Folk Song in England: Level One

Explore the rich history of the English folk tradition in this series of evening seminars given by the noted folk scholar Steve Roud.

The return of our popular course, presented in association with the Traditional Song Forum. A series of 6 fortnightly evening classes exploring the history and development of English traditional song, from around 1800 to 1950. Discuss and debate as you delve into this rich tradition.

“The course gave me a good ground knowledge of English folk song and the enthusiasm to pursue it” – participant

Please note - enrolment for this course is now closed.

Who’s it for?

For beginners or those with some knowledge of traditional song.

Class content

The class explores the history of traditional song from around 1800 to 1950, looking at themes including the many possible definitions of ‘folk’, the songs themselves, the singers, the places and times for singing, the music, cheap printed broadsides and other sources from which people learned songs, the folksong collectors, the scholars, and the beginnings of the post-War revival. Please note this is not a practical folk singing workshop.

Tutor

The course tutor is Steve Roud. Steve Roud has been researching folk topics for over thirty years. Previously a local studies librarian from Sussex, he is now a freelance writer and his publications include: the Oxford Dictionary of English Folklore, The Penguin Guide to Superstitions of Britain & Ireland, The English Year, London Lore, Lore of the Playground, and he is working on the New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs for the EFDSS. Steve works closely with the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library to provide access to the major manuscript and sound collections of the past and he is the designer and compiler of the two online database indexes, Folk Song Index and the Broadside Index, which are used by folk song scholars and enthusiasts across the world.