Folktrax - back online, May, 2009

Subject: RE: Folktrax - back online, May, 2009
From: Lighter
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 06:45 PM

Joe, apart from the title of the entry, boldface indicates recordings.

"PK" is Peter Kennedy. The virgules separate recordings - confusingly to my eye.

After the quoted opening line of the song comes the Roud Number (if any), which refers to Steve Roud's comprehensive index of English-language folk music titles. In this case, "HUGHES ICS 2 1914 p1 3v Co Tyrone" means that Herbert Hughes's "Irish Country Songs" (1914) prints a version from County Tyrone on p. 1 of Volume 2, and that the whole work consists of 3 volumes. The FTX link is to the Folktrax CD that contains a version.

In other words, it helps a lot to be familiar with the field! The catalogue undoubtedly started in the form of Kennedy's jotted bibliographic notes to himself!

The information on recordings is far clearer - I think. The FTX link is to the Folktrax CD that contains a version.

Subject: RE: Folktrax - back online, May, 2009
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Jul 09 - 06:05 PM

Here's an example of an entry from Folktrax. Can anybody explain what it all means, and why part is bold and part is not?

BARD OF ARMAGH, THE - "O list to the strain of a poor Irish harper" - ROUD#2654 - HUGHES ICS 2 1914 p1 3v Co Tyrone -- tune used for UNFORTUNATE RAKE ("The Streets of Laredo") - BLANTYRE EXPLOSION (Jon Raven) -- Margaret BARRY (with tune hummed) rec by PK 19/8/56: FTX-071/ SAYDISC SDL-407 1994 - Story on 7"RTR-0600 (AL-71)/ ROUNDER 11661-1774-2 1998 - CLANCY Brothers & Tommy MAKEM: TRADITION TLP-1042 1961/ CBS 63249 1968 - THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS: PICKWICK Allegro ALL-869 1967

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Martin Graebe
Date: 09 May 09 - 04:25 AM

Following the removal of the archive copy of Peter Kennedy's website from the Wayback m/c a permanent home has been found for it as a reference for researchers and others interested in his work and the folktrax* song catalogue. The following is the text of the message that I put out last month:

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Peter Kennedy website relaunched

Peter Kennedy died in June 2006 and his wife Beryl in April 2007. Once the arrangements for the future of his archive and papers were completed his website was closed in September 2007. A number of people expressed their regret that the information it contains was no longer available, since it was regarded as a useful resource for folk music researchers.

After discussion with the Kennedy family and other interested parties, it was agreed that we should seek a permanent home for the website as a small memorial to Peter and Beryl and to ensure that the information should be made available to those who valued it. It has taken a little while to find a home for the site but now Mark Heiman of Loomis House Press has agreed to host the site. Loomis House Press is the publisher of the highly regarded 'new' edition of Child's 'The English and Scottish Popular ballads' which recently reached volume four (See http://www.loomishousepress.com/)

The Peter Kennedy website can now be found at http://www.folktrax-archive.org/. It has been presented as it was at the time of Peter's death, except that the home page has been changed to explain what has been done and the commercial and contact pages have been adapted to the new situation. It is not planned that any further changes will be made.

I would like to thank Mark Heiman for his kind offer to host the site and for his work in modifying the website for re-publication. While it would be disingenuous to ignore the critical views sometimes expressed on some aspects of Peter's approach to his work, I think there are very few who would not recognise the value of the content and of Peter's life-long commitment to the music that he loved and which was a part of his family heritage and legacy.

Martin Graebe
April 2009

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The website does contain a mass of useful stuff - though its organisation makes it a little hard to find until you start to understand Peter's logic. The home page says a litle more about what has happened to Peter's Archive and future plans.

Good progress is being made in cataloguing the books and recordings for the Kennedy Grant Memorial Library at halsway Manor. Keep an eye on Topic's website for news of their re-issue of the material. Meanwhile, as said above, Dick has a selection available through Camsco.

One thing that I didn't mention is that a small collection of papers and a number of photographs from Peter's collection which and which had belonged to his Aunt Maud (Karpeles), were given by the Kennedy family to the Vaughan Williams Memorial library. Many of the photographs were from trips to the USA and Newfoundland.

Martin


* Peter spelt it uncapitalised

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Susan of DT
Date: 08 May 09 - 06:03 PM

As Dick said in February last year, above, he still has the 60 or so titles Camsco has been selling and will get most of the rest when Topic sorts our which they wish to produce.

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 May 09 - 02:51 PM

Hi, Susan-
I linked to the last update of the Folktrax Website that is available at archive.org, the Internet Archive Wayback Machine. You can find all archived copies of the Folktrax Website at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.folktrax.org, but some copies are incomplete.
The Website was always hard to read and interpret, but it did contain valuable information once you figured out how to read it. Peter Kennedy switched to the purple format sometime between April and November, 2005. He died 10 June 2006. The last edition of the Website at archive.org is dated 28 Sept 2007, but I suspect that's the last date it was archived by archive.org - not the last date the actual Folktrax Website was updated. The Folktrax Website was taken offline several months after Peter's death. Malcolm Douglas said above that there is thought of resurrecting the Website as a memorial to Peter, but that hasn't happened.

That last archived copy of the Folktrax Website says the Folktrax label ceased operations on 30 September, 2007, after the death of Peter Kennedy's widow, Beryl. Peter Kennedy's Folktrax recordings were to be available for listening at the British Library Sound Archive - but I don't think they're available online. Does Dick Greenhaus still have them available for sale at CAMSCO?

-Joe- -Joe-

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Susan of DT
Date: 08 May 09 - 08:54 AM

The people who maintain the website Joe listed above need to do a little work. On my computer most of the printing is black on deep purple and therefore invisible. Is it me or them?

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Joe Offer
Date: 07 May 09 - 11:50 PM

The last version of Peter Kennedy's Folktrax index is available at http://web.archive.org/web/20070928041316/http://www.folktrax.org/

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 06 Feb 08 - 04:44 AM

Folktrax continued for a time after Peter Kennedy's death, but on his widow Beryl's recent death it was closed and the website taken down. Martin Graebe has indicated that a revised version of the site will in due course be made available, probably via the Traditional Song Forum.

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 08:50 PM

CAMSCO has arranged with Topic to continue selling Folktrax CDs, at least until October 2009. I don't have the entire catalog (about 60 titles so far) but I'm trying to obtain the rest. The Folktrax notes, once I get them from Topic, will be available (at least for the CDs I'll have for sale) at camscomusic.com.

Unlike the CDs supplied by Folktrax, the ones sold by CAMSCO will have proper packaging and printing. I'm selling them for $18 (about 9 quid).

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Feb 08 - 08:13 PM

So, is Peter Kennedy's Folktrax Website completely gone now?
What about all the valuable song information once displayed on his website?

What about http://mustrad.org/ ???

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Oh, here's one:

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http://mustrad.org.uk/


But what about Folktrax??

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 14 May 03 - 08:41 PM

Hi-
The Entire Folktrax catalog (actually both, the UK and the Australian one) are available through CAMSCO. A bit less expensive than buying 'em fom England (or Australia)and a helluva lot simpler--Folktrax doesn't take credit cards and cheques or money orders must be in pounds sterling.

Subject: RE: Folktrax
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 May 03 - 02:41 PM

Well, there's a http://www.folktrax.com in Australia that looks interesting. I think, however, that you want http://www.folktrax.org or http://www.folktrax.freeserve.co.uk/ in the UK.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: Folktrax
From: paulo
Date: 14 May 03 - 02:35 PM

What happend to the "folktrax" catalouge.   There was lots of good stuff in there.   Is any of it available on CD.

paulo

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http://www.folktrax-archive.org/