72 - Devon Folk

From small beginningsDOWN IN AVICARAGE GARDEN ......Ifyou enjoy singing to folk songs and if you like country dancing or morris, the chances are that youare using material collected by Cecil Sharp (1859 -1924). This year marks the centenary of CecilSharp's first folk song collecting in the village of Hambridge, Somerset, where he heard the vicaragegardener, John England, singing 'The Seeds of Love'.At the time Sharp was ateacher of music in Hampstead Conservatoire in London and LudgroveSchool in Hertfordshire. He had already published abook of songs for home &school use, some ofwhich were folk songs from Baring-Gould's collecting. When he heard John England sing, Sharp wasstaying with his friend, the Rev. Charles Marson, vicar of Hambridge, and during the followingweeks they collected afurther 41 songs from in and around the village. Cecil Sharp went on to collectsome 1500 songs in the county, many published in five volumes of Folk Songs From Somerset, aswell as collecting many Morris dances, English sword dances and country dances.The centenary of Cecil Sharp's first folk song collecting is being celebrated in Somerset in three waysduring August:From Wednesday 20th to Friday 22nd an international conference, 'English Folk Song -CecilSharp in Context' for folklorists and folk song enthusiasts is to be held at Dillington House, nearIlminster, under the directorship of Eddie Upton and Derek Schofield. (Cost £38 per day, £90 for 3days, non-residential).On Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th a Community Festival will take place in Hambridge village,with workshops, performances, concerts, exhibitions and acommunity play. The line-up of artistsincludes Waterson-Carthy, Dr. Faustus, New Scorpion Band, John Kirkpatrick, Gina Le Faux,Shirley Collins, Eddie Upton, The Stanchester Choir &many others. (Cost £25 for the weekend orpay as you go per concert).10PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com