English Folk-Rock Movement

Continuity, Variation, and Authenticity in the English Folk-Rock Movement
Author(s): Robert G. H. Burns

Source: Folk Music Journal, Vol. 9, No. 2 (2007), pp. 192-218
Published by: English Folk Dance + Song Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4522807
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9 NUMBER2 PP. 192-218 ISSN0531-9684

FOLKMUSICJOURNAL VOLUME
Continuity; Varation,
and
Authenticity in the
Folk-rock Movement
English
Robert G. H. Burns
Thisarticlediscussesthe adaptationof Britishfolk musicfor performancein rockmusic
contexts,a combinationoften referredto as Englishfolk-rock.Thisfusion has createda
performance
forum that has becomepart of a newfolk musicrevivalwhichhas its origins
in thegrowthin popularityoffolkfestivalslinkedto worldmusic.It alsoembraces
theuseof
moderninstrumentation
and musictechnology
infolk-rockperformance,
and the reception
byfestivalaudiencesof Britishfolk musicperformedin moderncontextswhileretainingits
culturalrelevance
and identity.
A
tthe Folk-SongSocietyCentenaryConferencein 1998 therewereseveraldiscussions
,IN
oncerningthe re-evaluationof late twentieth-centurycriticismof Cecil Sharp's
work.'1Therewas a groundswellof supportfor Sharp,notablyfromVic Gammon,who
maintainsthathis own historicalcriticismof Sharpshouldnot be regardedasdenigration
and statesthat Sharpwas 'undoubtedlythe greatestfolk song collectorEnglandhasever
seen'.2In a laterdiscussionof Sharp'sdefinitionof Englishfolk music, Gammonrefers
to aestheticDarwinismin Sharp'sattemptto alignaspectsof the musicwith the theory
of evolution.3Sharpproposedthree principles- continuity,variation,and selection
- as a meansof explainingwhat he thoughtwas the communalorigin of folk songs.4
Theseprincipleswerelateradoptedby the InternationalFolk Music Council in 1954.
Gammon maintainsthat Sharp'sdefiningprinciplesare flawed,althoughhe suggests
thattheyprovideareasforfurtherdiscussion.5While Sharp'sframeworkcanbe criticized
for its lack of specificity,in that it is not confinedto folk music alone, I proposethat
the threeprinciplescan be takenout of theiroriginalcontextto provideusefulnominal
descriptorsthat may be appliedto variousaspectsof Englishfolk-rockperformance,in
light of the changethat has occurredsince folk music has become amalgamatedwith
popularmusicalstyles.
In this article,I usethe term'Englishfolk-rock'to distinguishbetweenthis musicand
the folk-rockstylesoriginallypopularizedin the USA by performerssuch as Bob Dylan
and the Byrdsin the late 1960s. BrittaSweersmaintainsthat the term 'folk-rock'was
firstusedin the UK by IslandRecordsin the promotionof FairportConvention'salbum
Liegeand Lief(1969), althoughshe addsthat the termdid not becomefullyestablished
until 1973_75.6 Sweersprefersthe description'electricfolk', although Paul Stump
arguesthat 'themarriageof folk and rockwas alwayson rockmusic'sterms'.7Thisview
CopyrightF) EnglishFolk Dance and Song Society
194
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
in the 'first'(Victorian
nationallegacythatwasin dangerof vanishing.Participants
and Edwardian)and 'second'(post-war)folk revivalsin Britain,however,often
regardedfolk songscollectedby the Victorianand Edwardian
collectorsas source
versions,imbuedwithauthenticity,
despitethe factthata vastnumberof folksongs
had been printedand reprintedbetweenthe sixteenthand twentiethcenturies."6
Notions of the authenticityof sourceversionsof folk songs are complicatedby
factorssuchasthe numberof versionsof thesamesongthathavebeencollected,the
datesof collection,who collectedthem,andwhosangthem.A furthercomplication
concerns'authentic'interpretation
by singers,whichis often as mucha matterof
personaltasteas of perceivedauthenticity.
DanielThompsondiscussesone possible
assumptionin the studyof earlymusicperformance,
thataudienceinterpretation
of
musicis the sameas it wascenturiesago, andhe rightlysuggeststhatperformance
on moderninstrumentslogicallyleadsto quite differentinterpretations.17
In the
context of interpretingperformancepracticein early music, Gary Tomlinson
observesthatthe meaningof a musicalworkis not necessarily
thatwhichits creator
or firstaudienceinvestedin it, suggestinginsteadthatthe meaningis thatwhichthe
currentaudience,by virtueof historicalinterpretation,
believesthatits creatorand
original audience invested in it.18
Views such as these can equallybe appliedto the maintenance

of notionsof
authenticity
relatingto whatareregarded
as sourceversionsof folksongs.Folksinger
BobLewisdescribed
hisownperformance
to me thus:'Mypreference
philosophy
is to
asthisenablesmeto concentrate
singunaccompanied
on thewordsof thesongorballad
withthe tunebeingthe meansof emphasizing
anddecorating
the lyrics.'19
He added
thathe endeavours
to changehisstyleof deliveryto suitthetypeof songhe is singing,
andhis statements
aretherefore
to revivalist
contrary
notionsof perceived
authenticity
andtherecreation
of an 'exact'renditionof a folksongbasedon notatedtextsorearlier
performances
byotherartists.Notatedfolksonganthologies
in thetwentieth
published
centuryfromcollections
suchasthoseof Sharp,Vaughan
Williams,Lloyd,andMacColl
cite collectiondatesandsingers'namesas historicalrecord,despitethe factthatany
versioncollectedwasa recordof howa singerperformed
a folksongata particular
time
andwouldhavebeensubjectto thetranscribed
interpretation
of thecollector.
Theissue
of perceived
thenbecomes,asHowardMayerBrownandPhilipBretthave
authenticity
bothputit, 'authentic
to whomandauthenticwhen?'20
Forthe purposesof thisarticle,I discusselementstakenfrommy doctoralresearch
into issuesof changein modernBritishfolk music.I havealso drawnsupportive
evidencefrominterviews
I haveconductedsince1997withestablished
folkandfolkrockperformers
suchasSimonNicol,AshleyHutchings,
MartinCarthy,
GerryConway,
andRickKemp.'Whilethisis notanexhaustive
list,thesemusicians
arerepresentative
of
Englishfolk-rock
becausetheyare,orhavebeen,members
of bandsthatpioneered
early
folk-rock
performance,
combiningtraditional
folksongswithmoderninstrumentation
andperformance
practicessincethe late 1960sandearly1970s.Theseartistsarestill
activeas performers
and theirviewsprovidean insightinto changein folk music
as well as the maintenance
performance,
of notionsof authenticity,
as folksongsare
adaptedforperformance
in a folk-rock
context.21
VARIATION,
ANDAUTHENTICITY
CONTINUITY,
INTHEENGLISHFOLK-ROCK
MOVEMENT
195
WhereasSimon Nicol remainsa memberof FairportConvention,a bandhe joined

in 1968, formermemberAshleyHutchingsleft in 1970 to form SteeleyeSpan,as well
as many laterfolk-influencedbandswhich have amalgamatedBritishfolk music with
popularmusic styles.Hutchingswas replacedin SteeleyeSpanby Rick Kemp,who is
currentlya memberof the electricceilidhband Whapweasel.MartinCarthywas also a
memberof SteeleyeSpanin the early1970s, althoughhe had establishedhis reputation
beforethat period as a solo performerand as a memberof a duo with violinist Dave
Swarbrick.He still performsas a solo artistand as a memberof Waterson:Carthy.
Gerry
Conwayperformedon the firstSteeleyeSpan album,Hark!TheVillageWait,in 1970
and has alsoperformedwith the rockbandJethroTullas well as the folk-jazzensemble
Pentangle.He is currentlya memberof FairportConvention.
I also interviewedGeorginaBoyes,with whom I discussedaspectsof changein folk
song performance,and I correspondedwith folk singer Bob Lewis, who offeredhis
personalviews on aspectsof folk song performancebetween the 1960s and 1990s.
From a music industry perspective,the article includes informationgleaned from
an interviewwith Ed Bicknell,managerof the rock band Dire Straits.Bicknellwas
entertainmentsecretaryat the Universityof Hull duringthe late 1960s and becamea
bookingagentfor manyof the late 1960s and early1970s progressiverockbands,such
as PinkFloydand LedZeppelin.BicknellsituatesFairportConventionamongthe most
popularprogressiverockbandsof that period.I havealso been in correspondence
with
SteveHeap, formerpromoterof the SidmouthFolk Festivals,and with Eddie Barcan,
promoterof the CambridgeFolkFestival.Finally,I havedrawnon my own experiences
as a professionalmusicianplayingin a varietyof musicalsettingsin the UK between
1970 and 2000. Theseperformancesincludedplayingin folk clubs in the early 1970s
and at UK, European,and Scandinavianfolk and rockfestivalsthroughoutthe 1990s,
duringwhich time I often performedwith JerryDonahue of FairportConventionin
whatwas referredto by promotersand audiencesas a folk-rockband.
Beforeanydiscussionof the useof CecilSharp'sbroadprinciplesasnominaldescriptors
for folk-rock,it should be noted that Sharpattractedscholarlydebatethroughoutthe
twentiethcentury.John Francmanisnotes that criticismof Sharpwas levelledat his
self-promotionand personallionization,22and Sharp'sprincipalbiographer,A. H. Fox
Strangways,was criticalof his autocraticrelationshipswith his peersand associates.23
Sharpwas furthercriticizedby Marxist-oriented
scholarsfor editorialchangeshe made
to folk songs, his collectionmethods,his disseminationof folk music to middle-class
Edwardianaudiences,his supportfor the inclusionof folk music in the nationalmusic
curriculum,and his misrepresentation
of informants.24
C. J. BearmanrefutesMarxist
criticismof Sharpon the groundsthat it erroneouslymaintainsthat Sharpdescribed
folk music in termsof his sources'socialclassratherthan their culture,and he argues
that 'carelessassumptions'made by these critics 'seep their way into social history',
misleadinglaterscholarship.25
Bearman's
criticismof Boyesconcernshersuggestionthat
Sharpmisrepresentedresidentsof small towns as 'peasantry',and he countersLloyd's
attemptto redefinefolksongas 'lower-class'
songasconformingwith a Marxistideology,
'in which dislikeof the "peasantry"
toutcourtplaysan importantpart'.26
Bearmanposits
that Marxistideology condemnsEnglishfolk song to becominga prisonerof a class
196
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
war,andthatit is necessary
to reject'unfounded
in orderto
andlimitingassumptions'
regardit, not as the propertyof a class,but of 'theEnglishpeopleand ... the artistic
world'.27
Bearman
furtheraddsthatMarxistnotionsof theexpropriation
by'bourgeois'
collectionandpublicationprocessesof the culturalpropertyof 'thefolk',whichwas
thenfedbackto themastheir'cultural
fitstheconceptof 'inventedtradition',
heritage',
asdiscussed
whocitesA. L.Lloyd's
byHobsbawm,
workasoneof hisexamples.28
Sharp
wasnot theonlycollectorto makeeditorialchangesto thefolksongshe collected,and
KennethGoldsteinsuggeststhatfolksongcollectorsoftenassumedthat,becausefolk
singersmadechangesto songsduringthe oraltransmission
process,theywereentitled
to do the same.29
Goldsteinaddsthatcollectorsdid not recognizethatsingersmade
fromtheirownpeergroup,whereascollectorssubjected
changesto materials
songsto
whathe callsthe'cultural
of theirownsociety'.30
imperatives
DavidAtkinsondiscusseschangesmadeto folk songsby collectorsand editors,
anddescribesa processof 'textualization'
in verbalartas it becomesprintedtextand
of 'permanence',
consequently
'stability',and 'authority
acquiresthe appearance
.3
Notatedtextsof thiskindare,however,
subjectto editorialalterations
aswellaserrors.
Atkinsonaddsthataudiorecordings
also'textualize'
verbalart,andmanytwentiethcenturyfolk and folk-rockrecordings
arenow regarded
and
by modernperformers
audiencesas alsohaving'permanence',
and 'authority'.
'stability',
Songscollectedin
notatedandrecorded
formatsconsequently
remainstaticashistorical
artefacts.
Despite
changesmadeto folk songsfor performance
in folk-rockcontexts,the performers
I interviewed
still considerthe workof the earlycollectorsto havebeenvitalto the
preservation
andcontinuation
of Britishfolkmusicthroughout
thetwentiethcentury,
andtheyregardfolkmusicasdurableandableto withstand'spontaneous
change'.32
AshleyHutchings,a foundermemberof FairportConvention,maintainsthat
'Givenmoderncommunications,
I thinkthe wayforwardis to haveknowledgeand
a love of the music,a knowledgeof the historyof this [music],and then to move
forward,to write,to rewrite,to compose.Usingthat basicknowledge,I don'tfeel
we shouldbe so rigidas the old collectors.33
It is erroneous,
however,to suggestthat
any rigidityrestssolelywith the collectors.Theregardin whichthe Victorianand
Edwardian
collectorsareheldhasled to a rigidviewamongmanytwentieth-century
revivalists
concerninghowfolkmusicshouldbe performed,
andthiscanbe regarded
as stiflingexperimental
creativityin folk musicperformance
whichmaypreserveits
valueandrelevance
in modernsocialandculturalcontexts.Nevertheless,
Sharp's
three
dimensions
of continuity,
variation,
andselectionstillprovidea usefulheuristicmodel,
whichcanbe employedto describea continuumin the contemporization
of English
folk musicas folk-rock,rangingfrompreservation
at one end to commercialization
at the other.
The developmentof folk-rockas a stylisticcomponentof the 1970sprogressive
rock movementwas assistedby the UK recordindustrywhich financedmusical
experimentation
involvingthe amalgamation
of rock music with other musical
styles.Recordcompaniesat thattimeinvestedin bandsthatweresuccessful
at selling
albumsratherthansingles,andprogressive
rockbandsweregivenautonomyin their
musicaldirection.Bicknellmaintainsthat FairportConvention's
movetowardsthe
CONTINUITY,
ANDAUTHENTICITY
VARIATION,
MOVEMENT
197
of the traditional
electrification
folkmusicof Britainwasone variationin a number
of musicalexperimentsthat took placewith the financialsupportof the record
companies.34
Themainsignificance
of folk-rock,however,lieswithinthe continuity
of folkmusicchangewhichfollowedthe secondfolkrevival.If the term'folk-rock'
is
employedas a descriptionof the amalgamation
of folkandrockmusicthatinitially
tookplaceduringthe progressive
rockmovement,the combinationcanbe regarded
as partof a trendin the development
of bothrockandfolkstyleswhichis culturally
andhistorically
separatefromearliertwentieth-century
folk revivalism.
In thisway,
preservation
becomeslinkedto commercialization,
as continuityin folk and folkrocksettingsprovidesa connectionbetweenperformance
stylesthat preservefolk
in
music both modernand traditionalcontexts.Althoughrevivalistsoften reject
manifestations
of masscultureand modernity,earlyamalgamations
of rockmusic
andfolkmusicmightbe regarded
as a unifyingfactor,linkingaspectsof preservation
andcommercialization.
Thisunificationhasgradually
enabledBritishfolk musicto
establisha commercial,
worldmusicidentitywhich,as TamaraLivingstonputs it,
retainsbeliefin the music's'timelessness,
unbrokenhistoricalcontinuity,andpurity
of expression',
whileattracting
a newaudiencewithdiversemusicaltastes.35
'Theinitialamalgamation
of folkmusicandrockmusicmightbe regarded
aspartof
an evolutionary
processin rockmusicthatstartedin the late 1960sandearly1970s,
and this processis ongoingas folk-rockmusiccontinuesto combinetraditionand
transformation.
Folk-rock
performers
interviewed
forthisstudyexpressed
supportfor
theworkof earlycollectorsand,withregardto theireditorialpolicies,maintained
that
'youcan'tdamagetheinevitable,it'snot anybody's
businessto putsongsin aspic,you
can'tnailthemdownforever',andthat'ThepeoplewhosaythatCecilSharpwaswrong
... changingthesesongs,arewrong[themselves].
They're
wrongbecausehe changed
it for the people, for his constituency.'36
While these performerswere not necessarily
part of any particularrevival,informationsuppliedby folk festivalpromoters,as well
as my own observationswhile attendingand performingat festivals,indicatesthat the
English folk-rockmovementhas become a significantfaction within the folk music
scene. English folk-rock has arguablypromoted awarenessof English folk music
among new audiences,leadingto what might be regardedas a new folk revival.Neil
Rosenbergstatesthat views concerning'the' folk revivalare flawedand that revivals
occur regularlyas diverse cultural movementswith extensive social and economic
dimensions.37He furtheradds that revivalismoften enablesthe reinterpretationof a
traditioninto a new musicalsystemwhich is, however,temporaryand transient.38I
would maintainthat, since the early 1970s, the transientnatureof the Englishfolkrock movementhas evolvedinto a new folk revivalwhich fulfils Livingston'scriteria
for revivalismand which has, as Burt Feintuchputs it, transformedthe subjectof its
efforts.39
Continuity,variation,and selection: towards a contemporary view

Audienceattendanceat folk festivalssincethe mid-I990s hasfarexceededthatof earlier
decades.40
ModernBritishfolk musichas often beenperformedat folk festivalsreferred
to as world, roots, and internationalevents, and informationsupplied by festival
198
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
promoterssupportsthe notion of a risein the popularityof Britishfolk musicpresented

at thesefestivals.Theinclusionof modernBritishfolk musicperformerson artistrosters
at worldmusicfestivals,suchas thosestagedat Sidmouthand Cambridge,providesthis
music with an internationalprofilewhich may be equatedwith increasedpopularity.
While therearemanyotherannualUK folk festivalswhich promotea varietyof British
folk music 'styles',this researchfocuses on Sidmouth and Cambridgebecausethese
are two of the largestfolk-orientedfestivalsin the UK and they have demonstrated
audiencegrowthannuallythroughoutthe late 1990sand into the twenty-firstcentury.41
The Sidmouthand Cambridgefestivalsare arguablypart of what PhilipV. Bohlman
describesas the 'commodification'of folk music. Bohlmanmaintainsthat revivalism
and 'contemporaryinstitutions'in folk music are inseparable,and arguesthat the use
of modern technology and music distributionnetworksenables recordingsof past
traditionsto becomenew ones in the present.42
In a similarway,the term'contemporary
institutions'can also be appliedto aspectsof the music industrypresentin folk music,
such as recordcompanies,promoters,agents, and marketingnetworks.Modern folk
festivalsareconsequentlytied to the popularmusicindustrythroughcommercialization
and businesspractices.
I also focus on Sidmouth and Cambridgebecauseof the cosmopolitannatureof
their artist rosters, particularlythe Sidmouth festival'slong tradition of including
artists from other countries, and the Cambridgefestival'sinclusion of British folk
music performersalongsidepopularand rock music artists.43Both of these festivals
have been promotedfor approximatelyfortyyears,althoughstylisticvariationwithin
theirartistrostershas been recentin comparisonwith rockfestivalsin the UK. Stylistic
variationin the musicalstyles presentedat modernfolk and rock festivalsin the UK
suggestsa blurringof musicalboundaries.Theinclusion of performanceareasaimed
at recreatinga folk club atmosphereat both the Cambridgeand Sidmouthfestivalscan
also be regardedas a meansof authenticatingcontinuityin the festivals'folk identity.
Moreover,folk festivalssuch as these providea means of making traditionalBritish
folk music availableto new audiencesunfamiliarwith notions of a national'heritage'
(albeit an invented one). (Growthin folk music receptionamong a more recentand
broaderaudienceis also reflectedin the promotionof folk music representingethnic
culturespresentin the UK in the primaryand secondarynationalmusic curriculum,
althoughthis issue lies beyond the scope of this article.It should be noted, however,
that the EnglishFolkDance and Song Societyactivelypromoteseducationalinitiatives
to encourageawarenessof Britishfolk music, and therearealso coursesin traditional
Britishfolk music offeredat tertiarylevel.)
Despite the increasein the popularityof live folk music events such as these,
statisticsfrom the music industrysuggestthat sales of folk music recordingsremain
small, possibly becauseof limitations in the BritishPhonographicIndustrymethod
of statisticaldata collection. These sales statisticscome mostly from sourcessuch as
major retail outlets, as opposed to specialist music outlets, performanceevents at
which folk artistsareable to sell theirrecordings,or mail ordersalesfrom performers'
websites(Figure1). In contrast,salesof folk-rockrecordingsby FairportConvention
and SteeleyeSpan indicate that the fusion of folk music and rock music in the late
CONTINUITY,
ANDAUTHENTICITY
VARIATION,
MOVEMENT
199
1960s and the 1970s may have increasedfolk music awarenessamong a broader
audience. For example, FairportConvention releasedtwelve albums between 1968
and 1975, and each sold approximatelytwenty thousand copies. The band'salbum
AngelDelight (1971) exceededthis and reachednumbertwenty-sixin the UK album
chart. SteeleyeSpan releasedeight albumsbetween 1970 and 1975. Pleaseto See the
King(1971) reachedthe top fifty in the UK albumchart,and Now WeAreSix (1974)
reachedthe top twenty. The band releasedAll Aroundmy Hat in 1975 and the title
trackreachednumberthreein the UK singleschart.
n/a
7.7%
1.4%
2.1%
1.1%
1.2%
1.1%
0.8%
1.2%
0.8%
0.9%
0.8%
Figure 1
British Phonographic Industry listings of record sales by musical style 1991-2000
FiguresfromBritishPhonographicIndustryStatisticalHandbook(1995, 1998, 2001)

Reasons for the current growth in the popularity of the live performance of British
folk music in the UK may be linked to aspects of festival marketing and promotion
aimed at audiences with diverse musical tastes, a subject comprehensively discussed by
Livingston who includes 'commercial enterprisescatering to the revivalistmarket' as part
of a model of modern revivalism.44Changes involving the presentation of British folk
music in the context of multicultural events may suggest that British folk revivalism has
entered a 'third' phase, with aspects of continuity being linked to aspects of commercial
promotion. Issues of commercialization linked to the promotion of rock music were
often regardedas anathema to revivalistsof the 'second' folk revival,which started in the
late 1940s and went into decline due to decreasing folk club attendance during the late
1980s and the 1990s.45 The reception of folk music amalgamated with other musical
styles and presented at folk festivals, ratherthan in the more intimate environment of the
folk clubs, raises questions concerning the age groups within the folk music audience,
given that many folk festivals have increased the stylistic diversity of their artist rosters
200
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
sincethe late 1970s.46Niall MacKinnonnotes that,between1988 and 1993, audiences

attendingfolk clubs were mostly aged between thirty and forty-nineyears,and few
young people werejoining them.47Differencesin individualtaste, therefore,underlie
differencesbetween audiencememberswho prefertraditionalperformancein a folk
club settingand thosewho preferthe diversityof folk musicstylespresentedin a festival
setting.
Music journalistColin Irwin describesthe change that took place in Britishfolk

music audiencesand in folk music performanceduringthe 1990s in relationto the
growth in popularityof folk festivals(althoughhis referenceto a single decade is
questionable).48His conceptof a new generationof musiciansdelvinginto Englishand
Celtic traditions'witha wonderfuldisregardfor notionsof purity'would describesome
of the amalgamationsof folk music with other musicalstyles achievedby the folkrock performersinterviewedfor this study.49The issue of stylisticamalgamationalso
providesa link betweenthe SidmouthInternationalFestivaland the CambridgeFolk
Festival,the two most highlyattendedfolk festivalsin the UK. Between1996 and2001,
the Sidmouthfestivalsattractedin excessof sixty-fivethousandpeople annually;the
CambridgeFolkFestivalhas sold to capacityeachyearsince 1994, with an audienceof
ten thousandpeopleon siteduringeachdayof the four-dayfestival.50
Despitedifferences
in termsof the respectiveprivate-sectorand public-sectorpromotionand funding of
these festivals,they sharea philosophyof promotingstylisticdiversityreflectingchange
and continuity.Irwin'sstatementdoes not referto discoursebetweentraditionalistand
modernistviewpointsconcerningnotionsof authenticityin modernBritishfolk music.
Dave Laingand RichardNewmanaredismissiveof debateof this kind, suggestingthat,
if the traditionalistfactionof the folk musicaudiencehadstill existedin the early1970s,
they 'wouldn'thavebeenseen deadat Cambridge'.5"
However,the folk-rockperformers
I interviewedtake a differentview and maintainthat therehas been an anti-folk-rock
faction in the folk audiencesince folk music was first combinedwith other musical
styles,especiallyrockmusic.52
Theamalgamationof folk musicwith diversepopularmusicstyleshas continuedfor
threedecadesand has been typifiedmore recentlyby artistssuch as ElizaCarthyand
Jim Moray,who have both used modernAfro-American'dance'rhythmsand music
programmingtechnologyto performtraditionalBritishfolk songs. Theseartistsare
two examplesamong many.Variationalso occursas Britishfolk music is performed
within the world music category.For example,in 2001 the Sidmouth Folk Festival
was renamedthe SidmouthInternationalFestivalof FolkArts - a furtherillustration
of folk eventsin the UK linkingBritishfolk music to worldmusicperformance.53
The
presentationof folk music and world music performersat UK folk-orientedfestivals
introducesaudiencesfromseveralgenresto new musicalstylesandcausesthe boundaries
betweendifferentfolk music stylesto becomeas blurredas those that existwithin the
rockand pop musicgenres.54
While discussingaspectsof variationin Britishfolk musicperformance,folkandfolkrockperformersI interviewedmaintainedthatcriticismof Sharpshouldbe reconsidered.
Martin Carthybelievesthat Sharp'salterationswere meant to suit the people of his
time and that he shouldbe viewedin the contextof the socialenvironmentof the early
ANDAUTHENTICITY
VARIATION,
CONTINUITY,
MOVEMENT
201
aimwasto promoteawareness
twentiethcentury.He addsthatSharp's
of whathe and
hispeersregarded
asa vanishingresource,
whichwouldhavebeenrejected
if published
in theexactformin whichit wascollected.On thequestionof variation,
view
Carthy's
is thatthe onlywayto damagea folksongis not to singit. He regards
folksongsas
needingto be constantlyreworked
andsuggeststhatthereis a permanence
aboutfolk
musicwhichis manifestas a continuitythatcannotbe damagedby variation.55
His
statementobliquelyraisesthe questionof performance
forcommercial
primarily
gain.
A (perhaps
statement
naive)critiqueof Carthy's
mightlinkthecommercial
performance
of folksongsto thepotentially
influenceof a revivalist
folk'musicindustry',
corrupting
as discussedby Livingston.56
in anysectorof the
However,sucha viewis unrealistic
creativearts,and,giventhestatements
I do not regardanyof
theymadein interviews,
theperformers
I interviewed
asperforming
solelyforcommercial
gain.
In regardto the questionof variationin the adaptation
of folksongsfor folk-rock
performance,
GeorginaBoyesstated,'I'mnot surethatthe earlyrockthingsactually
did all thatmuch,apartfromput electricinstruments
behindsongs.'57
Shesuggested
thatelectricinstruments
anextradimensionto theperformance
simplyprovided
of folk
musicanddidnothingmorethanaccompany
it. Shealsoadded:
I thinkit dependson howwellthey'redone.Youcanupdateor changeanythingbadly,
thefactthatit'schanged,I think,is neitherherenorthere.It'showwellitsdone,it'slike
makinga badtranslation
... thepointof songsis themeaningandI don'tjustmeanthe
literalmeaningbutwhatthesongsmeanto thepeoplethatsingthem.If that'sdonewell
in whatever
way,it doesn'tmatterif youaccompany
it witha xylophone,
a noseflute,or
a symphony
orindeeda rockbacking.
orchestra,
Boyesisalsocriticalofwhatsheregards
asalackofacceptance
ofinnovation
in folkmusic
stylesbythe Britishfolkmusicaudience,andmaintains
that,althoughthissituationis
changing,therestill existsa reactionary
faction.She suggested,'It'sbecomingmuch
betterthanit wasbutpeoplearestillenormously
hidebound
bygenericlabelsandweall
loseby that.'Whileaudiencereceptionof innovationis apparent
in the amalgamation
of folk and popularmusicstyles,converselyinfluencesfromtraditionalfolk music
havebeenadoptedin popularmusicperformance
sincethe 1970s;forexample,in the
musicof LedZeppelinandJethroTull,in thatof Scottishbandssuchas Runrigand
BigCountry,andin Irishpop androckmusicsuchas thatof the CorrsandU2. The
dimensionof variation
is therefore
presentin mainstream
popmusicinfluenced
byfolk
music,justas it is in the folk-rockmusicof bandssuchas Fairport
Conventionand
SteeleyeSpan,and,morerecently,
of ElizaCarthyandJimMoray.
As one exampleof variation,and innovation,in modernBritishfolk music
performance,I will demonstratehow the manipulationof metricalstructures
in the performance
of a folk song adaptedto a rockcontextpermitselementsof
vocal interpretation
that are usuallyonly presentin a traditionalunaccompanied
performance.58
Theperformance
of afolksongin arockcontextmostofteninvolvesthe
useof electricinstruments
andof a drumkit,whichsupportstheband'smaintenance
of a constantpulsewhilealsooftenemployingAfro-American
polyrhythms.59
AllanF
Mooredescribes
thefunctionsof thedrumkit in popularmusic,aswellasthevarious
rolesof eachof its components.60 Bassdrumbeatsusuallyemphasizebeats1 and3
202
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
in 4/4 measures,
althoughMooredoesnot pointout thatthe bassdrumalsoemploys
rhythmical
variations
thataredependenton thepopularmusicstylewithinwhichit is
played.Thehi-hatandridecymbalsusuallyplayconstantquaversor crotchets,acting
asa formof metronome,althoughtheytoo aresubjectto stylisticrhythmicvariation.
Snaredrumbeatsin 4/4 measuresof mostpopularmusicstyleshave,traditionally,
Of all the
fallenon beats2 and 4, and are often referredto as the 'backbeat'.61
percussive
componentsof thedrumkit, it is thesnaredrumpatternthatprovidesthe
mostcommonality
betweendifferentstyleswithinthe rockmusicgenre.62
Mydistinctionherebetweenmetreandrhythmis supportedby theviewsof Justin
London,who maintainsthat metreaccentsare takenfrom the firstbeatof a bar
whereasrhythmaccentscanoccuranywhere
withina rhythmicgroup.63
Britishfolk
songssometimesuseirregular
metres,andareperformed
by singersquiteableto sing
withoutdifficultyin complexbarstructures.
It shouldbe notedthatthe occurrence
of regularor irregular
metrein notatedfolksongsis mostoftena consequence
of the
ofWesternartmusicnotation,andtherefore
theinterpretation
employment
represents
In traditional
of the transcriber.
of a folksongrendersthe
practice,the performance
metrefamiliar,whichis vitalif the songis to be sungby inexperienced
singers.This
to theBulgarian
folksongs
pointcanbefurtherillustrated
andRomanian
byreference
collectedandtranscribed
by BelaBartok,whichoftenhavemultiplebarsof irregular
metrerapidlyfollowingone another.Mostof thesesongswerein common,simple
duple,simpletriple,or compoundtime, and manywerechildren's
songs,such as
'RainaKatsarova',
whichis transcribed
in 5/16. OtherEasternEuropeanfolksongs
collectedby Bart6kchangemetreseveraltimeswithinthe spaceof justa fewbars;for
example,a songcollectedin 1906,whichstartsin 5/8 fortwobars,beforeit changesto
3/4 forthreebars,2/4 forone bar,andthenreturnsto 3/4 forthe finaltwobars.64
In folk-rockperformance,
the drumkit providesthe most basiclink between
the two componentstyles,combiningthe metricalstructureof folk songswith the
maintenanceof aspectsof the rockidiom.To furthermy researchinto drumkit
anduseof metrein the folk-rockgenre,I interviewed
performance
GerryConway,a
drummerwho hasperformed
with progressive
rockbandsinfluencedby Britishfolk
music.Whiledescribinghis experiences
of playingfolk songsusingirregular
metre,
Conwaymaintainedthathis previousrockperformances
hadnot preparedhim for
the performance
of folk-rock.Duringthe recordingof SteeleyeSpan'sfirstalbum,
Hark!TheVillageWait,AshleyHutchings,thebandleaderandbassist,hadto describe
the metricalstructureof eachsong to him, as it was bandpolicyto performfolk
in whichtheyhadbeennotatedby theVictorianand
songsin the metricalstructures
Edwardian
collectors.ConwaydescribestheearlySteeleyeSpanrehearsal
process:
I suppose that if you hear a new song, a new piece of any sort, you wouldstruggle to
learnit. I cancertainlyremember
struggling
to learnthem[thefolksongs]becauseof
the strangeshapesin the background
[themetricalstructures].
I certainly
didn'thavea
lot of experience
playingin fivesandsevensandthingslikethatandsuddenlythesewere
andI suppose,if I'mtruthful,whenI lookbackon a lot of it, assoonasyou
appearing
sort of find out what a sevenis, and you think 'It'sa seven,it'sfantastic',and as soon as
you'dgot it, you'dprobablyoverplayit to death.65
CONTINUITY,
ANDAUTHENTICITY
VARIATION,
MOVEMENT
203
RickKempprovidedanotherexampleof SteeleyeSpan'spolicy of preservingoriginal

elements of notated source folk songs, such as metre, melody, and lyrics, in their
adaptationfor folk-rockperformance.' He describedhow a later incarnationof the
band followeda structuredapproachto the maintenanceof the notatedmetresin the
recordingof 'Ihe Weaverand the FactoryMaid'on the albumParcelofRogues(1973).67
This performanceis Maddy Prior'sarrangementof two folk songs concerning the
weavingtradeduringthe IndustrialRevolution.The firstsectionis in 3/4 metreand the
secondsection in 5/4.68 The thirdsectionof the song returnsto the original3/4 metre
in an unaccompanied,multi-trackedvocalarrangementof the firsttheme.
FairportConventionfolloweda policysimilarto thatof SteeleyeSpanand retainedthe
originalnotatedelementsin their recordingof 'LordMarlborough'
on the albumAngel
Delight,althoughthisrecordingfeaturesa drumkit, in contrastto the SteeleyeSpanline-up
of the periodwhichhad no drummer.69
As mentionedabove,the inclusionof a drummer
in a folk-rockcontextmustprovidea rhythmicallink betweenboth componentstyles.In
this case,the drumarrangement
situatesitselfbetweena conventionalrockpattern,with
two snaredrumbeatsin eachbar,and the retentionof the metricalstructuresnotatedby
the song'scollectors,in keepingwith FairportConvention'smusicalpolicy.
Thetextof 'LordMarlborough'
relatesto a battlein the Warof the SpanishSuccession
(foughtbetweenBritainand Franceand ending in 1706).70FairportConventionused
lyricsfroma versionof the song collectedby the Hammondbrothersin Dorsetin 1906,
which was transcribedin 5/4 metre.7'The metricalarrangementof bars in Fairport
Convention'srecordingof the songare,however,closerto a versioncollectedandnotated
by Cecil Sharpin Somersetin 1906, whichhas two repeatedfour-barphrases,eachwith
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FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
204
LordMarlborough
i vm
-JJH
di
g~~~~~~~d
J-
v~~~~~d 1O-
trad.arr.FairportConvention
JB#-
Rl X : d 1; 1 F
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9~~~~~~=4
R IM si c I _6 IN:J
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Figure 3
'Lord Marlborough', arranged by FairportConvention
three5/4 barsfollowedby one in 3/4. Ihese arefollowedby a four-barphraseof three

5/4 barsfollowedby one in 4/4, and then anotherfour-barphraseof three5/4 barsand
a 3/4 bar(Figure2). FairportConvention'sarrangement
hassimilarphrasesof three5/8
barsfollowedby one 6/8 bar.The 5/8 barsuse additiverhythmwith eachbarsplit into
threequavervaluesfollowedby two quavervalues(Figure3).
In stanzas3 and 4, the first,second,and fourthof thesefour-barcycleshavea snare
drum beat on the firstquaverof the second 5/8 bar,as well as anotheron the fourth
quaverof the 6/8 bar,in phrasesone, two, and three(Figure4). Thissnaredrumpattern
performsa similarroleto thatin mostrockmusicdrumarrangements
andservesasa link
betweenthe rock and folk music stylespresentin FairportConvention'sarrangement.
The fact that the drum kit is playedin a half-timepulse in relationto that playedby
the restof the bandfurtheremphasizesthe snaredrumbeats.Theinstrumentalstanzas
of the song, stanzas2 and 5, havemilitary-styleside drumpatternsplayedon the snare
LordMarlborough
trad.arr.FairportConvention
Stanzas3 and4
11
..
n
9
I0
h1.L
K
,=
210p
,
gL
~~~~k
am
II
dO
d.r
d.
r1
,
II0j
I~
w ..
Viiizi
'3
p6
H4W
40
IF
_1
= snare drum beat
Figure 4
'Lord Marlborough', arranged by Fairport Convention, stanzas 3 and 4,
showing snare drum arrangement
FiJi
r1
206
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
Billy Boy
trad.arr.MartinCarthy
bon- ny boy, Bil - ly boy? Wherehave you been all the day
Wherehave you been all the day

4
ib
f
w r
V~~
r I1
~~~
~n
oh my dear
dar - lin' Bil
_u~~~~~~~
5
ly
oh?
12 1
r14
Oh
ov
:J
r-._
'ave
been
all
the day
7
||
,1
9)
wal - kin' with a
la - dy gay,
is - n't she a young thing
late - ly from her mum - my oh.
Figure6
'BillyBoy', arrangedby MartinCarthy
includeselectricand acousticguitars,accordion,electricbass, drums,and percussion.

The differencein metrebetweenthe two versionsis, however,moresignificantthan the
differencein instrumentation,eventhoughboth aremelodicallythe same.Bothversions
have barsof irregularmetre,but they differin that each performerhas arrangedthese
barsin a differentorder.Both performancesstartwith threebarsof 4/4 metre,followed
by a fourthbarin 5/4. MartinCarthy'sversionhasa tied crotchetfrombar4 sustaining
into bar5, a 2/4 bar,for one crotchet,and this interpretationallowshim to sustainthe
vowel sound 'oh',a common featurein folk song performance(Figure6).
In ElizaCarthysversionof the song, the fourthbaris followedby one in 3/4, where
the lyricsalsohavean elongated'oh'tied for threecrotchets:the lastcrotchetof bar4 and
the firsttwo of bar 5 (Figure7). Thesnaredrumarrangement
in ElizaCarthysversion
maintainsa half-timepulsein relationto thatplayedby the restof the band,similarto that
of FairportConvention'sdrumarrangement
for 'LordMarlborough'.
The firstthreebars
havea snaredrumbeaton beat3, a drumtechniquecommonto the reggaestyleof the
Billy Boy
trad.arr.ElizaCarthy
$#7fFi
iii
InJ$=iI
Wherehaveyoubeen all the day
ILZJ
bon- ny boy, Bil - ly boy? Wherehave

youbeen all the day
I
$#
<n n
oh my dear dar- lin' Bil - ly
1B
oh?
I'vebeen
,Jn1
out
all__
the day mak-ing
ttXi
,#2X
with a
la - dy gay.
,g
in
wL
IJ J J J i
Is -n't she a youngthing late-ly fromhermum-my oh?_
Figure7
'BillyBoy', arrangedby ElizaCarthy
11
VARIATION,
ANDAUTHENTICITY
CONTINUITY,
MOVEMENT
207
Billy Boy
Wherehaveyoubeen all the day
bon - ny boy,
Bil - ly boy?
Wherehaveyou been all the day
oh my dear dar- lin' Bil - ly
oh?
I've been
out
all__
the day mak-ing

DRUM FILL
#tnnu~~~~~~~~~~F
1ii
with a
la - dy gay.
Is -n't she
EA
oIJJ
a young thing late-ly
from hermum-my oh?_
= snare drumbeat
Figure 8
'Billy Boy', arranged by Eliza Carthy, showing snare drum arrangement
Bars4 and 5, in 5/4 and 3/4 respectively,

arrangement.
havea snaredrumbeaton beat3
of the 5/4 barandon beat2 of the 3/4 bar,givingthe feelof two 4/4 bars(Figure8). This
enablesthe drummerto playa 4/4 partforfivebarswhilethe restof the bandareplayingin
differentmetres.Afterbar6, thedrumpartcontinuesintoanotherthreebarsof 4/4, andthe
final2/4 barhasa drumfill linkingstanza1 to stanza2. Thisperformance
thuscombines
a reggaedrumarrangement
(giventhatreggaemusicis mostoftenin 4/4) with the implied
non-metricalstructurefamiliarin traditionalBritishfolkmusicvocalperformance.
MartinCarthy'sversiondiffersin that, afterthe 2/4 barat bar 5, therearethree4/4
barsand a final5/4 bar.Ihis differencemost likelyrelatesto his personalvocalphrasing
BillyBoy
bon - ny boy,
Bil - ly boy?
dar- lin' Bil - ly
oh?_
Ic
oh my dear
I've been
(3)
out
all__
the day
mak-ing
DRUM FILL
with
la - dy gay.
= snare drumbeat
Is - n't she a young thing late-ly
fromhermum-my oh?_
= bar of common time
Figure9
'BillyBoy', arrangedby ElizaCarthy,showing drumarrangement
208
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
on acousticguitarenablesmore
and choiceof sourcematerial.Self-accompaniment
thandoesaccompaniment
interpretive
freedomin vocalperformance
by a rockband
witha drumkitthatusuallyplaysa repetitive
figurein a constantpulse.Thelyricsof the
metrebecomesa question
twoversionsarealmostidentical,andso the useof irregular
medium.Furthermore,
the
vocalinterpretation,
of individual
source,andperformance
andinterpretation
withinthe
metreenablesextendedvocalexpression
useof irregular
versionof thesong,sincebars
of constantpulseandmetrein ElizaCarthy's
parameters
havebeenelongatedwhichin somecasesenablesthe extensionof notelengthsin the
in thedrumarrangement,
is able
barstructures
thedrummer
vocalpart.Byrearranging
metricalstructure
to playin 4/4 for the majorityof the stanza,despitethe irregular
anauthenticreggaefeel(Figure9). This
playedbytherestof theband,thusmaintaining
is furthersupported
sectionin thisversion,
argument
by thefactthattheinstrumental
to considervocalinterpretation,
wherethereis no requirement
staysin 4/4 metre.
If songssuchas thesewere,and are,easilysung,then the 'question'of irregular
metrein folk-rockadaptations
is simply,to whomdoes the metreappearirregular?
of folksongsthatareunaccompanied,
or areaccompanied
Vocalperformances
by an
instrument
playedbythesinger,oftenusea formof rubato.Thisenablestheperformer
to giveanindividual
of a folksongwithoutanyrestriction
fromconstant
interpretation
Theuseof irregular
structure.
metrein a rockcontext,however,
pulseormetrical
enables
barsto beshortened
orlengthened
withinanarranged
barstructure,
a
permittingdegree
of interpretive
freedomin thevocalperformance
becausebarlengthscanbe arranged
of thesong.
to thevocalist's
according
interpretation
folk
in a varietyof styleswhile
Diverseaudiencetastesenable musicto be performed
on theonehanditsidentityremainsintactandon theotherit becomesassimilated
into
a modernsocial,cultural,and musicalmilieu,as in ElizaCarthy's
reggae-influenced
of 'BillyBoy'.Thepopularity
ofamodernfolkmusicstylemayconsequently
arrangement
reflectno morethanwhatits audienceregardsas folk musicat anyparticular
time.
Thus,whilethe collectionof folksongsby VictorianandEdwardian
enthusiasts
was
valuableas a historicalnarrative
andas a meansof earlytwentieth-century
folksong
preservation,
it givesanindicationonlyof howfolkmusicwasperformed
at thatpoint
in time.Theauthentic/inauthentic
debatethatoftensurrounds
changein Britishfolk
music,andwhichoftencentresaroundthe useof moderninstrumentation,
doesnot
othertypesof changethatoccurasfolkmusicmergeswithothermusical
acknowledge
stylesin the processof adaptingto its currentenvironment.
Whenfolk songswere
in rocksettingsduringthe late 1960sandearly
adapted,or selected,forperformance
1970s,theresultwasto establish
a particular
identityforfolkmusicatthattime.Theuse
of newinstrumentation
in folkmusicis therefore
andperformance
practices
a further
partof thefolk-rockcontinuum,whichincludesa selectionprocesswhichcontributes
to a growthin themusic'spopularity.
A further
instance
ofvariation
inmodernfolksongperformance
andselection
practice
is
ofthesamesong,recorded
provided
bytwoversions
duringthesecondhalfofthetwentieth
century,adaptedto differentcontemporary
audiences.
'Whilebotharerelatively
recent
one is sungusingthe Scottishtextwithwhichthe songwasfirstpublished,
recordings,
whiletheotheris a modernreworking
pertinent
to theThatcher
eraof Britainin thelate
CONTINUITY,
VARIATION,
ANDAUTHENTICITY
MOVEMENT
209
1980s. Theversionsaretitled'Taethe Beggin",recordedby the BattlefieldBand,and'lhe

BeggingSong',recordedby MartinCarthyandDaveSwarbrick.75
The BattlefieldBand'srecordingof the Scottishversionof the song containssatirical
elementsin the lyrics,whichsuggestthatthe life of a beggaris morerewardingthanthat
of a king.Thefirststanzaarguesthatbeggingmeansthe absenceof a master,andthe next
stanzasdescribethe clothingneededto followthe tradesuccessfully:
Of a' the tradesthat I do ken [know],the beggin'is the best,
Forwhen a beggar'swearyhe can, aye,sit down and rest.
SayI'll gang [walk]tae the cobblerand get him tae sort ma shoon [shoes]
An inch thick aroundthe bottom and cloutedweel aboon
[wellpatchedabove].
ThenI'llgangtae the tailorwaea dod [piece]a [of] hod [abbreviation
of'hoddin',
a coarsehomespuncloth] in grey
An' I'll gat 'im makea cloakfir me to help me night an'day.
Subsequentstanzasdescribethe beggar'sfreedomfromcareaboutpersonalhygieneand
outline a plan to ensurea supplyof food and money:
An' afterI begin ma tradeI'll let ma beardgrowstrang[strong]
Nor paremy nailsthis yearan'a day for beggarswearthem lang [long].
An' I'll put nae [no] wateron ma hands,as little on ma face
An' I'll gangaboutjust like I am an'therema tradeI'll grace.
I'll gangtae the farmtowns,I'll standwi' hat in hand
Can a beggin'man get quartershere?alas,I cannastand.
An' if there'sa weddin'in the town, I'll let me [allowmyself] tae be there
An' I'll pourmy kindestblessin'supon the happypair.
An' some will gie [give]me beef an'bread,an'somewill gie me cheese
An' out amongthe weddin'folk, I git all the bawbees[halfpennies].
If beggin'be as good as a trade,as well I hope it may
It'stime that I was out o' herean'haudin'down the brae
[headingdown the hill].
Satirically,the lyricsthen pose the philosophicalview that the beggar'sintendedtrade
will granthim a personalfreedomthat is not apparentin any otherlifestyle,including
that of a monarch:
An' if beggin'be as good a trade,it'struefor I can tell
Thenwho would be a monarch,when a beggarlivessae [so]well.76
The subjectmatterin Carthy'sversionof the song remainsunchanged,but it has
severalnew stanzasthat referto the conditionsof the homelessin the UK duringthe
1980s.77While placing the song in an Englishsetting, Carthy'snew lyricsmaintain
elementsof despairand resignationas well as the satireand blackhumourpresentin
the Scottishversion.The openingstanzais very similarto that of the Scottishversion,
maintainingthat begging grantsa form of personalfreedom,but following stanzas
describethe harrowinglife of a beggarin Londonat the end of the twentiethcentury:
210
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
Of allthetradesin England,thebeggin'is thebest,

tired,he canlayhimdownandrest.
Forwhena beggar's
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
Anda-beggin'
I goton thetrainat Carlisle,theykickedme outat Crewe,
I slepton everypavingstonefromthereto Waterloo.
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
Anda-beggin'
I gotmylunchandtea
I got breakfast
offtheEmbankment,
madea homethatwasfit forme.
Andonlythefinestcardboard
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
Anda-beggin'
Wesit on thestairat Leicester
Squarefromseveno' clocktillten,
Towersfordinnerfromout of thebin.
Thenroundthebackof theConnaught
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
Anda-beggin'
I canrestwhenI amtiredandI heedno master's
bell,
liveso well.
Youmen'dbe daftto be a kingwhenbeggars
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
Anda-beggin'
Thelawcamedownto seeus,theycamedownthreetogether,
Theyputout thefire,theyleftus there,oh, Lord,howwe didshiver.
wewillgo
Anda-beggin'
wewillgo.
Anda-beggin'
I ama Victorian
poverty,
value,I'menterprise
invisibleto thestateanda joyto MrsT.
Completely
I willgo.78
Anda-beggin'
of thesong.)
(Thenextfourstanzasarefroma laterrecording
all
Therewerethreeyoungfellasjumpedoutof therubbish,theirclipboards
a-flutter,
hasitspluses,y'know,andyoucouldpresentit better.'
Theysaid,'Poverty
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
Anda-beggin'
'Forwe'vegotfundsandwe'vegotplansandwe'vegottimein hand,
Sowe'relaunchinga planforthemarketplaceto takebeggingto alltheland.'
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
Anda-beggin'
'We'rePovertyPLC,we are,wewantyouallto know,
Andeveryonesaysthatourshareof themarketwillgrowandgrow.'
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.
VARIATION,
ANDAUTHENTICITY
CONTINUITY,
MOVEMENT
211
I hada logoallovermehat,
Thentheydressedus in allof theirmerchandise,
It said'Poverty
RisingAbovetheTime'buttheothersallthought
it said'PRATT'.
Anda-beggin'
I willgo
Anda-beggin'
I willgo.79
Theearlier,
Scottishversionof thesongtakesa philosophical
viewof a
andhumorous
futurecareerasa beggar,
whereas
versionis couchedin thepasttenseandis less
Carthy's
satirical
becauseitselementsof realismrelateto eventsin recenthistory.Inaninterview,
Carthyjustifiedchangingthetextbymaintaining
thatthesong'soriginalmessagemade
it 'topical'and that,as such,the songbelongsto a throwaway
traditionthatcan be
the retentionof the originalsubjectmatterwithinthe modern
updated.80
Moreover,
contextof the additionalnewstanzasmakesthe songpertinentto modernaudiences,
who arelikelyto be moreawareof contemporary
eventsthanof thosethatmayhave
occurredcenturiesearlier.Pickeringsupportsthisview,observingthatfolksongsare
the productsof culturalprocesses
andthattheyaresubjectto socialvariables
brought
aboutbychanginghistorical
settings,whichcontinueto changeassongsareperformed
to newaudiences
overa periodof time.8'Carthy's
performance
of 'TheBeggingSong',
whilemaintaining
theoriginalelementsof theearlier'TaetheBeggin",is in thestyleof
a modern'protestsong'andthisformof contemporization
enhancesits relevance
fora
modernaudience.
Conclusion
Continuity,variation,and selectioncan be appliedas nominaldescriptors
to several
aspectsof Englishfolk-rockmusic althoughnot in theoriginalcontextin whichthey
wereused(andSharp's
Darwiniannotionsremainquestionable,
giventheirvagueness
and theirpotentialapplicationto culturein general).Nevertheless,
as descriptors,
continuity,variation,andselectionareapplicable
to folkmusicas it is amalgamated
withpopularmusic,sincevariousfusionsof bothstylescontinueto reflecttheircurrent
environment
andsongscontinueto be alteredaccording
to theirperformers'
criteria.
Forthepurposes
of thisarticle,I choseto demonstrate
thisargument
byapplying
each
of thedescriptors
to areasof folk-rock
musicin theUKthathavebeensubjectto change
sincethelate1960s,andthathaveoftenbeenthesubjectof debateamongscholars
and
folkmusicfans.Theseareasincludetheeffectsof commercialization
on performer
and
audienceperceptions
of folkmusic,aswellaschangein termsof performance
practice
and the alteration
of songtexts.By discussing
growthin audienceattendance
at UK
folkfestivals,particularly
sincethe mid-1990s,I havedemonstrated
thatcommercial
processeshave enabledelementsof continuity,which are apparentthroughthe
promotionandmarketing
of folkmusicamalgamated
withrockmusic,to attractnew
audiences
outsidetheestablished
folkclubscene.To illustrate
variation,
I haveapplied
thisdimensionto musicological
processes
thathaveoccurred
in the adaptation
of folk
musicforperformance
in popularmusiccontexts.Finally,
I havedemonstrated
variation
andselectionprocesses
thatoccuras folksongtextsarecontemporized
so as to make
thempertinentto modernaudiences.
Continuity,
variation,
andselectionarealsocompatible
andtransferable.
Forexample,
212
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
continuityexistsin folk-rockperformanceenabledby a processof contemporizationof

performancepracticeand by the use of moderninstrumentation- two issuesthat have
arguablyattractedaudiencesoutsidethe Britishfolk scene.The dimensionsof variation
and selectioncan be equallyappliedto commercialprocessesin folk-rockpromotion
and distribution,as businesspracticesused by the mainstreampopularmusic industry
are adoptedby the emergingfolk-rockmusic industryand by its performers.World
music-orientedfolk festivalsmay be regardedas encouraginggrowthin eclecticismin
the musicaltastesof the audiencesattendingthem,aswellas in the performancestylesof
the artistsperformingat them.As UK folk festivalaudiencesizeshaveincreased,English
folk music performedin rock music contextshas undergonevariationand selection,
while retainingcontinuity.
Individualtraditionshave also been preservedand supportedwithin concepts of
culturaldiversityand relativism.Thus,comparativeaudienceperceptionand reception
of Britishfolk music and folk-rockstylesreflectwhat Max PeterBaumanndescribesas
'particularism'
versus'homogenization',termsthat can be appliedto the extremesof a
continuumspanningthe manyvariationsthatexistbetweentraditionalistandmodernist
viewpoints.82Conversely,despite comments made by English folk-rockperformers
concerning the maintenanceof national identity in their music, there is also the
possibilitythat the amalgamationof this musicalstylewith othermusicsmightresultin
a homogeneousmix in which none of the elementsis identifiable.The nationalheritage
that the Victorianand Edwardianfolk song collectorssoughtto preservewould thus be
lost - a situationin which continuitymight be regardedas ultimatelydestructive.
I havesoughtto demonstrate,however,that folk-rockmusicperformancein the late
twentiethandearlytwenty-firstcenturiespresentsfolkmusicin newcontexts,despitethe
potentiallynegativeeffectof homogenization.Audiencesexperiencefolkmusicplayedin
circumstancesthat areoften musicallyvariedand, perhaps,outsidetheirmusicaltastes.
As with the audiencereceptionof earlymusic, there are factionsin the modern folk
audienceto whom perceptionsof 'authenticity'
in folk musicperformanceareno longer
pivotalissues.Moreover,as a resultof growthin audienceattendanceat folk and world
music festivals,and as a consequenceof the influencefolk music has had on popular
musicstyles,the UK hasbeenexperiencingwhatcan be regardedas a 'third'folk revival,
which startedin the mid-1990s, despitetherehavingbeen no academicreferenceto it.
Thisrevivalis festival-based
andhasoccurredin a periodin which Britishfolk musichas
adopteda world music perspective,while avoidingbecomingpart of a homogeneous
mix. The revivalis also performer-based,
as many modern folk performersuse both
traditionaland modernmusic instrumentationand musictechnologyas new meansof
culturalexpression.Finally,the revivalis also audience-based,as festivalaudiencesare
presentedwith a broadculturalmix that includesfolk music from the BritishIslesin
moderncontexts,evenwhile its culturalrelevanceandidentityremainintactdespitethe
varietyof settingsin which it is performed.
ANDAUTHENTICITY
CONTINUITY,
VARIATION,
MOVEMENT
213
Appendix 1
Artists appearing at the Cambridge Folk Festival between 1986 and 2002
and their musical styles83
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
FlacoJimenez(Texan/Mexican
conjuntomusic);BoDiddley(rockandroll);
Lindisfarne
(rock);MartinCarthy(folk);NeilInnes(singer/songwriter
with
on satire);CharlieMusselwhite
emphasis
(blues);DannyThompson
(jazz).
Beausoliel(Cajun/Zydecodance music); Michelle Shocked (singer/
in rockstyle);DickGaughan(folk);AlbionBand,MagnaCarta
songwriter
(folk-rock).
ChristyMoore(folk);TanitaTikaram(pop);MartinCarthy(folk);Oyster
Band(folk-rock);
Ten ThousandManiacs(rock);Tom Robinson(rock);
NickLowe(rock).
Nanci Griffith(country);LyleLovett(country);Fairground
Attraction
(pop);KursaalFlyers(rock);Ali FarkaToure(guitaristfromMali,West
Watersons
Africa);
(folk).
RoryGallagher
Band(blues/rock);
MichelleShocked(rock);OysterBand
andJuneTabor(folk-rock);
AlbionBand(folk-rock);
Jo Ann and Dave
Kelly(acousticblues).
Clannad(folk-rock);
SuzanneVega(pop);RoddyFrame(pop);Rumillajta
(Andeanmusic playedwith pan pipes, guitar,and drums);Charlie
Musselwhite
Band(blues).
NanciGriffith(country);
BuddyGuyandBand(blues);BluesBand(blues);
and
Gallagher Lyle(pop);RobynHitchcockandtheEgyptians
(rock).
ChristyMoore(folk);Dubliners(folk);JohnMayallandthe Bluesbreakers
(blues);TomRobinson(rock);C. J. Chenierandthe RedHot Louisiana
Band(Cajun/zydeco).
JoanBaez(folk);SawDoctors(Irishfolkandpop);BillyBragg(folk);Jools
Holland(rhythmand blues);SteeleyeSpan (folk-rock);
RalphMcTell
(folk).
ElvisCostello(rock);
NickLoweandtheImpossible
Birds(rock);Lindisfarne
(rock);Clarence
Gatemouth
Brown(blues);AshleyHutchingsDanceBand
SharonShannon(folk).
(folk-rock);
Ray Davies(acousticrock);PenguinCaf6Orchestra(jazz);Oysterband
(folk-rock);
Altan(Irishfolk-rock).
JacksonBrowne,HothouseFlowers(rock);EddieLejeuneandthe Morse
Playboys(Cajun/zydeco);
Afro-CeltSoundSystem(combination
of Celtic
folkwithAfro-American
edanceimusic);SteveEarle(country-rock);
Jools
HollandandhisRhythmandBluesOrchestra
(jazz-influenced
rhythmand
blues);LondonCommunity
GospelChoir(Afro-American
gospel);Richard
Thompson(folk-rock);
Boysof theLough(folk).
214
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
Levellers (folk-rock);Taj Mahal (blues); Blues Band (blues); Dillards

(country);Nick Lowe(rock);KlezmerFestivalBand(klezmer).
Nick Cave (rock);SuzyBogguss(country);Blind Boysof Alabama(blues);
JamesTaylor(acousticallyorientedsinger-songwriter
varyingbetweenfolk
and jazz);Norma Watersonand MartinCarthy(folk);Oysterband(folkrock).
Juan De Marcos'Afro-CubanAll Stars (Latin);Dr John (funk); Glenn
Tilbrook(rock);Ani Difranco(singer-songwriter
in rockstyle);EddiReader
and Boo Hewerdine(pop).
Levellers(folk-rock);RichardThompsonBand (folk-rock);SuzanneVega
(pop); Bill Wyman'sRhythm Kings (rhythmand blues);Black Umfolosi
(Zimbabweana cappellagroup).
JoeStrummerandtheMescaleros(rock);IndigoGirls(rock);Chumbawumba
(rock);BillyBragg(folk);Dubliners(folk);ElizaCarthyand MartinGreene
(folk);TarafDe Haidouks(Romanianfolk);John Prine(folk).
Notes
I Materialfromthis conferencehas been
publishedas essaysin FolkSong:Tradition,
Revival,and Re-Creation,
ed. by Ian Russell
and DavidAtkinson,ElphinstoneInstitute
OccasionalPublications,3 (Aberdeen:
ElphinstoneInstitute,Universityof
Aberdeen,2004).
2 Vic Gammon,'One HundredYears
of the
Folk-SongSociety',in FolkSong:Tradition,
Revival,and Re-Creation,
pp. 14-27 (p. 15).
3Vic Gammon,'Introduction:Cecil Sharp
and EnglishFolkMusic',in Still Growing:
EnglishTraditional
Songsand Singers
from the
CecilSharpCollection,ed. by SteveRoud,
EddieUpton, and MalcolmTaylor(London:
EnglishFolkDance & Song Societyin
associationwith FolkSouthWest,2003),
pp. 2-22 (p. 13).
' CecilJ. Sharp,EnglishFolk-Song:
Some
Conclusions
(London:Simpkin;Novello;
Taunton:Barnicott& Pearce,1907),
pp. 18-31.
5Gammon, 'CecilSharpand EnglishFolk
Music',pp. 14-15.
BrittaSweers,ElectricFolk:TheChanging
Faceof EnglishTraditional
Music(New York:
OxfordUniversityPress,2005), p. 23.
7 PaulStump, TheMusic's
All thatMatters- A
Historyof Progressive
Rock(London:Quartet
Books, 1997), p. 148.
8 Simon Nicol, interviewswith author,
December1996 andAugust2005.
9 TamaraE. Livingston,'MusicRevivals:
Towardsa GeneralTheory',Ethnomusicology,
43 (1999), 66-85 (p. 69).
10 Livingston,p. 69.
GeorginaBoyes, TheImaginedVillage:
Culture,Ideologyand theEnglishFolkRevival,
Musicand Society(Manchester:Manchester
UniversityPress,1993), p. 239.
12 RaymondLeppard,
in Music,
Authenticity
(London:Faber,1988), p. 6.
13 Leppard,
p. 7.
14 NicholasKenyon,'Introduction:
Some
Issuesand Questions',in Authenticityin Early
Music,ed. by NicholasKenyon(Oxford:
OxfordUniversityPress,1988), pp. 1-18
(p. 18).
ANDAUTHENTICITY
VARIATION,
CONTINUITY,
MOVEMENT
15 RobertDonington, TheInterpretation
of
EarlyMusic,new version(London:Faber,
1974), P. 37.
16 DavidAtkinson,'FolkSongsin Print:
TextandTradition',FolkMusicJournal,8.4
(2004), 456-83 (p. 456).
17 Daniel N. Thompson,'Aesthetics,
Authenticities,andAppealsto Authority:The
EditorasAuthor',CurrentMusicology,
64
(2001), pp. 7-25 (p. 10).
18 GaryTomlinson,'Authentic
Meaningin
Music',in Authenticityin EarlyMusic,
pp. 115-36 (p. 115).
19 Bob Lewis,correspondence
with author,
January2002.
20 HowardMayerBrown,'Pedantry
or
Liberation',in Authenticityin EarlyMusic,
pp. 27-56 (p. 28); PhilipBrett,'Text,
Contextand the EarlyMusicEditor',in
Authenticityin EarlyMusic,pp. 83-114
(p. 110).
21 Interviews
with folk and folk-rock
performerswererecordedon cassettesand
minidiscsat interviewees'homesor at
performancevenues,or wereconductedin
the formof correspondence.
22 John Francmanis,
'NationalMusicto
NationalRedeemer:The Consolidation
of a "FolkSong"Constructin Edwardian
England',PopularMusic,21 (2002), 1-25
(p. 3).
23 A. H. Fox Strangways,
'EnglishFolkSong',
Musicand Letters,5 (1924), 293-301
(p. 294).
24 Marxist-oriented
criticismof Sharpcan
be found, for example,in Boyes,pp. 5,
47-48, 66-69; David Harker,'CecilSharp
in Somerset:Some Conclusions',FolkMusic
Journal,2.3 (1972), 220-40; Dave Harker,
'MayCecil SharpBe Praised?',History
no. 14 (1982), 44-62;
WorkshopJournal,
Dave Harker,Fakesong,TheManufacture
of
British'Folksong'
1700 to thePresentDay,
PopularMusicin Britain(MiltonKeynes:
Open UniversityPress,1985), pp. 172-97;
A. L. Lloyd,FolkSongin England(London:
215
LawrenceandWishart,1967), pp. 14,

41-51; MichaelPickering,'Songand Social
Context',in Singer,Songand Scholar,ed. by
Ian Russell(Sheffield:SheffieldAcademic
Press,1986), pp. 73-93 (p. 85).
25 C. J. Bearman,'Who WereThe Folk?
The Demographyof Cecil Sharp'sSomerset
FolkSingers',HistoricalJournal,
43 (2000),
751-75 (pp. 753-56, 773).
26 Respectively,
Boyes,p. 15; Lloyd,p. 179;
Bearman,p. 773.
27 Bearman,p. 775.
Bearman,p. 773; EricHobsbawm,
'Introduction:InventingTraditions',in The
Inventionof Tradition,ed. by EricHobsbawm
andTerenceRanger(Cambridge:Cambridge
UniversityPress,1983), pp.1-14 (p. 7).
29 KennethS. Goldstein,'Bowdlerization
and
Expurgation:
Academicand Folk',Journalof
AmericanFolklore,80 (1967), 374-86.
28
30
Goldstein,p. 384.
Atkinson,pp. 457-58.
MartinCarthy,interviewswith author,
March1997 andAugust2005.
33 AshleyHutchings,correspondence
with
author,May 1997.
34 Ed Bicknell,interviewwith author,
September1997.
31
32
35
Livingston,
p. 69.
Respectively,Simon Nicol, interviewswith

author,December1996 andAugust2005,
and MartinCarthy,interviewswith author,
37 Neil V. Rosenberg,'Introduction',
in
Transforming
Tradition:
FolkMusicRevivals
Examined,ed. by Neil V. Rosenberg(Urbana
and Chicago:Universityof IllinoisPress,
1993), pp. 1-25 (p. 2).
38 Neil V. Rosenberg'Starvation,
Serendipity,
and the Ambivalenceof Bluegrass
Revivalism',in Transforming
Tradition,
pp. 194-202 (p. 201).
39 BurtFeintuch,'MusicalRevivalas Musical
in Transforming
Transformation',
Tradition,
pp. 183-93 (p. 192).
36
216
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
40
with variousfolkfestival
Correspondence
promoters,includingCambridgeFolkFestival
promoter,EddieBarcan,and SteveHeap,who
promotedthe SidmouthFolkFestivalandthe
SidmouthInternational
Festival.
41 EddieBarcan,correspondence
with
author,September2001 and October2005;
SteveHeap, correspondence
with author,
September2001.
42 PhilipV. Bohlman,TheStudyofFolkMusic
in theModernWorld,(Bloomingtonand
Indianapolis:IndianaUniversityPress,1988),
p. 131.
43 Forinformationon previousartistrosters
at Sidmouthand Cambridge,see Derek
Schofield,TheFirstWeekin August:FiftyYears
of theSidmouthFestival(Matlock:Sidmouth
InternationalFestival,[2004]); Dave Laing
and RichardNewman, ThirtyYearsof the
FolkFestival(Cambridge:Music
Cambridge
MakerBooks, 1994).
44 Livingston, p. 69.
45 Niall MacKinnon,TheBritishFolkScene:
MusicalPerformance
and SocialIdentity,
PopularMusicin Britain(Buckingham:
Open UniversityPress,1994), p. 43; Paul
Westwell,FolkMusicReport(London:
ExecutiveCommitteeof the Musicians'
Union, 1997), p. 2.
46 SeeAppendix1 for examplesof diversity
in artistrostersat the CambridgeFolk
Festivalbetween1986 and 2002.
47 MacKinnon, P. 43.
48 Colin Irwin,'TheNew EnglishRoots',in
WorldMusic:TheRoughGuide,ed. by Simon
Broughton(London:Penguin,1994),
pp. 32-42.
December1996 andAugust2005; Gerry

Conway,interviewwith author,January
1997; MartinCarthy,interviewswith author,
March1997 andAugust2005; Ashley
Hutchings,correspondence
with author,May
1997; RickKemp,interviewswith author,
betweenAugust1997 andJune2005.
53 Forexample,in 2001 the SidmouthFolk
FestivalincludedartistsfromZimbabwe,
Sicily,and Iraq;in 2003 the festivalpresented
artistsfromGalicia,Australia,the USA,
Korea,Ghana,India,Poland,and the
PacificIslands(informationfrom <http://
www.mrscasey.co.uk/sidmouth/>
[accessed
September2002 andApril2004]).
54 See, for example,RobertWalser,'Heavy
Metal',in TheNew GroveDictionaryofMusic
and Musicians, ed. by StanleySadie,2nd edn,
29 vols (London:Macmillan/Grove,
2001),
XI, 301. Walserdescribescertainamplified
guitar-basedformsof rockmusicin the
1970s as 'heavymetal'.Therearenow many
hybridformsof heavymetalsuch as 'death
metal','Goth metal','speedmetal','thrash
metal',and 'nu metal',all of which differin
termsof lyriccontent,tempo, and technical
virtuosity.
5 MartinCarthy,interviewswith author,
56 Livingston,pp. 79-80.
5 GeorginaBoyes,interviewwith author,
August 1997.
58 It is not the purposeof this articleto
providea detailedinsightinto the rhythmical
and metricalcomponentsof the music
referredto as 'rockand roll'in the 1950s
and which, as Gillettand Middletonboth
describe,becameknownas 'rockmusic'in
p. 32.
49 Irwin,
the mid-1960s; see CharlieGillett, TheSound
50 SteveHeap,correspondence
withauthor,
of the City (London:SouvenirPress,1973),
September2001; EddieBarcan,correspondence p. 401; RichardMiddleton,'Rock',in 7he
with author,September2001 andOctober
New GroveDictionaryofMusicandMusicians,
2005. It shouldbe notedthattherearealso
XXI, 485-86.
manysmallermulticultural
folk-oriented
5 PeterVan Der Merwe,Originsof the
festivalspromotedannuallyin the UK.
Popular Style (Oxford:OxfordUniversity
51 Laingand Newman,pp. 38, 43.
Press,1992), pp. 156-57, provides
52
Simon Nicol, interviewswith author,
comprehensiveillustrationsof what he refers
ANDAUTHENTICITY
VARIATION,
CONTINUITY,
MOVEMENT
or the assimilationof
to as Africanization',
Africanrhythmswith Europeanrhythms,
in popularmusicand art music. This
developmentinitiatedthe morefrequentuse
of syncopationand polyrhythmsin popular
musicin the USA and Britainduringthe
nineteenthcentury.In the twentiethcentury,
the drumkit, a comparativelynew concept
in popularmusicwhich was introducedin
the 1920s, enabledone musicianto perform
simultaneouspolyrhythmicand syncopated
patterns,which then becamea familiarpart
of popularmusicperformance.
60 Allan F.Moore,Rock:ThePrimaryText
- Developinga Musicology
of Rock,Ashgate
Popularand FolkMusicSeries(Aldershotand
Burlington,VT:Ashgate,1993), pp. 37-39.
61
In some pop songs,such as the Rolling
and SmokeyRobinson
Stones''Satisfaction'
and the Miracles''Tearsof a Clown',as well
as instrumentalsectionsof the SpencerDavis
Group's'Keepon Running'andWilson
Pickett's'MidnightHour',and chorus
sectionsof Roy Orbison's'PrettyWoman',
snaredrumbeatsfall on all fourcrotchet
valuesof the 4/4 bar.
62
In the late 1960s, beforethe metrical
inflexibilityof the 1970s 'disco'era,
A. L. Lloyd(p. 35) was criticalof the ways
in which the use of 4/4 metrein popularand
artmusicaffectedWesternperceptionsof
music. Therewere,however,threesuccessful
metrerecordingsthat achieved
'irregular'
chartsuccessin the 1960s and 1970s. 'Take
Five',in 5/4, was a hit singlein 1960 for the
Dave BrubeckQuartet.'Livingin the Past',
also in 5/4, was recordedby JethroTullin
1969. 'Money',recordedin 1973 by Pink
Floyd,was a singletakenfromthe album
DarkSideof theMoon.It startsin 7/4 and
changesto barsof 4/4 and 2/4 beforefinally
returningto 7/4. TIhealbumremainedin
the UK and US chartsfor overten years,
demonstratingthat constant4/4 metrewas
not a necessityfor what Moorerefersto as
the 'workingclass,dancingmarket'(AllanE
Rock',in TheNew Grove
Moore,'Progressive
217
DictionaryofMusicand Musicians,XX, 402).

63 JustinLondon,'Rhythm',in TheNew
GroveDictionaryofMusicandMusicians,
XXI, 277-308.
64 See HalseyStevens,TheLifeandMusicof
Bea Bartdk,2nd edn (New York:University
of New York,1981), p. 272.
65 GerryConway,interviewwith author,
January1997.
66 RickKemp,interviews
with author,
2001
and
2005.
June
August
67 SteeleyeSpan,Parcelof Rogues,
12-inchLP
(ChrysalisCHR1046, 1973).
68 Thesecondsectionof SteeleyeSpan's
arrangementof 'TheWeaverand the Factory
Maid'was collectedby A. L. Lloydin Widnes
in 1951; see Roy Palmer,A Touchon the
Time:Songsof SocialChange1770-1914
Penguin,1974), p. 134.
(Harmondsworth:
69 Fairport
Convention,AngelDelight,
12-inchLP (IslandILPS9162, 1971).
was
The drummeron 'LordMarlborough'
Dave Mattacks,who had joined Fairport
Conventionin 1969 beforethe recordingof
Liegeand Lief Both AshleyHutchingsand
SimonNicol maintainthat Mattackswas the
firstdrummerto amalgamatefolk and rock
musicwhile retainingaspectsof authenticity
fromboth styles.
70 John Churchill,FirstDuke of
Marlborough,led the Britishforcesto victory
in this campaignand his reward,an estatein
Oxfordshire,was namedafterthe battleat
Blenheim(Blindheim),in Bavaria,in 1704.
He was createdDuke of Marlboroughby
WilliamIII (Williamof Orange),although
the text of FairportConvention'sversionof
the song refersto his earliersupportfor King
CharlesII.
71 KarlDallas,sleevenotes to 7heNew
ElectricMuse:TheStoryofFolkintoRock,
3 CDs (EssentialESBCD 416, 1996), p. 7.
72 See RobertBurns,'BritishFolkMusic
in PopularMusicSettings',in FolkSong:
Revivaland Re-Creation,
Tradition,
pp. 115-29.
218
FOLKMUSICJOURNAL
ElizaCarthy,RedRice,2 CDs (Topic

TSD2001, 1998).
74 TheIdiomof thePeople:
EnglishTraditional
Editedwithan Introduction
Verse,
and Notes
from theManuscripts
of CecilJ Sharp,ed. by
JamesReeves(London:Heinemann,1958),
p. 75.
75 The BattlefieldBand,At theFront,
12-inchLP (Topic12T126, 1978); Martin
Carthyand Dave Swarbrick,Lifeand Limb,
12-inchLP (SpecialDeliverySPD1030,
1990). PeterKennedyprovidesan account
of the sourcesof 'A-Beggin'I Will Go' in
Folksongs
of Britainand Ireland:A Guidebook
to theLivingTraditionof Folksinging
in the
BritishIslesandIreland,ed. by PeterKennedy
(London:Cassell,1975), p. 527. The song
and its variantscan be found in printed
versionsdatingbackto 1641, althoughthe
lyricsas sung by the BattlefieldBandwere
publishedin Vagabond
Songsand Ballads
of Scotland,ed. by RobertFord,2nd series
(Paisleyand London:AlexanderGardner,
1901), pp. 118-22.
76 Author'stranscription
(Scotsvocabulary
from the glossaryin ThePoemsand Songsof
RobertBurns,ed. by JamesKinsley,
3 vols (Oxford:ClarendonPress,1968), III,
1549-1613.
73
Issuesconcerningsocialconsciencearenot
within the scopeof this study,but interviews
with folk performerscarriedout for this
studysuggestedthat this particularaspect
of modernBritishfolk musicwas arguably
influencedby protestsongsfromthe USA,
such as those of Bob Dylan, PeteSeeger,Tom
Paxton,andJoanBaez.
78 Author'stranscription.
On the later
recording(seen. 77 below),Carthysang'and
therefor all to see'insteadof 'anda joy to
MrsT.'
79 Dave Swarbrick,
FolkOn2, CD (Cooking
Vinyl, MASH CDOO1,1996). Author's
77
transcription.
MartinCarthy,interviewwith author,
March1997.
80
81
Pickering, p. 75.
Max PeterBaumann,'MusicalActors
and MentalConstructsin the Processof
Globalization',TheWorldofMusic,43.2+3
(2001), 9-29 (p. 10).
83 Information
fromLaingandNewman,
pp. 88-105; andEddieBarcan,correspondence
with author,September2001 andOctober
2005. Descriptionsof artistsnot performing
in mainstream
rockor pop musicstylesare
derivedfrom World
Music:TheRoughGuide.
82

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English Folk-Rock Movement

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Continuity, Variation, and Authenticity in the English Folk-Rock Movement

Author(s): Robert G. H. Burns

9 NUMBER2 PP. 192-218 ISSN0531-9684

Views such as these can equallybe appliedto the maintenance

WhereasSimon Nicol remainsa memberof FairportConvention,a bandhe joined

Continuity,variation,and selection: towards a contemporary view

promoterssupportsthe notion of a risein the popularityof Britishfolk musicpresented

FiguresfromBritishPhonographicIndustryStatisticalHandbook(1995, 1998, 2001)

sincethe late 1970s.46Niall MacKinnonnotes that,between1988 and 1993, audiences

Music journalistColin Irwin describesthe change that took place in Britishfolk

RickKempprovidedanotherexampleof SteeleyeSpan'spolicy of preservingoriginal

.... ... ... .

three5/4 barsfollowedby one in 3/4. Ihese arefollowedby a four-barphraseof three

= snare drum beat

Wherehave you been all the day

dar - lin' Bil

wal - kin' with a

is - n't she a young thing

late - ly from her mum - my oh.

includeselectricand acousticguitars,accordion,electricbass, drums,and percussion.

Wherehaveyoubeen all the day

bon- ny boy, Bil - ly boy? Wherehave

oh my dear dar- lin' Bil - ly

the day mak-ing

Is -n't she a youngthing late-ly fromhermum-my oh?_

Wherehaveyoubeen all the day

Wherehaveyou been all the day

oh my dear dar- lin' Bil - ly

the day mak-ing

a young thing late-ly

from hermum-my oh?_

Bars4 and 5, in 5/4 and 3/4 respectively,

Wherehaveyou been all the day

dar- lin' Bil - ly

Wherehaveyou been all the day

Is - n't she a young thing late-ly

= bar of common time

1980s. Theversionsaretitled'Taethe Beggin",recordedby the BattlefieldBand,and'lhe

Of allthetradesin England,thebeggin'is thebest,

continuityexistsin folk-rockperformanceenabledby a processof contemporizationof

Levellers (folk-rock);Taj Mahal (blues); Blues Band (blues); Dillards

LawrenceandWishart,1967), pp. 14,

Respectively,Simon Nicol, interviewswith

December1996 andAugust2005; Gerry

DictionaryofMusicand Musicians,XX, 402).

ElizaCarthy,RedRice,2 CDs (Topic

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