The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #143848   Message #3322465
Posted By: Steve Gardham
13-Mar-12 - 07:35 PM
Thread Name: Origins: evolution of a song from middle ages
Subject: RE: Origins: evolution of a song from middle ages
As Jonathan has already mentioned the obvious one is Child 1 Riddles Wisely Expounded, but I doubt if any tunes older than recent times survive, and that's about your lot with any discernable survival into modern times. The vast majority of Child ballads simply cannot be traced with any certainty further back than 1500.

Who set your assignment? A carol rather than a ballad might yield more success.