You are welcome to attend the following MUSIC RESEARCH SEMINAR by Paul Wilson (Wren Music)
Wednesday 11 May 2016 at 2 pm in Rolle 015, Plymouth University
“Moving Modes: Truths and questions about the Music of English Folk Song”
This talk investigates some of the truths and myths about the musical modes of English Folk Song. What is a mode? Is there a ‘folk-song’ mode? Are there distinct English modes or even distinct Devon modes?
The presentation will be illustrated with live music examples taken primarily from the work of English Victorian polymath and Devon folk song collector Sabine Baring Gould. Paul will describe how his musical skills compare with others and how, in common with many folk song collectors, he collected what he wanted to hear. Using a selected sample of examples covering the different musical modes commonly found in English folk song enables me to interrogate recurring concepts, including those found in Baring Gould’s own writings on the subject.
Paul Wilson is a performer and folk music educator. With Marilyn Tucker, he is co-founder of Wren Music, an organisation working across the South West of England and further afield to develop a sense of identity, place and history through the folk songs and music of the region.