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Posted by: Stephen Winick
We're back with another episode of the Folklife Today podcast! To round out both Women's History Month and Irish American Heritage Month, we're presenting A Tribute to Irish American Women. As usual, I'll present links to relevant blog posts, videos, and audio selections in this post, as well as the link to download the podcast.
Posted in: Irish Americans, Podcasts, Women's History
Posted by: Megan Harris
Today, the Veterans History Project (VHP) debuts “Line by Line: Transcribed Correspondence Collections,” a new online exhibit focusing on nine digitized, fully transcribed correspondence collections. Part of the suite of interpretive resources released earlier this month focusing on letters in the VHP archive, this online exhibit came to life a bit differently than others on …
Posted in: COVID-19 pandemic, Creative Expressions of Service, Serving: Our Voices, Veterans History Project, Working Together Apart series, World War II
Posted by: Stephen Winick
In this post, we continue presenting Jennifer Cutting’s 2003 interview with Tony Barrand, a singer, dancer, academic, writer, teacher, historian, folklorist, curator, producer, and festival organizer, who died on January 29. Barrand donated the Anthony Grant Barrand Collection of Morris, Sword, and Clog Dancing (AFC 2003/005) to AFC in 2003. This post is the third in a series of four posts, each of which will present a portion of the interview. In this post, Barrand discusses the development of Morris dancing in America since he founded the Marlboro Morris Ale, a dance festival in Vermont, in 1976. To show how influential Tony's event has become, we've illustrated this post with many photos of the Marlboro Morris Ale over the years.
Posted in: Dance, Tony Barrand Interview
Posted by: Stephen Winick
The American Folklife Center mourns the passing of Anthony Grant "Tony" Barrand, a singer, dancer, teacher, and folklorist who donated the Anthony Grant Barrand Collection of Morris, Sword, and Clog Dancing (AFC 2003/005) to AFC in 2003. In addition to making this collection, Barrand has been a proponent of English folk traditions in America for more than 50 years. He was a longtime dancer as well as a singer and musician with the John Roberts and Tony Barrand duo, and with the quartet Nowell Sing We Clear. Barrand, who was born in Lincolnshire and continued growing up in Buckinghamshire, England, died on January 29, 2022 at age 76 in his adopted home of Marlboro, Vermont. The interview was recorded to audio and video tape and is in the AFC archive. This post is the second in a series of posts, each of which will present a portion of the interview in transcribed form.
Posted in: Tony Barrand Interview
Posted by: Stephen Winick
In the Homegrown Plus series, we present Homegrown concerts that also had accompanying oral history interviews, placing both videos together in an easy-to-find blog post. We're continuing the series with the Ialoni Ensemble. This women's vocal and instrumental group was formed in 2009 in Tbilisi in the country of Georgia. Ialoni's repertoire draws from all three branches of traditional Georgian vocal polyphony: ecclesiastical, folk, and city music. The group selects its repertoire from archival records and manuscripts, field recordings, and published transcriptions, with a special emphasis on reviving relatively unusual, original, and complex songs. They greatly value the character of different chanting schools, as well as the folk and city songs, originating from different regions, taking the time to comprehend them intimately and then bringing them to life with the ensemble’s own signature style. In the interview you'll hear about the different types of Georgian polyphonic singing and the repertoires of religious songs, folk songs, and urban songs. We spoke about how Georgians typically learn this music, and where and when they sing and play it. We discuss the concept behind their beautiful concert video as well. We even got a demonstration of some of their favorite instruments. Watch both videos, and find interesting links to more Georgian content, in this post!
Posted in: AFC Events, Georgia [Country], Homegrown Concert Series, Homegrown Plus
Posted by: Megan Harris
Spend any time with Veterans History Project (VHP) collections, and it becomes clear that mail frequently played a central role in the military experiences of many veterans, particularly those who served in the days before electronic communications. Often, letters served as the sole, fragile link between servicemen and women and their families and friends. Written …
Posted in: Veterans History Project
Posted by: Stephen Winick
The American Folklife Center mourns the passing of Anthony Grant "Tony" Barrand, a singer, dancer, teacher, and folklorist who donated the Anthony Grant Barrand Collection of Morris, Sword, and Clog Dancing (AFC 2003/005) to AFC in 2003. In addition to making this collection, Barrand has been a proponent of English folk traditions in America for more than 50 years. He was a longtime dancer as well as a singer and musician with the John Roberts and Tony Barrand duo, and with the quartet Nowell Sing We Clear. Barrand, who was born in Lincolnshire and continued growing up in Buckinghamshire, England, died on January 29, 2022 at age 76 in his adopted home of Marlboro, Vermont. The interview was recorded to audio and video tape and is in the AFC archive. This post is the first in a series of posts, each of which will present a portion of the interview in transcribed form.
Posted in: Dance, England, Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, Tony Barrand Interview
Posted by: Megan Harris
The following is a guest blog post by Justina Moloney, an archivist at the Veterans History Project (VHP). I’ve always wished I had a more skillful ability to draw. Of course, I can doodle like nobody’s business, but to truly master even the basics of perspective and form, that I’m lacking. I’ve doodled while taking …
Posted in: Story Map, Veterans History Project, World War II
Posted by: Michelle Stefano
“Now, this tablecloth,” Taissa Decyk says, “I was in a camp expecting my first child, who is now thirty-one, when I made this tablecloth.” In September 1979, Mrs. Taissa Decyk was interviewed in her Providence home about her extensive knowledge of Ukrainian embroidery traditions. Conducted by folklorist Geraldine Niva Johnson, the interview was for the …
Posted in: Caught My Eye, Clothing, Crafts, Material Culture, Oral History, Textile arts, Textiles, Ukrainian Americans