Événement

Brian Peters and Jeff Davis present Sharp's Appalachian Harvest

Sharp's Appalachian Harvest is a special multimedia show researched and performed by Brian Peters, from England, and Connecticut's own Jeff Davis, both old friends of FSSGB. Their presentation is devoted to the astounding collection of songs and music made by Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles in the Southern Appalachians over three summers in 1916, 1917 and 1918. The English folklorists had ventured into the heart of the mountains to seek out old British ballads still being sung in remote mountain settlements, and their haul of over sixteen hundred pieces is one of the greatest folk song collections ever made.

In their presentation, Jeff and Brian, two leading performers and researchers of traditional song and music, sing and play some of the highlights of Sharp's harvest, accompanied by readings from his diaries describing vividly the hardships and triumphs of song collecting, and a display of his terrific photographs of the singers and of mountain life. The music ranges from old ballads to American breakdowns, fiddle tunes, children's songs and gospel, performed by Jeff and Brian on banjo, fiddle, guitar, and a variety of other instruments.

This concert will be the first performance in the USA of Sharp's Appalachian Harvest.