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An Essential Resource of American Folk Music: The Samuel Bayard Collection at the Pennsylvania State University
- Author(s):
- Carl Rahkonen (see profile)
- Date:
- 2004
- Group(s):
- Music Library Association
- Subject(s):
- Bayard, Samuel Preston, Field recordings, Folk music, Pennsylvania, Fiddle tunes, Fife and drum corps music, Folk songs
- Item Type:
- Article
- Permanent URL:
- https://doi.org/10.17613/m0sk-5241
- Abstract:
- The lifelong work of Samuel Bayard was the collection of folk music and folk songs, especially from Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Bayard initially made transcriptions in the field, but between 1948 and 1963 he recorded some 68 performers – fiddlers, fifers, singers, and a few storytellers – on 28 reels of tape. He donated his audio collection, field documentation, and his large collection of early tune books to the Special Collections Department of the Pennsylvania State University Libraries. In the summer of 2001, with the help of an ARSC Grant, the author transferred Bayard’s field recordings onto compact disk and was able to study their contents and quality, as well as his other field materials. The Samuel Bayard Collection offers many insights into the researcher’s working methods and the value of his folk music research. Most significantly, we are able to hear the actual music from which he made his transcriptions. The collection is well indexed and accessible to researchers, especially now that the audio portions have been preserved. It is an essential resource for anyone studying the folk music of the region.
- Metadata:
- xml
- Published as:
- Journal article
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 10 months ago
- License:
- Attribution
- Share this:
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