The seed of an idea is set…
The idea of the Vaughan Williams’ Folk Project came about after working during the 2020-21 Lockdowns with volunteer Alan Helsdon, one of Norfolk’s song researchers. We knew of several East Anglian researchers who had focussed on the folk songs notated by Dr Ralph Vaughan Williams in their home counties but much was, at the point of applying for NLHF funding, unpublished (though 2 publications were in the process of being completed for publication to tie in with the national RVW 150 Celebrations) and much was out of print or in out-of-date format. It seemed an apt time to showcase that research and share these researchers’ findings more widely.
What we hadn’t appreciated was just how important East Anglia really was in relation to Vaughan Williams’ collecting. Ingrave, Essex in 1903 was the place where his first official folksong was collected and he went on to collect & notate over 800 more. Several of these were woven into his classical compositions and also can be found as tunes in the English Hymnal for which he was Musical Editor (published 1906 for the Church of England). Of these 800 or so folksongs, just under half were collected in Essex, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Something worth celebrating we thought!
During the Project duration, we took the music collected by Vaughan Williams into the communities across the region – into Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. Much of this has been digitised and is now available to view via this website.
Thanks to National Lottery players, this project brought folklorists and song researchers together to share their knowledge of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ folk song collecting in East Anglia and sought to resurrect the songs and music through work with young musicians, schools and community groups.
*A small group of talented young musicians was engaged through a Folk Music Mentorship Programme, resulting in a musical showcase at the FolkEast Festival and at East Anglian Traditional Music Day in 2023.
*A schools’ programme reaching over 2500 children provided educational resources and an opportunity to be recorded for inclusion in audio-visual presentations as part of the Project.
* A series of podcasts and films were created which allowed the community to follow the progress of the Project and digital material is now available to download through the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust’s website and social media channels.
This project was launched in October 2022 in the week that celebrated the 150th year of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ birth and its final event took place in September 2023 as Vaughan Williams’ special year neared its end. The rest of 2023 was spent completing the webpages which aim to share our work. For a film of the Launch visit our YouTube Page.
Meet the Team:
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Manager – Alex Bartholomew, East Anglian Traditional Music Trust
Project Co-ordinator – Nicky Stockman – Freelance Heritage & Folk Music Researcher, Musician and Educator.
AUDIO, PODCAST & FILM
Jake Lee Savage – Sound Recordist and Film Maker and Director of Soundlarks
RESEARCHERS IN EAST ANGLIA
Jill Bennett, Sue Cubbin, Caroline Davison, Alan Helsdon, Katie Howson, Mary Humphreys, Elizabeth James, Philip Heath-Coleman, David Occomore
SHOWCASE MENTORS
Finn Collinson & Emma Beach
with Kate Griffin and Stu Hanna as Guest Tutors
SHOWCASE MUSICIANS
Elye Cuthbertson, Leila Hooton, Peter McCauley, Heather Moss, Lauren Peck, Sarah Stock, Abbey Thomas, Oliver Thompson, Anna Treutler and Guest musician Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne.
EDUCATORS
Erin Brown, Faye Gosling, Stu Hanna, Janet Koralambe, Tracey Rayner, Jane Sayer, Nicky Stockman, Ben Vonberg-Clark
ADVISORS & SUPPORTERS
Rob Wakerley, NLHF; Becky Marshall-Potter – FolkEast; Essex Researchers David Occomore & Phil Heath-Coleman; Steve Roud and Martin Graebe – Traditional Song Forum; EFDSS; Vaughan Williams Society.
BACK TO THE VAUGHAN WILLIAMS’ FOLK MAIN PAGE
