Accession Number: 18
The Appalachian Ballad and Folk Music Collection
.4 linear ft.
Online Catalog Record (BANC)

Overview
Series Description
Series I - Handwritten/Typed Song Texts
Series II - Published Songbooks
Series III - Pamphlet and Booklet
Series IV - Magazine Articles
Series V - Newspaper Clippings
Series VI - Correspondence
Series VII - Bibliographies
Series VIII - Miscellany

Access and Use:

Preferred Citation: The Appalachian Ballad and Folk Music Collection, Berea College Special Collections & Archives, Berea, Ky.

Overview of the Collection

This collection consists of both handwritten / typewritten and published texts and music notations dating mainly from the period 1900-1950. It includes ballads, shape-note and other hymns, rhymes, spirituals, shanties, labor songs, and commercial country music songs. Also included are related magazine articles, newspaper clippings, bibliographies, excerpts from Berea College music faculty annual reports, and correspondence between Berea College staff and music researchers.

College Related Archives:

• SAA 4 Katherine Jackson French Ballad Collection
• SAA 5 John F. Smith Ballad Collection
• SAA 6 James Watt Raine Ballad Collection
• SAA 13 Bradley Kincaid Papers
• RG 9, Box 1, Gladys V. Jameson

Series Description
1 Manuscript Box

These folders contain ballads, folk songs, hymns, and spirituals, some with musical notations, arranged alphabetically by title.

The book titles in this series of published songbooks are listed alphabetically, as are the songs from each book.

This series consists of a 1909 pamphlet advertising books relating to ballads and Scottish history, and a 1954 booklet that gives brief biographical information and photographs for several American country music performers.

This series comprises two folders of magazine articles dating from 1907 to 1972 on such topics as ballads and ballad collecting, rhymes, Bluegrass, and other types of music.

This series includes clippings dating from 1911 to 1975, on such topics as ballads, fiddlers’ contests, shaped-note singing, and zithers.

This series includes correspondence between Berea College faculty and music researchers, arranged chronologically, 1911 to 1927.

Several bibliographies of ballad and other folk music publications are included in this series.

Miscellaneous items included in this series are brief printed items relating to 1942 / 1954 Berea College Ballad performances, Edith Fitzpatrick James - “The Kentucky Songbird,” - James Watt Raine, and notes made by Elisabeth S. Peck.

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