Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp was born on November 22, 1859 at Camberwell, London. His parents were both very musical and throughout his childhood he was exposed to music through the playing of the pianoforte. In 1896, he became principal of the Hampstead Conservatoire of Music, and remained in that position until 1905, when he decided to devote himself to folk music. This thought occurred after witnessing a performance of the Morris dance. He realised the value of folk-songs as a foundation for musical education and in 1902, published a “Book of British Song”, a compilation of national and folk-songs taken from printed sources [1].
"Folk-Songs from Somerset"
After the publication of Sharp's "Book of British Song" he began to think more seriously about collecting folk-songs himself. He first visited rural districts in Somerset, being specifically attracted to the county by the Rev. Charles Marson. In 1904, the first volume of “folk-songs from Somerset” were issued under the joint editorship of Mr. Sharp and Mr. Marson [1].
Searching For Lambs is a Somerset folk-song collected and arranged by Cecil Sharp. It is featured on the first edition of the fourth series of his "Folk-Songs from Somerset". This piece's copyright was renewed by Novello and Company, apart of their "Novello School Song" series. Novello states that educational publishing was an important part of their company [2], and therefore brought many of Sharp's arrangements into the series.
The English Folk-Dance Society
Sharp was now so devoted to the cult that he gave up all other work in music and spent his whole time in collecting, editing, and disseminating folk-songs and dances. One of his most effective methods of popularising the subject has been through lectures, of which he gave seventy annually. In 1911, The English Folk-Dance Society (EFSS) was formed and their objective was “to disseminate a knowledge of English folk-dances, singing games, and folk-songs, and to encourage the practice of them in their traditional forms” [3]. The folk-dance movement was moved by Cecil J. Sharp, who emphasised the artistic and educational side of the movement, “The discovery of English folk-song…places in the hand of the patriot, as well as of the educationalist, an instrument of great value”.
School Songs
My Boy Willie (Worcestershire)
My Boy Willie (Worcestershire) is another piece published by Novello and Company and featured on their "School Songs" series. Indications that show the piece is meant for learning purposes include:
- Solfege notations
- Key indications
- Verse numbering
The final page shows a number of "folk and national songs arranged with descants", thus promoting more folk music in schools and to his audience.
Soldier, Soldier, won't you marry me?
This piece is yet again renewed by Novello and featured in their "School Songs" series, displaying the same educational elements as the other songs in the series. On the final page of the piece, there is an advertisement for "A Selection of Some Less Known Folk-Songs, Vol. 2" by both Cecil J. Sharp, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and others; this proves their common efforts to revive folk-music.
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Works Cited:
[1] “Mr. Cecil Sharp.” The Musical Times, vol. 53, no. 836, 1912, pp. 639–643. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/906770. Accessed 31 Oct. 2017.
[2] Music Sales Classical, www.musicsalesclassical.com/Companies/Novello.
[3] “History.” The English Folk Dance and Song Society, www.efdss.org/efdss-about-us/history. Accessed 2 Nov. 2017.