One Hundred English Folksongs (For Medium Voice) (Paperback)

~ Cecil J. Sharp (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

English folk music collector Cecil J. Sharp (1859-1924) was one of the most renowned musicologists in the area of true folksong, and these 100 folksongs were all collected by him from actual singers all across Britain. Arranged for medium voice and piano. An unabridged, unaltered republication of the original 1916 edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 235 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (June 1, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486231925
• ISBN-13: 978-0486231921
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #221,857 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasure to Sing, May 24, 2000

By A Customer

The collection of songs in this book was well researched and amusing. The songs were a wide range of music from drinking diddies to lullabies. The instruction in this book was clear and easy to understand. Many people at Renn Fairs got a kick out of hearing some of them. A good read in all. A must for Renn Fair singers!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Folksong History, September 29, 2007

By	Dianne Tillotson (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book, while it contains a collection of traditional songs, is probably of more value to those interested in the history of folksong collecting that to folk music performers. For starters, the music is written for piano, with no guitar chords, and who plays folk music on a piano these days?
Nevertheless, Cecil Sharp was a very important early collector of folk songs, and appears to have had a great ear for melody. The tunes in this book are often subtly more beautiful than other better known variants. Unfortunately, he was also a serious prude, so that more robust and interesting sets of lyrics can be found in other collections. One tiny example is the substitution of "maiden name" for "maidenhead" in the song "The Two Magicians". So find some other words and work out your own chords.
There are notes on the histories of each song, and these are fascinating. The collection documents one stage in the wobbly history of what we call folk song.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars On Hundred English Folksongs (For Medium Voice), January 18, 2008

By	T. M. Quinn "Lawyer, Mom of Two" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Really nicely preserved collection of folksongs from an anthropological standpoint. Would not recommend this book for the average female looking for conventional performance songs as most are written from a male perspective. I, personally, love the collection, but I think I have an unconventional aesthetic for a female.