EFDSS Press Release:-


EFDSS (English Folk, Dance & Song Society) release Cecil Sharp's Diaries On-line


Cecil James Sharp (1859 - 1924) was England's most prolific folk music and dance collector. The 22nd November will mark his birthdate and Sequicentinnial (150th Anniversary). In celebration of his achievements and the impact he continues to have on folk music to this day EFDSS have announced the launch of his only surviving personal diaries. Written between (1915 - 1918) they include descriptions of his collecting experiences in the Appalachian Mountains of North America.

Between the time of his first serious collecting experience in a vicarage garden in August 1903, until his death on Midsummer Eve 1924, he amassed a total of 4,977 tunes in England and North America, many of which were published in various forms in order to promote and revive what was perceived to be a fading part of traditional culture.

He was not alone by any means, following as he did the likes of Lucy Broadwood, Frank Kidson and Sabine Baring-Gould to name a few. However, his mission to revive the music placed him very much at the forefront of a movement which has attracted a great deal of attention over the past thirty years, but for which many primary sources have been difficult to access .

How on earth did this asthmatic, 56 year-old vegetarian survive in the heat and altitudes of North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia, along with his young assistant, Maud Karpeles? How did he feel when he heard the news of the death of many of the young men of his English Folk Dance Society demonstration team in the trenches of the Great War? And what did it mean to collect 1,600 tunes from people he considered direct descendants and carriers of British cultural traditions?

The first of the series of diaries will be launched online on Sunday 22nd November, 2009 followed by announcements of more events and content over the coming months. It is also planned to add a full, annotated transcription in time for Sharp's next birthday in 2010.

Thanks to Cecil Sharp's grandchildren, Briony Jose and Richard Sharp, for allowing EFDSS to host the diaries online; to the managers of his estate, Bird & Bird, for helping us find them; to Chris Roche and The Shanty Crew for sponsoring this project.

The diaries will be available to access on-line from Sunday 22nd of November.

Though it does not give the website address in the release, it appears to be http://www.efdss.org/exhibits.html