Chip Bailey: Mountain Music of Appalachia

Instructor: Chip Bailey

This class will trace the roots and origins of traditional music that has evolved in the Appalachian region over the last four centuries. Emphasis will be placed on the people who made the music and why they made the music. Included will be examples of the ballads or love songs from the British Isles as collected by Francis James Child in the second half of the 19th century and Cecil Sharp in the early 20th century. Both musical scholars were considered “Song Catchers”. Also examined will be the Celtic music influences, the African American music influences, the M**der ballads that issued warnings, the blood harmony singing of close relatives, the development of that “high lonesome sound”, the differences between old-time music and bluegrass music, and finally, the influences of traditional music on the development of the folk music revival of the 1950s/1960s.

The class will contain mini-lectures, recordings, live musical instrument demonstrations, and group discussions.

Feel free to bring an acoustic instrument to play and/or sing along. Come to learn why this music should be preserved and perpetuated.

Ages 13+

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