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This fraction gives us an evaluation of the dwindling classical ballad tradition in
Newfoundland to counter the cliche that it is "dead or dying."
In the last sixteen years, forty-six versions belonging to sixteen ballad types have been
recorded from twenty-seven singers. Of this corpus, thirty-five versions have been
obtained from twenty previously unrecorded singers. These figures attest that, if the
classical ballads represent but a minor portion of the whole contemporary singing repertoire
of the island, the tradition is still being transrniltcd in some appreciable proportion. This
observation, interestingly, echoes the case for Scotland:
On every level, from commercial to amateur, bal1ads fonn a small but
signific3m proportion of the material performed, which is really quite
amazing, since the ballad tradition was supposed to have died in the
eighteenth century.l
Thirteen of the sixteen types encountered more recently cluster at the top of the
frequency scale (Ch 77, 20, 100,93, 53, 84, 78, 81, 286, 4, 278, 54, 17). This
correlation between frequency and durability speaks for the representative accuracy of
ballad collecting in the province. Folksong collecting has been quite continuous between
1920 and the present, due in recent years particularly to the efforts of Kenneth Goldstein,
Wilfred Wareham and associates, who have carried out methodical and systematic
collecting in areas covering most of the province. Since 1972, only the years 1975 and
1982 have failed to yield any classical ballad to MUNFLA. As well, the diverse itineraries
of the previous collectors suggest that the ballads have been traced throughout the province
rather than in any panicular areas. These academic efforts reveal a balanced dissemination
of the ballad tradition over the province. The twenty-seven singers recorded since 1972
come in fairly equal proportions (varying from 1 to 6) from S1. John's, the Southern Shore
(Cape Broyle), Placentia Bay (Ferndale, Southeast Bight, Tack's Beach, Placentia, Fox
Harbour, Patrick's Cove), Bonavista Bay (Lethbridge, Cull's Harbour, Centreville), the
Great Northern Peninsula (Bellburns, S1. Paul's, White Bay), the West Coast
(Stephenville, Port-aux-Basques), the South Middle Coast (Burgeo, Ramea, Burnt
Islands), the Burin Peninsula (S1. Lawrence), Hermitage Bay (Francois) and Fogo Island
(town of Fogo). Taken together, these facts support the accuracy of the documentation of
the local ballad singing tradition, which favours analysis and supports its credibility. This
tSheila Douglas, "The Ballad on the Scottish Folkscene," The Ballad Today. Proc. of the 13th
International Folk Ballad Conference. Held at the Centre for EngliSh Cultural Tradition
find Language, University of Sheffield, England, 18·23 July 1982, cd. Georgina Boycs
(Doncastcr: January, [985) 42.