Product Information
First published in 1975 and long out of print, Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills is a major work of folklore poised to reach a new generation of readers. Drawing upon Patrick Ward Gainer's extensive ethnographic fieldwork around West Virginia, it contains dozens of significant folk songs, including not only the internationally famous Child Ballads, but such distinctively West Virginian songs as The West Virginia Farmer and John Hardy, among others. Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills stands out as a book with multiple audiences. As a musical text, it offers comparatively easy access to a rich variety of folk songs that could provide a new repertoire for Appalachian singers. As an ethnographic text, it has the potential to reintroduce significant data about the musical lives of many West Virginians into conversations around Appalachian music-discourses that are being radically reshaped by scholars working in folklore, ethnomusicology, and Appalachian studies. As a historical document, it gives readers a glimpse into the research methods commonly practiced by mid-twentieth-century folklorists. And when read in conjunction with John Harrington Cox's Folk Songs of the South (also available from WVU Press), it sheds important light on the significant role that West Virginia University has played in documenting the state's vernacular traditions.Product Identifiers
PublisherWest Virginia University Press
ISBN-139781946684035
eBay Product ID (ePID)239941696
Product Key Features
Book TitleFolk Songs from the West Virginia Hills
Book SeriesSounding Appalachia
Publication Year2017
TypeTextbook
FormatPaperback
LanguageEnglish
AuthorPatrick W. Gainer
TopicHistory, Traditional Folk Music
Dimensions
Item Height216 mm
Item Weight320 g
Additional Product Features
Country/Region of ManufactureUnited States
Title_AuthorPatrick W. Gainer