Cecil James Sharp

Cecil James Sharp 1859-1924, English musician, best known for his researches in English folk music. In 1911 he founded the English Folk Dance Society. In the United States he collected (1914-18) folk songs in the Appalachian Mts., where he found many songs of English origin. His numerous anthologies include English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachian Mountains (with O.D. Campbell, 1917; 3d ed. by Maud Karpeles, 1960) and American-English Folk Songs (1918). He wrote English Folk Song: Some Conclusions (1907, 4th ed. 1965) and, with A. P. Oppé, The Dance: An Historical Survey of Dancing in Europe (1924).

Bibliography: See biography by A. H. Fox Strangways and M. Karpeles (rev. ed. 1967).

Sharp, Cecil (James) (b Denmark Hill, London, 1859; d Hampstead, 1924). Eng. folk-song and folk-dance collector and editor, organist, and writer. Trained as lawyer and practised as such in Australia. Org., Adelaide Cath., 1889–92. Prin., Hampstead Cons. of Mus. 1896–1905. In 1899 began systematic coll. of Eng. folk-dances and in 1903 began to collect folk-songs. Though not first in the field, his proselytizing and energy inspired others to emulate him. Founded English Folk Dance Soc., 1911. With M. Karpeles, collected folk-songs in Appalachian mountains of N. Amer., 1916–18. Pubd. many arrs. and colls. of folk-songs and dances (some in collab. with G. Butterworth, Vaughan Williams, C. L. Marson, etc.). Wrote English Folk Song and other books. After his death Cecil Sharp House, in London, was built as headquarters of amalgamated English Folk Dance and Song Society.

Sharp, Cecil (1859–1924), English folk-music collector and editor. He transcribed during the course of his life a total of 4,977 tunes, of which he published 1,118.