Huge Ballad Data Site

Subject: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Allan C.
Date: 04 Nov 99 - 10:52 AM

Did I say huge? I meant to say HUGE!

I just stumbled upon an incredible wealth of background information on one hell of a lot of folk songs. Be fore warned that this will take quite a while to load so don't even think about clicking here until you are sure you are ready. I am so excited to find this! If no link exists in the Mudcat links, (and I don't think there is one) I will put one there. I haven't even checked yet to see if this is only the tip of the iceberg. The address seems to indicate that there may be even more!

Below I will post a sample of what you might find there:

____________________
My Dearest Dear
DESCRIPTION: "My dearest dear, the times draws near When I and you must part, And no one knows the inner grief Of my poor aching heart." The (girl) wishes that they could stay together; (s)he promises to love (him) till (s)he dies, and begs that he write to her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1918
KEYWORDS: love separation lyric nonballad parting
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Randolph 760, "I Love You Well" (5 texts, 1 tune)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 40, "My Dearest Dear" (1 text, 1 tune)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 52-53, "Time Draws Near" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 108, "Winter's Night" (1 text, 1 tune, beginning with lyrics from this song but with final verses more characteristic of "The Storms Are on the Ocean")
DT, (REDREDR2)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Who Will Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot" (floating lyrics) and references there
ALTERNATE TITLES:
A-Roving on a Winter's Night
Notes: This is basically a lyric piece assembled from all sorts of floating materials. The first two lines are characteristic; what follows can come from almost anywhere. Doc Watson sings a version which includes combines parts of this song (notably the verse "A-roving on a winter's night") with portions of "My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose" (see DT REDREDR2). - RBW
File: SKE40

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Allan C.
Date: 04 Nov 99 - 11:28 AM

Here is the address of the homepage which includes other interesting possiblilities:

http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/

CSU Folklore

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Alice
Date: 04 Nov 99 - 11:35 AM

Thanks, Allan.

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Mían
Date: 04 Nov 99 - 11:53 AM

wow!

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Bruce O.
Date: 04 Nov 99 - 01:16 PM

The Traditional Ballad Index.

It's in Mudcat's Links, and has been in the links on my homepage for about a year and a half.

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Allan C.
Date: 04 Nov 99 - 01:35 PM

Quite right, Bruce. Once I checked the links, I discovered that this treasure was hiding there in plain sight the whole time. Such is the way with all "new" discoveries. One almost always finds that someone else had the same idea - if he were alive, you could ask Santos Dumont.

I believe this is the second reference you have made to your homepage in the past couple of months. And, while I know that I have it bookmarked because I know what a good resource it is, a whole lot of newcomers would have no idea where to find it. So, when you refer to it, perhaps it would be a good idea to put a blue clicky in the post.

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Ferrara
Date: 05 Nov 99 - 11:03 AM

Allan, that's a good suggestion. Bruce, is your home page also in the Mudcat links section? - Rita F

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Bruce O.
Date: 05 Nov 99 - 11:04 AM

Rita, no.

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Bill Cameron
Date: 05 Nov 99 - 04:13 PM

No credit to me, but I subscribed to the Ballad List (where the idea for the Ballad Index originated) for a couple of years. The list is populated by a bunch of scholarly well-informed types like Bruce O, Holly Tannen and --oh geez, names escape me,duh, but some pretty amazing folks--as well as a few awed folkie riff-raff hanging around the edges. The list was pretty quiet one month--then someone or other said, "say, why don't we cross-reference all the English-language ballads in the various collections by type, titles and alternates, theme etc." and suddenly there was this explosion of activity as people started to discuss the ins and outs, mechanics, and division of labor--Bob Waltz took responsibility for coordinating and compiling-- (it was kind of "pick a book", starting with Child, then Doerflinger, etc. etc.).

You see the result. This was an outstanding example of spontaneous Net-provoked collaborative scholarship. Somebody ought to write a thesis on its gestation.

Who me? I didn't do nothin. Just watched em go.

The list is [e-mail]

Bill

Subject: RE: Huge Ballad Data Site
From: Bruce O.
Date: 05 Nov 99 - 04:49 PM

Dick Greehhaus has been on it longer than I have. I'm not sure if Susan of DT got back on after some disruption of to her web address. Several other Mudcaters are on it also, and there are a few pros that watch silently. Alas the new list-server doesn't let one get a complete listing of all users e-mail addresses.