handed-down music
nounUK /ˌhændɪd ˈdaʊn ˈmjuːzɪk/
US /ˌhændɪd ˈdaʊn ˈmjuːzɪk/
Handed-down music is music that people teach to their children and friends instead of writing it down.
The songs my grandmother sang to me are handed-down music that our family still loves.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. Music passed from older generations to younger ones within a family or community.
The village choir keeps handed-down music alive at every festival.
3. Songs learned by listening and repeating rather than by reading notes.
He never had a music book; he played handed-down music by ear.
4. A style of music that carries a group's history and culture.
Scholars study handed-down music to learn about the past.