Cecil Sharp: His Life & Work

by Maud Karpeles

Others came before and after him but no person is more strongly associated with the revival of English folk song and dance at the turn of the twentieth-century than Cecil Sharp (1859-1924). He collected about 5000 folk songs and nearly 500 dances. This prodigious achievement is told by someone who perhaps knew him better than anyone else. Maud Karpeles was his assistant for many years and accompanied him on his expeditions to the Southern Appalachian Mountains. This remains the definitive biography of the greatest figure in the English folk song and dance movement.

Genres: Music, History, Biography

258 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 1955

About the author

Maud Karpeles OBE, (12 November 1885 – 1 October 1976) was a British collector of folksongs and dance teacher. Karpeles work closely with folklorist Cecil Sharp until his death in 1924. Between 1916 and 1918, Karpeles assisted Sharp in collecting Anglo-American songs in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and completed his wish to collect folk songs from Newfoundland.

Reviews

[Erin Mae Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning more about Cecil Sharp's life and work, but this wasn't an especially compelling biography.