One Hundred English Folksongs


Printed:	1975	Author:	Cecil Sharpe
Publisher:	Dover Publications Inc.	ISBN:	0486231925
Copyright:	Ditson 1916, 1944
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Publisher's blurb: "English folk music collector Cecil J. Sharp (1859-1924) was one of the most renowned musicologists in the area of true folk song, and these 100 folk songs were all collected by him from actual singers all across Britain. The tunes are presented precisely as they were originally taken down from the lips of the singers, and the lyrics are the best, most intelligible versions of the actual words and variants. Arranged for medium voice and piano, these songs are among the best in the English folk tradition, and through the survival of Border ballads and others in the United States, in the American folk tradition as well."
Personal remarks:
This is a beautiful book which I often refer to, especially the footnotes and the scholarly essay in the foreword. As it is a facsimile of the 1916 edition published by the Oliver Ditson Company, Boston, there are no guitar chords for guitar, concertina players et al, so these gentlemen and -women have their work cut out if they are not well grounded in music theory. On the other hand, folk singers can enjoy the only generally slightly bowdlerised lyrics quite untrammelled, and is indeed encouraged to do without accompaniment altogether. A great book! This is the source for: