THIS PROJECT IS MODELED ON THE HARRY SMITH ANTHOLOGY OF 1952, THE ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC. HARRY SMITH GATHERED 84 BALLADS, SONGS, FIDDLE TUNES, BLUES, TOPICAL SONGS, AND SACRED SONGS FROM RECORDINGS MADE IN THE 1920S AND 30S THAT HE HAD COLLECTED. HIS ANTHOLOGY, ISSUED BY FOLKWAYS RECORDS, INTRODUCED MUSICIANS IN THE 1950S TO A HERITAGE OF AMERICAN MUSIC THAT WAS FORGOTTEN BY MANY, AND THE LPS WERE THE INSPIRATION FOR A GENERATION OF FOLK MUSICIANS. CLICK HERE FOR ACCESS TO THE ORIGINAL RECORDINGS AND LINER NOTES AS WELL AS CONTEMPORARY NOTES.
THE STUDENTS OF MUSIC/AMERICAN STUDIES 420 (MUSIC IN AMERICAN FOLK REVIVALS) CREATED THEIR OWN ANTHOLOGY AS PART OF THEIR MIDTERM PROJECT. THEY WERE EACH GIVEN A WELL-KNOWN “HIT” TUNE (BALLAD, SONG, FIDDLE TUNE) AND ASKED TO RESEARCH THE “LIFE” OF THE TUNE THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY ON WHICH WE CONCENTRATED. THEY WERE TO UNCOVER THE TUNE’S ORIGINS, HOW THE TUNE CAME TO HAVE THE ICONIC STATUS THAT IT DOES, HOW IT IS USUALLY PERFORMED, WHO HAVE BEEN THE MAJOR PERFORMERS OF THE TUNE, WHAT KIND OF PERFORMANCE ISSUES AND PRACTICES THE TUNE RAISES, AMONG OTHER QUESTIONS. IN ADDITION TO THE ANTHOLOGY ENTRIES HERE, THEY SUBMITTED AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY/DISCOGRAPHY AND WROTE A 3-PAGE ESSAY ON THE TUNE AND THEIR FINDINGS.
THE FOLLOWING “KEY” TO EACH ENTRY IS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE ORIGINAL ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC. EACH STUDENT FURTHER ADDED THE FULL BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION FOR THE RECORDING THEY HIGHLIGHTED AS WELL AS A LINK THAT YOU CAN FOLLOW TO HEAR THAT PERFORMANCE.
