Barb'ra Ellen- Lewis (KY) 1917 Sharp N
[My title. Single stanza From English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians, 1932 Sharp/Karpeles. Notes from the 1932 edition follow. An excerpt from Sharp's diary is given.
R. Matteson 2015]
No. 24. Barbara Allen.
Texts without tunes -.—Child's English and Scottish Popular Ballads, No. 84. Gavin Greig's Folk-Song of the North-East, ii, arts. 165 and 166. Ashton's Century of Ballads, p. 173. Miss Burne's Shropshire Folk-Lore, p. 543. Garret's Merrie Book of Garlands, vol. ii. A. Williams's Folk Songs of the Upper Thames, pp. 204 and 206. D. Scarborough's On the Trail of Negro Folk Songs, p. 59. Journal of American Folk-Lore, xix. 285 ; xx. 250; xxii. 63 ; xxviii. 144; xxix. 161.
Texts with tunes :—Christie's Traditional Ballad Airs, I. 87 and 89. Journal of the Folk-Song Society, 111 and 265; ii. 15 and 80. Kidson's Traditional Tunes, P- 37- Journal of the Irish Folk-Song Society, i. 45. Chappel's Popular Music of the Olden Times, ii. 538. Kidston's Garland of English Folk Songs, p. 74. Joyce's Ancient Irish Music, p. 79. Rimbault's Musical Illustrations of Bishop Percy's Reliques, No. 53. Gavin Greig's Last Leaves, No. 32. Folk Songs from Somerset, No. 22 (also published in English Folk Songs, Selected Edition, i. 20, and One Hundred English Folk-Songs, p. 20). Thomson's Scottish Songs, iii. 29. Cox's Folk Songs of the South, pp. 96 and 523. Reed Smith's South Carolina Ballads, p. 129. W. R. Mackenzie's Ballads and Sea Songs of Nova Scotia, No. 9. Wyman and Brockway's Lonesome Tunes} p. 1. Journal of American Folk-Lore, vi. 132 ; xxii. 74 (tune only); xxxv. 343 ; xxxix. 97 and 211. Musical Quarterly, January 1916, p. 20 (tune only). British Ballads from Maine, p. 195. Davis's
Traditional Ballads of Virginia, pp. 302 and 577. McGill's Folk Songs of the Kentucky Mountains, p. 40. Sandburg's American Songbag, p. 57.
Sharp diary 1917 page 248. Tuesday 28 August 1917 - Pineville — Pine Mountain Settlement
Breakfast at 6.30 (Maud is certainly better) and catch train 7.35 for Dillon where we arrive very travel worn & dirty at 11.45. Here we are met by Mr John Lewis and a pack horse. We load the latter with our suit cases type writer, dispatch case and mackintoshes and begin our long trek up the mountain side. I only just manage the first half of the journey i.e. up, because of my asthma which is pretty bad. Going down on the other side an easier matter, but the journey takes a full 3 hours though only 6 miles. On arrival am given room at Mr Zandae’s the Farm Superintendent and Maud one in a tent to be exchanged eventually for a room in Miss Pettit’s house.1 Meet everybody, Miss Wells, Pettit, De Long etc at tea under apple tree. Sing to children after supper at 6.
1: Pine Mountain Settlement School, established 1913 by Katherine Pettit and Ethel de Long.
Sharp diary 1917 page 249. Wednesday 29 August 1917 - Pine Mountain Settlement School
Breakfast at 6. Shortly after Maud and I tramp up Greasy Creek after songs and get a goodish lot from Mrs Mary Ann Short and her mother Mrs Berry Creech. Return home rather late for mid-day meal at 12 in the large dining hall. The latter is a magnificent room in which 70 or 80 people dining at round tables take up only part of the accommodation. The feeding of the children is excellent and a great contrast from Oneida. The general atmosphere is very good. The children most of whom are kiddies are just delightful, clean, bright & intelligent and are indistinguishable from the children of gentle-folk. I rest in the afternoon have tea at the office with Miss Wells, Dr Little etc and again after supper sing songs which are greatly appreciated by children & elders. Have a long talk with Miss Pettit in the evening.
N. [Barb'ra Ellen] Sung by MR. JOHN LEWIS at Pine Mountain, Harlan Co., Ky., Aug. 29, 1917
Pentatonic. Mode 3 (Tonic G).
Early, early in the Spring,
The green buds they were swellin',
Sweet William on his death bed lay
For love of Barb'ra Ellen.