| Contents |
Legacies from the past. Introduction: awkward but indispensable words ; The early collectors ; Romantics and their critics -- The vernacular song revival, 1820-1859. National and regional song: Kitchiner to Chappell ; The Percy Society I: the antiquarians ; The Percy Society II: other song catchers ; William Chappell and the history of English vernacular song ; Other early Victorians: Broadwood to Child -- The mid-Victorian era, 1860-1883. The mid-Victorians: around the regions ; Old songs repackaged: broadsides, drolleries, and ditties ; Ballad editing: perspectives and practice ; The Ballad Society ; The birth of a folksong revival. |
| Abstract |
This book tells the story of the Victorian vernacular song revival, a movement that laid the foundation for the later Eduardian folksong revival associated with Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughan Williams. It covers the period 1820 to 1883, commencing with the renewal of interest in so-called 'national songs' after the Napoleonic Wars, and concluding with the birth of the Late Victorian folksong revival in the 1870s and early 1880s. The book includes musical examples and lyrics from over 75 folk songs, ballads, and national songs collected and published during the Victorian era. The appendixes contain discussions on interpreting songs, an assessment of relevant secondary sources, and a bibliography and alphabetical song list. The author provides a solid foundation for the study of folksongs and suggests the study of folksong revivals as an insight to Victorian cultural and intellectual life. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 413-426) and index. |
| LCCN | 2005029975 |
| ISBN | 0810857030 (pbk. : alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 9780810857032 |
