The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #131826   Message #2984095
Posted By: Steve Gardham
10-Sep-10 - 02:57 PM
Thread Name: Child Ballads survived in oral trad.
Subject: RE: Child Ballads survived in oral trad.
Goose(and Jim) what you say in essence is true particularly using the word 'necessarily' but the many people who have studied the broadside content in great detail tell us that the vast majority were written specifically by hacks to be sold in the streets, those that hadn't been pirated from other commercial sources that is. 'Of the people'. I'm certain the hacks were mostly of the people, but mostly earning a meagre living at it. ( We are informed that some of our most famous poets before they were famous earned a bob or two penning a few lines for these printers.)
The FACT is that 95% of what exists in the likes of Sharp, Hammond, Gardiner, Kidson, Broadwood etc has its earliest manifestation on a printed sheet of paper sold in the streets.