21L.423 and 21M.223: Introduction to Anglo-American Folkmusic Fall 2002

INTRODUCTION TO ANGLO-AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC

This subject will introduce students to scholarship about folk music of the British Isles and North America. We will define the qualities of "folk music" and "folk poetry," including the narrative qualities of ballads, and we will try to recreate the historical context in which such music was an essential part of everyday life. We will survey the history of collecting, beginning with Pepys' collection of broadsides, Percy's Reliques and the Gow collections of fiddle tunes. The urge to collect folk music will be placed in its larger historical, social and political contexts. We will trace the migrations of fiddle styles and of sung ballads to look at the broad outlines of the story of collecting folk music in the USA, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

In addition to several response papers about concerts attending in the course of the semester, students will be expected to trace variations in a single ballad and write a ballad about its literary qualities. They will also be asked to write a paper describing the melodic and rhythmic characteristics most often found in folk music. Presentations in the last weeks of the semester will entail either performing a fiddle tune or a ballad the student has learned or else presenting a piece of music that he or she has collected.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Coursepack of articles in copy center David Whisnant, All That is Native and Fine Jean Ritchie, Singing Family of the Cumberlands Our Singing Country compiled by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax David Harker, Fakesong Francis J. Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v. I CD: "Classic Ballads of Britain and Ireland" Alan Lomax collection (Rounder 1775)

SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND PAPERS

Week #1 Class 1

What is folkmusic? A survey of contemporary folk festivals and internet sources-- examples of what is available in the folk world nowadays.

Week #2 Class 1 From coursepack read Alan Dundes, "What is Folklore?" from The Study of Folklore (1965); Alan Dundes, "Who Are the Folk?" from Interpreting Folklore (1980); William Thoms, "Folklore" (The Atheneum, 1846); A. L. Lloyd, "The Foundations of Folk Song," from Folk song in England pp. 11-90 (skim pp. 36-53, which is Lloyd's account of the special musical qualities of folkmusic)

What is the nature of the singing and fiddling traditions of the English language communities of Britain and North America? What personal and cultural forces shape the structure of the texts, tunes and performance styles? What are the songs and tunes? Who are the singers and fiddlers? What are the regions and historical periods? What is the difference between "folk" and "popular" music?

Week #2 Class 2

Willa Muir, "Children's Singing Games" and "Singing and Listening to Oral Poetry," from Living with Ballads pp. 9-53.

Week #3 Class 1

Alison and Geordie come to class. Let's ask them: when (and how) were these musical compositions made, what were they about, how did they circulate, what was their social context? How does folk music serve as indicators of culture and history?

Week #3 Class 2

What are the qualities of folk music? "Folk-Song and the Modes" in Bertrand Bronson, The Ballad as Song, pp. 79-91.

Week #4 Class 1

What was the pre-literate context of folkmusic? "The Agricultural Society" and "The Border Region" and "The Clannit Society" pp. 7-51 in David Buchan's The Ballad and the Folk (coursepack)

Week #4 Class 2

"Ballad Background II," and "The Northern Scottish Background" and "Story Material" pp. 71-107 in Willa Muir, Living with Ballads (coursepack).

Week #5 Class 1

The effects of printing broadsides. Pp. 58 - 62, 81-92 in Paula MacDowell, The Women of Grub Street (cousepack); Dianne Dugaw, "The Popular Marketing of 'Old Ballads'" (coursepack)

Week #5 Class 2 Preserving the tradition. The beginning of collecting. Dave Harker, Fakesong, Introduction pp. ix-xvii; "The Early Mediators"

pp. 3-14.

Week #6 Class 1

Dave Haker, Fakesong, "From Thomas Percy to Joseph Ritson," and "From Walter Scott to Robert Chambers," pp. 15 - 77. From The Anglo-American Ballad, ed. Dianne Dugaw, "Addison" pp. 3-11; "Percy" pp. 13-21; "Ritson" pp. 23-31; "Scott" pp.33-43; "Motherwell" pp. 45-56.

Week #6 Class 2

"Balladry and Oral Poetry," and "The Oral Ballads of Mrs. Brown," and "The Substance of Ballads," pp. 51-86 in David Buchan, The Ballad and the Folk (coursepack). "Folk- Song and the Modes," and "Habits of the Ballad as Song," and "Words and Music in Child Ballads" pp.79-132 in Bertrand Bronson, The Ballad as Song (coursepack).

Week #7 Class 1

Class cancelled. Reading: "Conclusion," pp. 271-77 in David Buchan, The Ballad and the Folk (coursepack); David Harker, Fakesong, 101-37; The Anglo-American Ballad ed. Dianne Dugaw pp. 57-67 (coursepack); "Francis James Child," the Introduction to Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads vol. I. Listen to the CD "Classic Ballads of Britain and Ireland" Alan Lomax collection and read the liner notes.

Pick a ballad from Child volume that will be yours. Listen to it, sing it, play it, read about it. Write a 5-page paper on the literary qualities of the ballad in general and yours in particular. The paper will be due in Week #8 Class 1.

Week #8 Class 1

A closer examination of the migration of fiddle styles all over the New World. We will consider the musical qualities of traditional fiddle music: modalities, tune types, dance types, rhythmic variations, bowings, instrument tunings, accompanying instruments, ensemble playing. Selections from, among others, Gerald Milnes, Play of a Fiddle Week #9 Class 1

Schedule an hour to watch Sprout Wings and Fly

Week #10 Class 1

Music in the New World. Jean Ritchie, Singing Family of the Cumberlands, pp. 1-49; 95- 178; 224-256. N.B. There is a cut of "Lord Bateman" on the CD. Look at "John Riley" and "John Henry" in the Lomaxes' Our Singing Country.

Week #10 Class 2

African-American Influence. Pp. 4-26, 91-121 of Readings in Black American Music.

Week #11 Class 1

David Whisnant, "Hindman Settlement School" in All That is Native and Fine pp. 19- 101.

Week #12 Class 1

David Whisnant, "Olive Dame Campbell" in "All That is Native and Fine" 105-179; Dave Harker on Cecil Sharp in Fakesong,

172-197.

Week #12 Class 2

David Whisnant, "The White Top Festival" in All That is Native and Fine, pp. 181-252.

Week #13 Class 1 John and Alan Lomax. Our Singing Country , Introduction, Preface, and Musical Preface (xiii-xxxv) + pp. 149-177. Compare "Old Bangum" to Child 18 (Sir Lionel) and "sweet William" to Child 7 (Earl Brand) both musically and literally.

Week #13 Class 2

A 5-page paper will be due this week, with analyses if styles, tune-types, artists, and/or the description of a musical culture through the eyes and ears of fiddlers in the greater Boston area.

Week #14 Class 1 Further discussion of songs in OSC

Week # 14 Class 2 Performances

Week #15 Class 1 Performance? Wrap up. Last day of class.

N.B. If enough violinists-instrumentalists enroll in this class, we will arrange a workshop in fiddling to learn tunes for a final presentation. We will also arrange a workshop for singers to learn ballads for the final presentation if it is desired.