Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Notes:

Underscores “_” before and after a word or phrase indicate _italics_
in the original text.
Equal signs “=” before and after a word or phrase indicate =bold=
in the original text.
Small capitals have been converted to SOLID capitals.
Illustrations have been moved so they do not break up paragraphs.
Old or antiquated spellings have been preserved.
Typographical errors have been silently corrected.

ENGLISH FOLK-SONG AND DANCE

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
London: FETTER LANE, E.C.
C. F. CLAY, MANAGER

Edinburgh: 100 PRINCES STREET
Bombay and Calcutta: MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD.
Toronto: J. M. DENT & SONS, LTD.
Tokyo: THE MARUZEN KABUSHIKI-KAISHA

_All rights reserved_

ENGLISH FOLK-SONG
AND DANCE

BY
FRANK KIDSON
AND
MARY NEAL

Cambridge:
at the University Press
1915

CONTENTS

ENGLISH FOLK-SONG
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 3
I. DEFINITION 9
II. THE ORIGIN OF FOLK-SONG 11
III. THE CANTE-FABLE 15
IV. THE CONSTRUCTION OF FOLK-MUSIC 19
V. CHANGES THAT OCCUR IN FOLK-MUSIC 25
VI. THE QUALITY OF FOLK-SONG, AND ITS DIFFUSION 36
VII. THE MOVEMENT FOR COLLECTING ENGLISH FOLK-SONG 40
VIII. THE NOTING OF FOLK-MUSIC 47
IX. THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF FOLK-SONG 52
X. THE NARRATIVE BALLAD 53
XI. LOVE SONGS AND MYSTIC SONGS 57
XII. THE PASTORAL 60
XIII. DRINKING SONGS AND HUMOROUS SONGS 62
XIV. HIGHWAYMAN AND POACHER SONGS 64
XV. SOLDIER SONGS 66
XVI. SEA SONGS 67
XVII. PRESSGANG SONGS 69
XVIII. HUNTING AND SPORTING SONGS 70
XIX. SONGS OF LABOUR 71
XX. TRADITIONAL CAROLS 74
XXI. CHILDREN’S SINGING-GAMES 77
XXII. THE BALLAD SHEET AND SONG GARLAND 78
BIBLIOGRAPHY 86

ENGLISH FOLK-DANCE
INTRODUCTION 97
I. THE MORRIS DANCE TO-DAY 125
II. TUNES 130
III. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 132
IV. THE DRESS 136
V. EXTRA CHARACTERS 141
VI. THE SWORD DANCE 145
VII. THE FURRY DANCE 150
VIII. THE COUNTRY DANCE 152
IX. THE PRESENT-DAY REVIVAL OF THE FOLK-DANCE 158
X. CONCLUSIONS 167
BIBLIOGRAPHY 173

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

MORRIS DANCERS AT BAMPTON-IN-THE-BUSH, OXON. 97
(By kind permission of _The Daily Chronicle_)

ABINGDON DANCES, WHOSE TRADITION GOES BACK TO 1700 104
(From _The Espérance Morris Book_, Vol. I.,
by kind permission of Messrs J. Curwen & Son)

MORRIS DANCERS IN THE TIME OF JAMES I. 120

MORRIS DANCE AND MUSIC 125

(From the _Orchesographie_ of Thoinot-Arbeau,
British Museum)

WHIT-MONDAY AT BAMPTON-IN-THE-BUSH, OXON. 145
(By kind permission of _The Daily Chronicle_)

THE LOCK; CHARACTERISTIC OF SWORD DANCES 148
(From _The Espérance Morris Book_, Vol. II.,
by kind permission of Messrs J. Curwen & Son)

ENGLISH FOLK-SONG

BY FRANK KIDSON

_NOTE_

_I am indebted to Miss Lucy E. Broadwood
for permission to use a folk-tune of her
collecting, and for many helpful suggestions._

_F. K._