Wiltshire Folk Arts

Contact Us :

Wiltshire Folk Arts
19 Whistley Road, Potterne, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 5QY
info@wiltshirefolkarts.org.uk
Office: 01380 726597
Bob : 07714 550990

Tinker's Bag

 

 

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Wiltshire Traditions Collection
In comparison to some of the following institutions and folk song collectors, we have but a reasonably modest number of books and recording that we have collected over the past 45 years. Also we have music books and recordings from Ron Morgan who passed them on to the organisation for it's use. Likewise, when the late Bernard Baker was moved to his nursing home his wife Kathleen gave all of Bernard's collected material to Wiltshire Traditions.

In particular the Baker Collection, as it will be known, has a huge number of dance notation booklets and periodicals and associated ephemera (including instruments) from over 50 years of activity in Wiltshire Social dance, Display Dancing and Morris, Children, Mumming, Song and Music. A real inspiration of his time, was Bernard, and is sadly missed.

Both of these collections will be collated and listings of items will eventually appear within these web pages for other interested parties to browse through. The collection will also be made accessible to interested parties, by appointment, and some items will be able to be borrowed for research purposes.

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Songs of Wiltshire
Bob and Gill Berry are still working on a project on Wiltshire songs and tunes which will culminate in a series of albums called "The Songs of Wiltshire". Plans are already underway with volume 1 of these and further albums will include some of Wiltshire's musicians. This will hopefully breathe new life into some of the old songs and introduce some of the new ones that are being written today.

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Vaughan Williams Library (Cecil Sharp House)
The Full English is one of the largest collections in the country of traditional Folk Song available and we will put up links for the library and the EFDSS at Cecil Sharp House. Members and non members of the EFDSS can have free access to all the material there and we will endeavor to provide listings of everything that is contained there about Wiltshire folk song.

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Peter Kennedy Collection.
One of the finest collectors of traditional folk songs and one who has a considerable number of recordings available not only of Wiltshire but in many other parts of the country too. Peters Web Site FOLKTRAX can be found here.

Chris Wildridge
Chris Wildridge has completed the transciption of all the Alfred Williams songs attributed to Wiltshire. In conjunction with Wiltshire Council he has formed one of the finest examples of collected works that is available on the web together with appropriate tunes where they can be identified. We will endeavour to work alongside him in this fine body of information and add links and additional information as and where we can. Sadly this is not currently available but we will put up a link to the songs as soon as it becomes available.

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Steve Roud's Folk Song Index
This is an extraordinary index of English/ British Folk Songs from across the country and certainly has a good number of Wiltshire songs in it. Many of his writings and listings are available via the EFDSS and Vaughan Williams Library

Village Music Project. (Village Music Project website)
John Adams started this project some years ago pulling together music from villages throughout the country. In comparing the styles and tunes it's quite possible to see how they have evolved as they traveled across the country and from village to village. It's interesting to see and how they have been adapted by local styles and instruments too. We are hoping to add some of the wiltshire music to this and see if there can be interesting variations locally of nationally known material.

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Rod Stradlings' excellent Musical Traditions web pages
Rod has a really excellent web page devoted to traditional music and song. A fine singer and musician himself, Rod has a broad knowledge of songs and singers covering a vast number of years and has some fine recordings under the Mustrad label. Do check out his web site.

Doc Rowe
The man who has a bit of everything. An extraordinary collector of music, song, recording, pictures, traditions, cultures, film and photographs,and a vast collection of ephemera of the folk world and beyond. The Doc Rowe Collection has outgrown his various homes and is now housed in a fully made for the purpose warehouse/library. Click on this link tosee what it's all about. The Doc Rowe Collection . Doc was awarded an honorary doctorate in music at the University of Sheffield on 26th July 2002 and we can't think of anyone who deserves it more.

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