Child Ballad Books

Subject: Child Ballad Books With Music?
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 09:20 AM

I'm thinking of collecting some of the Child Ballad Books, but as nice as having words and learning tunes from others is, a book of lyrics isn't helpful to me without some tune.

Are there copies with music, or do I have to collect the tunes myself?

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Harmonium Hero
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 09:54 AM

Google Loomis House Press. They've been publishing the collection, with some of the tunes. The final volume is about to be published. They also currently have a reprint available of Bronson's tunes. Bronson did the same job with the tunes as Child did with the words - collecting all the available versions. This is a four volume set, available for a limited period. There is also a volume of selected ballad texts, if you don't want the whole set.
John Kelly.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: EBarnacle
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 11:25 AM

If you are in the Western Hemisphere, contact Dick or Susan at Camsco Music.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 05:31 PM

Seems like it's mostly US based. I'm allowed to be confused by the fact that these English songs are US based right?

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 05:31 PM

(I'm in the UK, btw)

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 05:40 PM

And Amazon has some of them. Thanks for the hints, I'll probably order the first volume now.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: tijuanatime
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 05:54 PM

Google 'Springthyme Records' and see what they have to offer - based in Scotland

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: GUEST,Steve Gardham
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 06:00 PM

Camsco were responsible for getting the Bronson volumes reprinted at very reasonable prices. Considering that prior to this they were so scarce that single volumes were selling for hundreds of pounds, you would do well to contact Dick. He has a supplier in the UK so you wouldn't have to pay a great deal of postage.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 06:16 PM

DrugCrazed -
If you order a set of four volumes of Bronson directly from CAMSCO (camscomusic.com)we throw in a searchable CDR of all four volumes... a handy adjunct.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Tootler
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 06:25 PM

Link to Springthyme music home page.

There are links from there to both the full four volume set of Bronson: "The Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads" and to the abridged version "The Singing Tradition of Child's Popular Ballads" where you can order them.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 08:09 PM

Didn't realise how rare these were.

Dick, I'll probably send a PM your way. $200 works out to be something like 3 quid now doesn't it? :P

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 11:24 PM

Drug Crazed, I've bought both the Loomis House Child and the Bronson tunes books, and I've been absolutely satisfied. These books cost a lot of money, but they're wonderful.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 10 Aug 11 - 11:47 PM

DC ~~ no wonder they are US based. Child was a professor at Harvard, and Bronson at Princeton.

~M~

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 11 Aug 11 - 05:48 AM

Drug needs to do more folk history.

The books look beautiful...

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: GUEST,Jack Campin
Date: 11 Aug 11 - 06:08 AM

I have these, from Camsco via their UK agent. They're terrific and so was the service.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 11 Aug 11 - 06:30 AM

"Seems like it's mostly US based. I'm allowed to be confused by the fact that these English songs are US based right?"

Both Child and Bronson were American academics.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: GUEST,SteveG
Date: 11 Aug 11 - 06:21 PM

British academics are known to occasionally dabble, but 'dabble' just about covers it!

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: GUEST,SteveG
Date: 11 Aug 11 - 06:27 PM

DC
Of the two, without taking anything away from Child's brilliant pioneering efforts, the Bronson is far superior, and not just because it has all the tunes. Child tried to be inclusive and therefore by his own admission was forced to include much that was spurious and much that had never appeared in oral tradition, whereas Bronson was taking ballads that had come from oral tradition and were much more likely to be genuine.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Joe_F
Date: 11 Aug 11 - 10:28 PM

It is now well into August, but the Web site still has Vol. V "in preparation".

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Van
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 07:42 PM

I have a set of 5 volumes published by Dover which I bought around 1970/71 and am open to offers as I no longer refer to them. Postage and a few beer vouchers. otherwise free to a good home. I am UK based.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Aug 11 - 07:51 PM

That's generous of you, Van. It used to be that Dover editions of Child would go for up to $50 a volume. When Dover reissued its edition a few years ago, the price for used Dover sets dropped dramatically. But still, it's a generous offer from Van.

I think I'll match Van's offer for U.S. Mudcatters. First U.S. Mudcatter who asks for them, can have my Dover set for free - as soon as my Volume 5 of the Loomis House edition arrives. This is in gratitude to Blessings Barbara and other Mudcatters who have been so nice to send things to me without charge.

-Joe-

---

The books have been claimed, and will go to a nice home. -Joe, 17 August-

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Joe_F
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 08:38 PM

I rashly gave my Dover volumes away when I bought the Heritage Muse digital version in 2004. It was nice when it worked, but involved endless agony, beginning with the installation, and needed a patch every time Adobe Acrobat was updated; at length (2009) it became unpatchable because of something to do with the security software. Heritage Muse seems to have evaporated; its Web site still exists, but the links go nowhere. Accordingly, the Loomis House project will be very welcome if it is ever finished, but I'm not holding my breath.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Aug 11 - 10:05 PM

I think we're on the home stretch with Loomis House - it's been ten years since the first volume was published, and I don't know if I would have bought Volume 1 if I knew it would take ten years to get Volume 5. But I don't think they'd announce a July publication date for the fifth volume if the book weren't almost completely finished. Volume 5 will include Ballads 266-305, but it won't include the appendix included in the Dover edition because the appendix has been incorporated with the songs in the appropriate volumes. So, I wonder if Volume 5 will be really skinny, or if it will have some pleasant surprises.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: ollaimh
Date: 14 Aug 11 - 12:28 PM

is bronson the one thast includes the tunes?

there was one that included the music which to a celtoid player is essential--none of that ffffing accapella from the instrumentally challenged for me.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: ollaimh
Date: 14 Aug 11 - 12:34 PM

ps
for those not instrumentally handicapped--the straloch manuscript and the rowan allan manuscript do contain many tunes for the ballads. they were however gathered in the seventeenth century so they do not conform to child's numbering or arrangements and back then tunes moved around more. one tune might easily be used for different songs at different times.

i particualrilly like the tune for the battleof otterburn and for grey steil.

there is a written reference in the royal achhives of scotland that james the forth paid two musicians(a harper and a singer) four hundred pounds to perform gery steil. it says it took the whole of two evenings. a rennsissance mini series.

when i performed it for medievalists i would pick out a ten minute bit of relatively discrete action and give a talk first to set the scene them play and sing for ten or fifteen minutes. not many will listen to a nine hour song.

Subject: RE: Child Ballad Books
From: DrugCrazed
Date: 14 Aug 11 - 06:48 PM

Van, I'll pm you. If I forget, or you don't see, check there