Traditional singing in west Sheffield, 1970-2

The study is the result of extensive fieldwork undertaken in the suburban and village communities of the Pennine foothills on the western outskirts of the city of Sheffield. The approach is empirical su.ch that consideration is given to the complete recorded repertoires of all the singers encountered rather than particular genres of song based on criteria imposed by the researcher. Moreover the study does not discuss these repertoires in isolation, but relates them to their setting. An understanding of the bond that exists between a singer and his songs is shown to be of great importance, and to this end eight of the major singers are discussed in depth. The importance of context is stressed and particular reference is made to the tradition of singing in local public houses. The final section details some of the most important aspects of the local tradition including an historical perspective, recognisable elements for stability and change, the interaction between participants, their style of singing, and above all their major concerns as shown in the type of songs they favour. The transcriptions occupy the second and third volumes of the study and are classified in alphabetical order according to the performer. They are accompanied by a summary of the essential melodic features, including pitch, tempo, range, scale and melodic form. The transcriptions attempt to accurately represent a singer's performance, as far as this is possible within conventional staff notation. It is therefore suggested that they be examined in conjunction with the original tape recordings from which they were made.