Cecil Sharp
Cecil Sharp was in many ways the founder of English folk dance as we know
it today. He was responsible for collecting many dances (both social and
Morris) and for interpreting the historic Playford
dance collections that had been largely neglected. His contribution to
the recording, interpretation and popularisation of English folk traditions
was extremely significant. Today, with the advantage of hindsight, we may
have reservations about the rigorousness of his work and doubts about the
accuracy of his interpretations, but it should be remembered that he was
a pioneer in this field. Without his work and that of the people he taught
and enthused, the English folk heritage would be far, far poorer than it
is today.
Colin Hume has written an article debating the accuracy or otherwise
of Sharp's interpretation of siding.
This page last modified Tue Apr 2 1996 11:38:48
Rhod Davies
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