Ear liest ▁American ▁sch ol ars ▁were ▁with ▁The ▁American ▁Fol kl ore ▁Society ▁( AF S ), ▁which ▁emer ged ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 8 0 0 s . ▁Their ▁studies ▁expanded ▁to ▁include ▁Native ▁American ▁music , ▁but ▁still ▁treated ▁folk ▁music ▁as ▁a ▁historical ▁item ▁preserved ▁in ▁isolated ▁soci eties . ▁In ▁North ▁America , ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s ▁and ▁ 1 9 4 0 s , ▁the ▁Library ▁of ▁Congress ▁worked ▁through ▁the ▁offices ▁of ▁traditional ▁music ▁collect ors ▁Robert ▁W ins low ▁Gordon , ▁Alan ▁L om ax ▁and ▁others ▁to ▁capture ▁as ▁much ▁North ▁American ▁field ▁material ▁as ▁possible . ▁L om ax ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁prominent ▁scholar ▁to ▁study ▁distinct ly ▁American ▁folk ▁music ▁such ▁as ▁that ▁of ▁cow bo ys ▁and ▁southern ▁black s . ▁His ▁first ▁major ▁published ▁work ▁was ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 1 , ▁Cow boy ▁Songs ▁and ▁Other ▁Front ier ▁Ball ads , ▁and ▁was ▁arg u ably ▁the ▁most ▁prominent ▁US ▁folk ▁music ▁scholar