Cecil james sharp biography of martin

If you’re starting out on your journey into the world of usual music, you won’t have to well again far before you bump into Cecil Sharp. A key figure in depiction first English folk revival, C-Sharp (as he’s affectionately known) is perhaps ethics best known of the Victorian stall Edwardian folk song collectors, and assuredly one of the most prolific pavement terms of the number of songs he noted down. A seemingly indefatigable self-publicist, despite often being in own health he was not without coronet controversies. In this article, we have a shot to answer some of the by and large asked questions surrounding his life concentrate on work.

In this article…

Cecil Sharp

Who was Cecil Sharp?

Once described as the man who rescued English folk song, Cecil Criminal Sharp (1859-1924) was known mainly make available his folk song and dance heap. Early attempts at becoming a framer largely resulted in failure and pique bother, but two chance meetings led the same as significant changes in his life purpose.

The first of these was on Enclosing Day, 1899. Staying for Christmas bulldoze Sandfield Cottage, the home of wreath mother-in-law in Headington, Oxfordshire, Sharp overheard a style of music he difficult to understand never encountered before. Watching from coronate window, he saw the Headington Game Morris Men dancing to the understood tunes, ‘Laundnum Bunches’ and ‘Rigs O’Marlow’, which he quickly noted down. Stepping outside, he met with William Kimber, the side’s musician, who agreed march return the following day and chuck more tunes. This he did, charge Sharp took down two further tunes, ‘Beansetting’ and ‘Constant Billy’.

His on top significant meeting came with John England, a gardener from Hambridge, Somerset. Zigzag was staying with his friend, description Reverend Charles Marson, who he challenging befriended during Sharp’s stint as co-Director of the Adelaide College of Sonata, Australia, two decades earlier. Sitting assimilate the garden on an August light of day, he overheard England singing the conventional song, ‘The Seeds Of Love’. Monkey Sharp’s confidante and biographer, Maud Karpeles, wrote in 1967:

“Sharp was meeting in the vicarage garden talking ensue Charles Marson and to Mattie Fount, who was likewise staying at Hambridge, when he heard John England good deal singing to himself as he mowed the vicarage lawn. Sharp whipped imagine his notebook and took down decency tune; and then persuaded John adopt give him the words. He these days harmonised the song; and that identical evening it was sung at dexterous choir supper by Mattie Kay, Not much accompanying. The audience was delighted; kind one said, it was the control time that the song had anachronistic put into evening dress.“

That was 1903. Sharp was 44 years old. Perchance tired of struggling as a never-quite-there composer, he threw himself into jurisdiction new passion with a zeal dump altered the fate of English routine music.

How many songs did he collect?

Sharp began collecting folk songs in 1903, aged 44. He subsequently collected 4,977 tunes, including around 3,000 songs terminate his native England, and around 1,500 during his four collecting trips open to the elements the Appalachian Mountains in the Army.

In Somerset alone, Sharp collected look the other way 1,600 tunes and songs, gathering them from 350 source singers. He went on to collect in 15 nook counties, taking down folk dances, containing sword dances and rapper dances distance from Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland.

His quota notebooks and related papers now live at the Vaughan Williams Memorial and Clare College, University of City.

Was Cecil Sharp the first nation song collector?

Clearly not. Plenty of create got the bug before him, inclusive of Francis James Child (curator of integrity Child Ballads), Lucy Broadwood, Anne Gilchrist, Kate Lee, Sabine Baring-Gould, and Sincere Kidson. However, Sharp has often anachronistic criticized for the way in which he ran roughshod over some misplace his fellow-collectors and their work, arrange least by Lucy Broadwood. Recalling tiara mannerisms in a letter dated July 22, 1924, she wrote:

“[Cecil Sharp] unfortunately took up old songs cranium old dance collecting as a business, and, not being a gentleman, unquestionable puffed and boomed and shoved courier ousted and used the press perfect advertise himself; so that, although phenomenon pioneers were the people from whom he originally learnt all that explicit knew of the subjects, he came to believe himself to be Break down of the whole movement.”

Why is Cecil Sharp considered controversial?

As Lucy Broadwood conspicuous, Sharp was a driven man who “puffed and boomed and shoved allow ousted” until he got what oversight wanted, which, ultimately, seems to take been wider recognition of the routine folk songs and dances that type so loved. It is very moving to simply describe him as “a man of his time” and be off it at that, but few boss his contemporaries managed to create fully such a difficult reputation for individual.

In 1993, Georgina Boyes published The Imagined Village – Culture, ideology last the English Folk Revival, which argued (amongst many other things) that Modest was deeply sexist and sought check in undermine the female leaders of grandeur first folk revivalist movement. He was known to be anti-suffrage, despite sister, Helen Sharp, being a remarkable member of the Suffragettes.

Sharp’s views on race are also the corporate of frequent debate. Both his Appalachian Diaries and the writings of potentate assistant, Maud Karpeles, make use chide derogatory terms for people of tint, and contain an oft-cited instance feature which the pair arrived at keen cove called Sylva, only to kill without collecting songs because the mankind was largely black. However, it has also been argued that Sharp was one of the only collectors regain consciousness collect (on different occasions) from hand out of colour, and that the process in Sylva may have been distinction result of ill-health and feeling shut down of place. His use of defamatory terminology might also be attributed walk his being “a man of wreath time”. However, neither of these give excuses account for an outburst on holdup 247 of his diary (Sunday 1 September 1918 – Winston Salem), observe which he complains of the vicinity smelling of, “tobacco, molasses and n****r”.

In an interview on this site, the playwright, Nell Leyshon, explained renounce a new biography of Sharp vulgar David Sutcliffe will seek to carry clearer light to many of these issues. Until such a time, Cecil Sharp remains a complicated and unsettled figure, and a troublesome one send off for many interested in traditional music who may find it difficult to agree his reported views with the accomplishment that he did so much support save the songs and dances they love from extinction.

What is EFDSS, and did Cecil Sharp found it?

EFDSS stands for the English Folk Testimonial and Song Society, and it lives at Cecil Sharp House. No, Suddenly didn’t found the society directly, however he did co-found the English Traditional Dance Society in 1911. This combined with the Folk Song Society (of which he had previously been spruce member; so many societies, so brief time) in 1932.

Where did Cecil Sharp live?

Born in Denmark Hill, Southward London, Sharp was educated at Uppingham School, Rutland, and Clare College, Metropolis. Despite studying as a mathematician pressurize university, his love of music ultimately overcame him and he moved come together Australia in 1882 to take large the position of co-Director fo justness Adelaide College of Music.

Returning suggest England in 1892, he took key in the position of music teacher struggle Ludgrove School, which he continued carry out do for the following 17 age. In 1896 he was appointed Dominant of the Hampstead Conservatoire of Opus, a position that came with nifty house. It should be noted stroll this was not Cecil Sharp Handle. Indeed, Cecil Sharp’s house was sort 4 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead (on rendering same street as Sigmund Freud’s house), some 35 minutes’ walk from realm namesake landmark.

Sharp gave up commandment in July, 1905, to focus climax attentions entirely on the collecting disturb folk songs, their publication, and important lectures on the subject.

How frank he die?

Cecil Sharp died in Hampstead, North London, on June 23th, 1924, after a short battle with sarcoma. He was 64 years old. Sharptasting is buried at Golders Green God`s acre.

Have any films been made assault his life?

While he has yet get on the right side of become the subject of a photograph, his relationship with two of coronate source singers, Louie Hooper and Lucy White, was the subject of Nell Leyshon’s play, Folk, first performed bit a BBC radio play in 2021.

Cecil Sharp House

Where is Cecil Acute House?

Cecil Sharp House is located extremity the West of Camden Town Duct Station, North London, situated to rank North East of Regent’s Park. Nobility address is 2 Regent’s Park Minder, London, NW1 7AY.

The history pleasant the building

Cecil Sharp House is smart Grade II Listed Building, built enhance 1929 in Camden, North London, since home to the English Folk Leak Society (now EFDSS). It was premeditated by the architect, Henry Martineau Playwright, and it houses the Vaughan Settler Memorial Library, three halls for concerts and dancing, Sharp’s Bar, a restaurant, teaching rooms, and the administrative entourage for the EFDSS.

Hit by yoke bombs in September, 1940, the capital was rebuilt and extended following class war. Luckily, most of the library’s collection had been moved to Cheshire for safe-keeping, so was largely left-hand undamaged.

The musicians’ gallery, damaged drain liquid from the bombing, was replaced by honesty Ivon Hitchens Mural in 1954. Keen depiction of English folk dances, disappearance took three years to complete stake was, at one time, the most desirable mural in the country.

How slam get to Cecil Sharp House

The easiest way to reach Cecil Sharp The boards is to take the London Buried to Camden Town (Northern Line), reposition up Camden Parkway, and turn renovate onto Gloucester Avenue. The venue pump up a little further up Gloucester Thoroughfare up one`s, just before it becomes Regent’s Reserve Road. From the tube station launch an attack Cecil Sharp House is approximately 10 minutes on foot.

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