James Moorhead 2003

In the Celtic ballad tradition, the worlds of oral and literary culture are intertwined in a complex and fascinating relationship. Early twentieth century scholars debated the true origins of popular ballads, over whether they began as individual compositions or as musical stories that emerged from a collective folk culture. Although we will probably never be able to prove a definitive answer to this question, popular ballads seem to be oral in their origins while influenced by a symbiotic relationship to literary culture. We can trace the origins of ballads back several centuries, due primarily to the work of Francis Child, who recorded hundreds of popular ballads from folk at the end of the nineteenth century. His collection of written music became known as the “Child ballads.” In the 1950’s, ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax made seminal sound field-recordings of these ballads that had survived generations of oral transmission, providing a recorded archive for the Child ballads as a living tradition. Over time, the influences that oral culture and literary culture have had in the preservation of the ballad tradition have changed. While farmers, tinkers, and working people often learned ballads through a rite of storytelling, many scholars knew of the ballads only as a form of written poetry towards the end of the nineteenth century.

In many of the Child ballads such as “The Unquiet Grave”, elements of the supernatural pervade throughout the story. Frequent references to ghosts and magicians occur. Child Ballads that abound with the supernatural have a common origin in the eighteenth century, whereas earlier balladic references to the supernatural were limited to Satan or to elves. My project seeks to illuminate what elements of literary and oral culture influenced the fascination with the supernatural that appears in the eighteenth century Child ballads. In turn, I hope to shed light on the general origins of the Child ballads, as well. Perhaps I will find that the nature of oral storytelling lends itself more to fantastical references than literature does at the time. I might find that literature of the eighteenth century is actually a greater source of supernatural motifs influencing the Child ballads. As a folk tradition, a point of interest might be whether or not the oral keepers of the tradition believed in the supernatural motifs of their stories, and whether present participants of the folk tradition accept the same motifs as truth.

I plan to research issues of folklore surrounding this question with the abundant resources of the Folklore Society Library of the Warburg Institute, London. The Folklore Institute also maintains a rich archival collection at University College, London. I also plan to take advantage of the large collection of ballads, criticism, and ballad literature at the School of Celtic and Scottish Studies, University of Edinburgh. Aside from literary research, the oral nature of the ballad tradition calls for a look at how the performance of singing ballads continues as a living tradition today. Many families, especially in rural areas, continue to pass down the ballad tradition through each generation. As a result of the folk revival of the 1960’s, others have pursued the singing of ballads out of interest or cultural pride. Thus, we see a time at hand when it becomes difficult to distinguish the impact of oral culture from that of literary culture in the preservation of this tradition. By observing how the performance of ballads continues in taverns, in homes, in festivals, and perhaps on tinker campgrounds, I hope to gain insight into the current roles that oral and literary culture play in preserving the tradition. Aside from recording these performances with a high-quality, portable mini-disc recorder, I hope to interview performers on their personal experiences as participants in the ballad tradition. By focusing on the performance of ballads that reference the supernatural, I hope to gain insight into the oral and literary elements that influenced this fascination of the eighteenth century. Moreover, I hope to compare any variants of ballads in my recordings to those made by Alan Lomax.

I have been in contact with the Folklore Society and the University of Edinburgh, institutions that have been helpful in directing me to specific taverns, rural areas, and families that would be willing to share their traditions. One such area of focus is Aberdeen, home to many such as the Ritchies and Robertsons, families that continue the ballad tradition with new generations of performers. I also plan to attend the Festival of Traditional Singing held at the University of Aberdeen from July 25 to 27. In addition, I will observe Saturday night “ceilidhs” hosted by the University of Aberdeen, parties where locals perform ballads and other folk traditions.

While this aspect of my research is ethnographic, I feel that the observation and analysis of ballads as they are performed now is essential to understanding ballads as both a living and literary tradition. By observing and interviewing present-day performers, I hope to shed light on the relationship between oral and literary influences of the past. Specifically, I hope to gain a better understanding of these influences as they pertain to the eighteenth century balladic fascination with the supernatural.

As a double major in English and music, I feel that I have a sufficient background to pursue such a topic of interdisciplinary nature. Professor Timothy Taylor, the Celtic expert of the music department, has assisted me in part in understanding the musical aspects of my project. Having taken a course in ethnomusicology, I feel prepared for the ethnographic aspects of my research.