The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #138245 Message #3164576
Posted By: Jim Carroll
03-Jun-11 - 03:02 AM
Thread Name: Ballad Books
Subject: RE: Ballad Books
"I don't want to see it in another ballad book."
I think it depends on the purpose of the book Joe.
We have a large collection of English language ballad and song books, and it is interesting to compare say, Sharp's Appalachian versions with Davis's West Virginia ones, or Randolph's Ozark or North Carolina sets..... and then look at them to find what changes have taken place with their having crossed the pond.
I would agree that there are a number of pot-boilers that simple take their examples from other collections, but I feel that the serious collections quite often carry information that takes our undertanding just that little bit further.
Quite often, the value of having these collections lies in the annotations.
Not too long ago I became aware of, and acquired a copy of Cazden, Hautfrecht and Studer's 'Folk Songs of the Catskills' and am staggered by (and extremely grateful for) the work that has gone into annotating the songs.
Long may collections like these continue to be produced.
Jim Carroll