IN a remarkable and famous passage in Religio Medici, Sir Thomas Browne says, “ There is a music wherever there is a harmony, order, or proportion ; and thus far we may maintain the ‘music of the ...

The songs that Shirley Collins sings are like time capsules, each with vast histories waiting to be uncovered. Some have journeyed across decades, even centuries, shape-shifting and meeting each ...

Japanese folk songs evolved in the same way as English language ones even though they are sung in different tones and scales. Patrick Savage at Keio University in Japan and his colleagues analysed the ...

The 1960s folk revival may have peaked by the middle of the decade, but several influential artists carried on the tradition.

In its essence, folk music is music for the people — an art form inextricably intertwined with the soul of a region. Its nature is inherently visual, conjuring vivid imagery with just a single ...

Of interest to anyone with an interest in social history the English Folk Dance and Song Society have launched their online archive. Quite a long time in the making the slightly dubiously named 'Full ...

Rachel and Becky Unthank (yes, that's their given name) grew up living and breathing folk music in England's Northumberland County -- their parents, both singers, were active performers, and as the ...

On this day (October 22) in 1989, Ewan MacColl died in London’s Brompton Hospital after having heart surgery. He was 74 years old. Before his death, MacColl built a legacy as a playwright, union ...

Carthy wears his considerable history lightly. His album was reflective without being nostalgic or complacent, building on a lifetime’s commitment to the performance and interpretation of traditional ...