The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #139929   Message #3213440
Posted By: Paul Davenport
27-Aug-11 - 10:32 AM
Thread Name: How old are the oldest Child ballads?
Subject: RE: How old are the oldest Child ballads?
Suibhne has a really good point here. Child #19 (King Orfeo) is a well documented story dating back into Ancient Greek myth. As such it's a candidate for a very early ballad. But I suppose that, although the theme is old, the real question would be; is it a traditional 'remainder' or is it a 'classical revival' piece?