The Late Victorian Folksong Revival: The Persistence of English Melody, 1878-1903 - Hardcover

Gregory, E. David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810869888 ISBN 13: 9780810869882

Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 2010

Synopsis

This book traces the early history of the first English folksong revival during the late Victorian era, focusing on the work of three prominent song collectors, Sabine Baring-Gould, Frank Kidson and Lucy Broadwood. It follows E. David Gregory's earlier book, Victorian Songhunters, continuing the story of English folksong collecting from when that book left off, and is copiously illustrated with examples of the folksongs collected during these years.

About this title

Review:

A welcome follow-up to Gregory's Victorian Songhunters: The Recovery and Editing of English Vernacular Ballads and Folk Lyrics, 1820-1833 (2006), this book presents tunes and texts for hundreds of songs from the published works of British folksong collectors of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in particular Sabine Baring-Gould, Frank Kidson, and Lucy Broadwood. Active before sound-recording technology was generally available, these collectors listened to singers and transcribed what they heard into musical notation. Though the collectors may have made subtle changes to suit their own agendas, the value of their collections is immense. To further the assessment and enjoyment of this legacy, Gregory (history, Athabasca Univ., Canada) provides insightful commentaries on the world in which the collectors worked and on the music they found. He identifies himself as a cultural historian rather than an ethnomusicologist, but he makes significant contributions to both fields with this work. This book will please informed amateurs and academics interested in the history, culture, and music of the British Isles. Summing Up: Recommended.--CHOICE

About the Author:

E. David Gregory is professor of history and humanities and chair of the Centre for Global & Social Analysis at Athabasca University in Northern Alberta, Canada. He is the author of Victorian Songhunters: The Recovery and Editing of English Vernacular Ballads and Folk Lyrics, 1820-1883 (Scarecrow Press, 2006).

About this edition

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0810869888
• ISBN 13: 9780810869882
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 583