
Cecil Sharp was the founding father of the English folk revival in the beginning of 20th century. When he came to America in 1915 he realized that nearly all of he English folk songs the immigrants had carried with them in America had vanished, replaced by more sophisticated and "educated" versions. Then he heard abut the Appalachian, the geographical isolation and the strong folk song tradition of the mountaineers. Sharp made three visits to North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and collected 1700 traditional English ballads , including versions that were not being sung in [...]

Young ghosts and ghouls will be making the rounds from door to door tonight seeking sweet rewards for their frightful efforts. Once again, it is time for telling ghost stories around a flickering campfire or visiting the local mega-plex to be scarred senseless by Hollywood's latest slasher movie sequel. When our children were young my wife would accompany the little goblins on their quest for sugary treasure on Halloween, while I remained at home to dole out the candy. I would keep the lights low while the eerie pipe organ of Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D [...]