Sam Henry's Songs of the People - Paperback

by Sam Henry (Author), Gale Huntington (Editor), Lani Herrmann (Editor)

The story of Ireland--its graces and shortcomings, triumphs and sorrows--is told by ballads, dirges, and humorous songs of its common people. Music is a direct and powerful expression of Irish folk culture and an aspect of Irish life beloved throughout the rest of the world.

Incredibly, the largest single gathering of Irish folk songs had been almost inaccessible because, originally newspaper based, it was available in only three libraries, in Belfast, Dublin, and Washington D.C. Sam Henry's "Songs of the People" makes the music available to a wider audience than the collector ever imagined. Comprising nearly 690 selections, this thoroughly annotated and indexed collection is a treasure for anyone who performs, composes, studies, collects, or simply enjoys folk music. It is valuable as an outstanding record of Irish folk songs before World War II, demonstrating the historical ties between Irish and Southern folk culture and the tremendous Irish influence on American folk music.

In addition to the songs themselves and their original commentary, Sam Henry's "Songs of the People" includes a glossary, bibliography, discography, index of titles and first lines, melodic index, index of the original sources of the songs and information about them, geographical index of sources, and three appendixes related to the original song series in the Northern Constitution.

Author Biography

Sam Henry (Author)
SAM HENRY (1878-1952) was a native of Coleraine, Northern Ireland. A tireless documenter of Northern Irish folklore and music, he shared his work through a regular column in the Northern Constitution newspaper between 1923 and 1938, as well as through broadcasts on the BBC and Radio Éireann.

Gale Huntington (Editor)
GALE HUNTINGTON was a writer, teacher, historian, and musician. He is the author of Songs the Whalemen Sang and other books on New England music and history.