Cecil sharpe biography

English folklorist and song art-lover (1859–1924)

Cecil James Sharp (22 November 1859 – 23 June 1924)^[1] was an English gatherer of folk songs, folk dances and instrumental music, as athletic as a lecturer, teacher, author and musician.^[2] He was a-one key figure in the folk-song revival in England during distinction Edwardian period.^[3] According to Roud's Folk Song in England, Rangy was the country's "single ascendant important figure in the memorize of folk song and music".^[4]

Sharp collected over four thousand clan songs, both in South-West England and the Southern Appalachian take off of the United States.^[5][6][7] Why not? published an extensive series staff songbooks based on his munition, often with piano arrangements, keep from wrote an influential theoretical out of a job, English Folk Song: Some Conclusions.^[8] He notated examples of Unreservedly Morris dancing, and played break off important role in the resurfacing both of the Morris coupled with English country dance. In 1911, he co-founded the English Established Dance Society, which was late merged with the Folk-Song Population to form the English Historic Dance and Song Society.

Cecil Sharp's musical legacy extends cross the threshold English orchestral music, and depiction classroom singing experienced by generations of schoolchildren. Many of dignity most popular musicians of depiction British Folk Revival from high-mindedness 1960s to the present light of day have used songs collected bid Sharp in their work. Lots of Morris dance teams in England, and also abroad, indicate the resilience of the resuscitation he played a large end up in sustaining. In the Nearby, the Country Dance and Declare Society was founded with Sharp's support, and dancers there jelly to participate in styles subside developed.

Over the last quartet decades, Sharp's work has interested heated debate, with claims prosperous counter-claims regarding selectivity, nationalism, piracy, bowdlerisation and racism.^{[3][7][9][10][11][12][13]}

Early life

Sharp was born in Camberwell, Surrey, loftiness eldest son of James Sharp^[14] (a slate merchant who was interested in archaeology, architecture, lie to furniture and music) and queen wife, Jane née Bloyd, who was also a music concubine. They named him after birth patron saint of music, exact whose feast he was congenital. Sharp was educated at Uppingham, but left at 15 become more intense was privately coached for distinction University of Cambridge, where subside rowed in the Clare Faculty boat and graduated B.A. pride 1882.^[15]

In Australia

Sharp decided to trek to Australia on his father's suggestion.^[14] He arrived in Adelaide in November 1882 and indeed in 1883 obtained a tilt as a clerk in goodness Commercial Bank of South Land. He read some law, arm in April 1884 became hit it off to the Chief Justice, Sir Samuel James Way. He engaged this position until 1889 like that which he resigned and gave circlet whole time to music. Fiasco had become assistant organist be persistent St Peter's Cathedral soon make sure of he arrived, and had antiquated conductor of the Government Manor Choral Society and the Communion Choral Society. Later he became conductor of the Adelaide Symphony, and in 1889 entered be selected for partnership with I. G. Reimann as joint director of goodness Adelaide College of Music.

He was very successful as ingenious lecturer but around the psyche of 1891 the partnership was dissolved. The school continued misstep Reimann and in 1898 mature into the Elder Conservatorium pattern Music in connexion with dignity university. Sharp had made visit friends and an address portend over 300 signatures asked him to continue his work fuzz Adelaide, but he decided extinguish return to England and entered there in January 1892. Amid his stay in Adelaide proceed composed the music for nickelanddime operetta Dimple's Lovers performed infant the Adelaide Garrick Club comic story the Albert Hall on 9 September 1890,^[16] and two gridlock operas, Sylvia, which was recover consciousness at the Theatre Royal fascination 4 December 1890, and The Jonquil. The libretto in reprimand case was written by Man Boothby. Sharp also wrote grandeur music for some nursery rhymes which were sung by grandeur Cathedral Choral Society.

Return jab England

In 1892 Sharp returned direct to England and on 22 Honoured 1893 at East Clevedon, Drive, he married Constance Dorothea Woody, also a music lover.^[14] They had three daughters and swell son.^[17] Also in 1893 perform was taken on as unadorned music teacher by Ludgrove Nursery school, a preparatory school then knoll North London. During his 17 years in the post, perform took on a number enterprise other musical jobs.^[18] After rulership marriage in 1893, Sharp became a vegetarian for health basis and took interest in otherworldliness and theosophy.^[19]

From 1896 Sharp was Principal of the Hampstead Schoolhouse of Music, a half-time pole which provided a house.^[17] Implement July 1905 he resigned outlander this post after a lengthened dispute about payment and emperor right to take on lecture for extra tuition. He challenging to leave the Principal's the boards, and apart from his perpendicular at Ludgrove his income was henceforth derived largely from teaching and publishing on folk music.^[17][20]

English folk song and dance

Sharp was not the first to analysis folk songs in England, which had already been studied wishy-washy late-19th century collectors like Lucy Broadwood, Frank Kidson and River Baring-Gould. He became aware bear out English folk music in 1899, when he witnessed a scuffing by the Headington Quarry Craftsman dancers just outside Oxford. Perform approached their musician William Kimber, an expert player of primacy Anglo-concertina and a skilled person, and asked permission to notate some of the dances. Kimber went on to become Sharp's main source for the characters of Cotswold Morris Dancing, gave demonstrations his lectures, and became a lifelong friend.^[2]

In August 1903, Sharp visited the home near his friend Charles Marson, cool Christian Socialist he had reduction in Adelaide, and by proof a vicar in Hambridge, Rise. There he heard the plantsman John England sing the customary song The Seeds of Love. Although Sharp had already wedded conjugal the Folk-Song Society in 1901, this was his first turn your back on of folk song in probity field, and it set him on a new career path.^[21] Between 1904 and 1914 sharp-tasting collected more than 1,600 songs in rural Somerset and on the button 700 songs from elsewhere insipid England. He published five volumes of Folk Songs from Somerset^[22][23] and numerous other books, containing collections of sea shanties view folk carols, and became efficient passionate advocate for folk strain, giving numerous lectures, and eternal out his manifesto in English Folk Song: Some Conclusions imprison 1907.

In the years among 1907 and the First Universe War, Sharp became more focused on traditional dance. In 1905 he met Mary Neal, rectitude organiser of the Espérance Girls' Club, a philanthropic organisation insinuation working-class young women in Writer, who was seeking suitable dances for them to perform. That initiated a partnership which, notwithstanding that initially cordial and successful, caustic over an ideological disagreement, Sharp's insistence on correct traditional use coming up against Neal's favourite for flamboyance and energy. That developed into a power try over control of the Artificer dance movement, and finally meet a public feud.^[24][25][10] Sharp trail his interest in dance put on a teaching post at say publicly new School of Morris Dazzling under the auspices of dignity South West Polytechnic in Chelsea, set up by the Leading, Dorette Wilkie,^[26][27] and stepped pile up his field collecting efforts, second-hand consequenti in the publication of her majesty notations over five volumes noise The Morris Book (1907–1913). Overtake has been argued that Acute emphasised the Cotswold tradition remove Morris dancing at the outlay of other regional styles,^[28] notwithstanding he did collect dances newest Derbyshire.^[25]

Sharp also developed an bore to tears in sword dancing, and amidst 1911 and 1913 published team a few volumes of The Sword Dances of Northern England,^[29] which asserted the obscure and near-extinct Doorknocker sword dances of Northumbria station Long Sword dances of Northerly Yorkshire. This led to authority revival of both traditions show their home areas, and after elsewhere.

Sharp as fieldworker

Sharp, aided initially by Marson, worked inured to asking around in rural Come in communities for people who brawniness sing old songs and theatre many informants, the sisters Louisa Hooper and Lucy White always Langport amongst the most prolific.^[21] Sharp was able to confront well to people of out different social class,^[3] and measure friendships with several singers; end his death Louisa Hooper wrote of his generosity in provisos of payments, gifts and outings.^[2] He also collected a generous number of songs from Gypsies.^[30] In the Appalachians Sharp leading Maud Karpeles similarly used district knowledge and their own opening move to find singers, and homecoming made lasting friendships.^[6]

Sharp notated songs mostly by ear. He experimented with the new technology time off the phonograph, but rejected bang on account of a failure of portability and potential minatory effect.^[3] He had assistance bill taking down lyrics from Marson in Somerset, and Karpeles note the Appalachians, while making leadership musical notations himself.^[21][6] His transcriptions, which included melodic variations, were generally accurate, although some nuances were missed.^[32] Sharp was minute in noting singers’ names, locations and dates, enabling subsequent help research.^[33] He made many realistic portraits of singers at their homes or workplaces, providing trim valuable record of life among rural working people in both South-West England and the Appalachian Mountains.^[34]

Folk song in schools

In 1902, at a time when state-sponsored mass public schooling was dull its infancy, Sharp, then expert music teacher, compiled a expose book for use in schools.^[35] This contained a mixture neat as a new pin patriotic ‘National Songs’ (The Brits Grenadiers, Rule Britannia, etc.) reprove folk material. As his route of folk song grew, unquestionable rejected the ‘National Songs’, which were absent from the 1906 collection English Folk Songs sales rep Schools, co-written with Baring-Gould beam using Sharp's piano arrangements.^[36] Knife-edged was determined that folk tag should be at the sounding of the curriculum, and fought the Board of Education smudge 1905 over their list position songs recommended for schools, which included many ‘National Songs’. Her highness colleagues Frank Kidson and Lucy Broadwood, did not share fulfil view, however, and the panel of the Folk-Song Society ideal to approve the Board's seam, causing a rift with Sharp.^[37]

Sharp's theories

After his struggle with distinction Board of Education, Sharp publicised English Folk Song: Some Conclusions,^[8] in which he pursued monarch ideas about folk songs trim schools. His main aim was to expound a theory tail the development of folk theme agreement, based on Darwinian evolution most important oral transmission - the subject of songs down the generations by word of mouth. Knifeedged put forward three principles: Continuity – individual songs had survived recognisably over centuries; Variation – songs existed in multiple versions as singers altered them; tolerate Selection – a community would choose the most pleasing version.^[4] This implied that songs difficult no individual composer, since they had evolved to their indicate form "as the pebble enormity the sea shore is amygdaloidal and polished by the instantaneous of the waves".^[8] However, sundry in the folk song portage, such as Kidson, were apprehensive of this theory.^[38]

Sharp argued depart folk songs expressed Englishness, shaft it was vital that they should be taught in schools to inculcate a sense neat as a new pin national identity. He also undeclared that their melodies should disclose the basis of a latest English movement in art congregation, in competition with the lyrical hegemony of Germany, a regard shared by Vaughan Williams presentday other composers.

Bowdlerisation

Sharp and Marson bowdlerised some of their freshen texts, especially those containing references to sexual intercourse. Given birth prudery of the Edwardian origin, these could never have back number published in full (especially send back a school textbook), but Zigzag did note such lyrics directly in his field notebooks, so preserving them for posterity. Calligraphic good example of the conversion of a formerly erotic motif into one suitable for brag audiences is Gently Johnny Overturn Jingalo.^[39] The immediate goal scope Sharp's project – disseminating nobility distinctive, and hitherto little faint melodies of these songs right the way through music education – might likewise explain why he considered high-mindedness song texts less important.

English Folk Dance Society, afterwards Truthfully Folk Dance and Song Society

In 1911 Sharp co-founded the Reliably Folk Dance Society, which promoted the traditional dances through workshops held nationwide, and which closest merged with the Folk-Song Group of people in 1932 to form glory English Folk Dance and Put a label on Society (EFDSS). The current Writer headquarters of the EFDSS assay named Cecil Sharp House collective his honour.

Influence on Decently classical music

Sharp's work coincided catch on a period of nationalism smother classical music, the idea essence to reinvigorate and give peculiarity to English classical composition afford grounding it in the conventional melodic patterns and recognisable social group intervals and ornaments of sheltered national folk music. Among position composers who took up that goal was Ralph Vaughan Playwright, who incorporated many melodies vary Sharp's collections into his compositions, as well as a calculate from his own fieldwork reaction England.^[40]

In America

During the of the First World Armed conflict, Sharp found it difficult blame on support himself through his conventional work in England, and pronounced to try to earn top living in the United States. He was invited to giving as dance consultant for boss 1915 New York production all-round A Midsummer Night’s Dream esoteric went on to give make it lectures and classes across depiction country on English folk express and especially folk dance. Of course met the wealthy philanthropist Helen Storrow in Boston, and go out with her and other colleagues was instrumental in setting up probity Country Dance and Song Society.^[28] He also met Olive Skirt Campbell, who brought with show someone the door a portfolio of British-origin ballads she had collected in class Southern Appalachian mountains.^[7] The acceptable of her collection convinced Cornered to make several song assembling expeditions into the remote point backcountry with his collaborator Maud Karpeles during the years 1916–1918, following in the footsteps model Olive Campbell and other collectors such as Lorraine Wyman reprove Katherine Jackson French.^[41][42] Travelling produce results the Appalachian Mountains in Town, North Carolina, Kentucky and River, often covering many miles arraignment foot over rough terrain, Modest and Karpeles recorded a riches trove of folk songs, patronize of British origin, though rework versions quite different from those Sharp had collected in bucolic England, and some altogether gone in the old country. Display remote log cabins Sharp would notate the tunes by plug, while Karpeles took down distinction words, and they collected songs from singers including Jane Hicks Gentry, Mary Sands and verdant members of the Ritchie next of kin of Kentucky. Sharp was addition interested in the tunes, which he found very beautiful ahead often set in ‘gapped scales’.^[43]

Sharp wrote the following words swell few weeks after his happening in Appalachia:

The liquidate are just English of probity late eighteenth or early ordinal century.  They speak English, fathom English, and their manners put in order old-fashioned English.  Heaps of contents and expressions they use commonly in ordinary conversation are archaic, and have been in England a long time.  I on them very easy to pretence on with, and have ham-fisted difficulty in making them bad skin and show their enthusiasm supportive of their songs.  I have inane down very nearly one issue already, and many of these are quite unknown to endorse and aesthetically of the too highest value.  Indeed, it attempt the greatest discovery I put on made since the original helpful I made in England xvi years ago.^[44]

This strong focus decentralize 'Englishness' is evident in Sharp's work, and he has archaic criticised for failing to prize that many of the songs he collected were derived bring forth the Scottish rather than character English ballad tradition.^[45]

Olive Dame Mythologist and her husband John challenging led Sharp and Karpeles pause areas with a high density of white people of Land or Scots-Irish ancestry, so honourableness collectors had little sense out-and-out the cultural mosaic of Creamy, Black, Indigenous and multiracial Americans that existed across Appalachia, exalt of the interactions between these groups that had resulted bit a dynamic, hybridised folk convention. For instance, having witnessed inconsequential white communities a form dear square dancing that he dubbed the “Kentucky Running Set”, Knife-like interpreted it inaccurately as high-mindedness survival of a 17th-century Side style, whereas in fact miserly contained significant African-American and Dweller elements.^[46]

In their search for communities rich in British-origin songs, Suddenly and Karpeles avoided German-American communities,^[7] and on one occasion bad back from a village considering that they realised it was pull out all the stops African-American settlement. Using an obnoxious term then in common control, Sharp wrote: "We tramped – mainly uphill. When we reached the cove we found business peopled by n----s ... Entire our troubles and spent vitality for nought."^[44] However, unlike pander to mountain collectors of the period he did take down ballads from two Black singers, look after of whom he described be grateful for his field notes thus: “Aunt Maria [Tomes] is an past one's prime coloured woman who was first-class slave belonging to Mrs Coleman... she sang very beautifully greet a wonderfully musical way prep added to with clear and perfect stress. rather a nice old lady".^[7]

Sharp and Karpeles noted down clean huge number of songs, haunt of which would otherwise suppress been lost, and contributed assess the continuing tradition of balladry in the Appalachian Mountains. Their collection was described by chant expert Bertrand Bronson as “without question the foremost contribution add up to the study of British-American folk-song”, and by Archie Green style a “monumental contribution… an incessant scroll in cultural understanding”.^[47][48] Nevertheless, it can be argued walk a fascination with Child Ballads and other old British stuff led him and the pander to fieldworkers of his era highlight misrepresent Appalachian folk music gorilla an overwhelmingly Anglo-Saxon or Gaelic tradition, and overlook its ethnical diversity.^[49]

Elizabeth DiSavino, in her 2020 biography of Katherine Jackson Gallic, has claimed that Sharp challenging neglected to give proper avowal to female and Scottish-diaspora store, although in fact he see both in his Introduction with regard to English Folk Songs from nobleness Southern Appalachians.^[42][50]

Political views

Sharp identified monitor the political left of culminate day. He joined the Socialism Society, a Socialist organisation, feature 1900, and in later lifetime became a supporter of prestige Labour Party. In his onetime days he was considered span radical and, according to a- teaching colleague, liked to “pull the legs off the Tories”.^[2] While at Cambridge, Sharp heard the lectures of William Artificer, which probably influenced his after self-description as a ‘conservative socialist’, since his opposition to free enterprise went alongside a suspicion behove the Industrial Revolution and modernness in general, and a dependence in the virtues of rustic over urban life.^[51] He wrote of his anger about rectitude ‘injustice of class distinctions’,^[2] held in collectivism over private adventure, and in later life wrote of his sympathy with strong-minded coal miners.^[41] He also alleged in democracy over totalitarianism, tenancy that “any form of socialist government must also be self-governing if it is to service properly”, and expressing scepticism draw up to the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.^[2][9]

Sharp was an opponent of ready punishment.^[52] He was not, nevertheless, a supporter of the Suffragette movement, although according to sovereign colleague and biographer Maud Karpeles this probably reflected a condemnation of their methods rather elude the principle.^[2] Despite this, why not? maintained a friendly relationship delete his sister Evelyn, an voracious suffragist who was imprisoned progress to her activities; after her expulsion from Holloway she wrote be introduced to Sharp stating that she difficult to understand no wish to quarrel clue the matter, and that she did not believe he was a “confirmed ‘anti’”.^[53] Sharp was a nationalist, and believed ditch exposure to English folk sticky tag would engender a spirit model patriotism.

Death

Sharp died of somebody of the upper respiratory custom at Hampstead on 23 June 1924.^[54][55]

Criticism

Sharp’s ideas held sway bring half a century after queen death, thanks in part get paid an uncritical and rose-tinted memoir co-authored by his disciple Maud Karpeles, who also enshrined wreath thinking in the 1954 description of folk song drawn decorate by the International Folk Meeting Council.^[2][4][56] A. L. Lloyd, unornamented Marxist and the chief theoriser of the second folk number cheaply revival during the 1960s, manufactured to repudiate Sharp’s ideas however in fact followed much give a rough idea his thinking.^[9] He rejected Sharp’s claim that folk song could be found only in separate rural communities as “primitive romanticism”, and described his piano travel as “false and unrepresentative”, however praised his ability as smashing collector, admired his analysis gaze at modal tunes, and used copious examples from his manuscripts renovation illustrations.^[57]

A more radical Marxist inquiry was offered in the Seventies by David Harker, questioning excellence motivations and methods of tribe revivalists, and accusing Sharp signal having manipulated his research sales rep ideological reasons.^[58] According to Harker:

"'[F]olk song' as mediated stomach-turning Cecil Sharp, [is] to enter used as 'raw material' above 'instrument', being extracted from practised tiny fraction of the agrestic proletariat and... imposed upon township and country alike for ethics people's own good, not hassle its original form, but, chronicle integrated into the Conservatoire program of study, made the basis of patriotic sentiments and bourgeois values."

Harker extensive this thesis in the careful Fakesong in 1985, dismissing picture concept of folk song restructuring "intellectual rubble which needs give somebody no option but to be shifted so that structure can begin again", and rude scholars from Francis James Daughter to A. L. Lloyd.^[9] Historic song collecting, scholarship, and resurfacing were viewed as forms run through appropriation and exploitation by illustriousness bourgeoisie of the working raise, and Sharp in particular was strongly criticised. An expert wreak havoc on printed broadsides, Harker argued ruin the oral tradition and serviced that most of what Knife-like had termed "folk song" wonderful fact originated from commercially do print copies. He also stated that Sharp and Marson confidential bowdlerised or otherwise tampered reach the songs, making "hundreds make out alterations, additions and omissions" carry their published material.

Fakesong down in the dumps to a widespread reappraisal panic about the work of Sharp attend to his colleagues. Michael Pickering accomplished that: "Harker has provided far-out firm foundation for future work",^[59] while Vic Gammon commented drift Fakesong had taken on "the status of an orthodoxy eliminate some quarters of the Land left", and represented "the come across of critical work" on character early folk music movement - although he stated later stray, "this does not mean avoid Harker got it all right."^[60][3]

A more critical analysis was offered by C. J. Bearman, who noted numerous statistical discrepancies focal Harker's claims that Sharp with the addition of Marson's choices of songs hold publication were unrepresentative: "It task an interesting variety of fault which so consistently produces errors in favour of the basis being presented.”^[12] Bearman also unresolved Harker's claims of mass expurgation, on grounds firstly of true misrepresentation and exaggeration, secondly stand for ignoring constraints on publishing cuddly material in the Edwardian times, and thirdly for omitting honourableness fact that Sharp had antediluvian open about his edits person in charge preserved the original texts. Restrict another paper, Bearman disputed text from Somerset communities that abstruse been employed by Harker close to challenge the notion of out rural peasantry.^[11]

Harker's contention that undue of the material collected induce Sharp and others had sheltered origins in commercial print obey now widely accepted, however, beam Sharp's narrow definition of what constituted "folk song" has back number broadened considerably in more just out scholarship.^[4]

In 1993 Georgina Boyes known her book The Imagined Close by – Culture, ideology and ethics English Folk Revival,^[10] which critiqued the Victorian and Edwardian established song revival for having fabricated a culturally anachronistic rural grouping – "The Folk" - nearby making unrepresentative collections of songs to support the idea. Birth book was also critical be beneficial to Sharp's controlling tendencies, which wearisome of his contemporaries complained cart, and interpreted the power belligerent with Mary Neal over monitor of the Morris dance repositioning in terms of a affectionate refusal to share power become accustomed a woman. Roy Judge's business, however, apportion blame more without fear or favour and stress their ideological disagreement.^[24][25] There has also been censure of Sharp's attitude towards character social dance activist Elizabeth Burchenal in the USA.^[28]

Sharp's song assemblage in the USA has likewise been the subject of contention amongst American scholars of native politics. Henry Shapiro held him responsible in part for ethics perception of Appalachian mountain grace as "Anglo-Saxon", while Benjamin Filene and Daniel Walkowitz claimed prowl Sharp had neglected to invoke fiddle tunes, hymns, recent compositions, and songs of African-American origin.^[61][62][28] David Whisnant made similar claims about his selectivity, but unfading him for being "serious, durable and uniformly gracious to topmost respectful of local people".^[41] Go into detail recently, Phil Jamison has explicit that Sharp "was interested sole in English music and dances. He ignored the rest".^[46] Despite that, Brian Peters’ detailed analysis compensation Sharp's collection identified a voluminous number of American-made songs, disappearance hymns, fiddle tunes, and songs which Sharp himself described likewise having "negro" origins.^[7]

Selected works

• Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs, Oxford University Press, 1974; ISBN 0-19-313125-0.
• English folk songs from the austral Appalachians, collected by Cecil Itemize. Sharp; comprising two hundred settle down seventy-four songs and ballads fit nine hundred and sixty-eight tunes, including thirty-nine tunes contributed unwelcoming Olive Dame Campbell, edited inured to Maud Karpeles. Oxford: Oxford Home Press, 1932.^[63]
• English folk songs, calm and arranged with pianoforte support by Cecil J. Sharp, London: Novello (1916). This volume has been reprinted by Dover Publications under ISBN 0-486-23192-5 and is lure print.
• English Folk Song: Some Conclusions (originally published 1907. London: Simpkin; Novello). This work has anachronistic reprinted a number of bygone. For the most recent (Charles River Books), see ISBN 0-85409-929-8.
• The Financier Book a History of Craftsman Dancing, With a Description in this area Eleven Dances as Performed preschooler the Morris-Men of England overstep Cecil J. Sharp and Musician C MacIlwaine, London: Novello (1907). Reprinted 2010, General Books; ISBN 1-153-71417-5.

See also

Notes

References

External links