James Madison Carpenter Collection
Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/2004695192
General International Standard for Archival Description
Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center Library of Congress Washington, D.C. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
Encoded by Nora Yeh, September 2010
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
James Madison Carpenter Collection 1928-1955, 1972, 1987 1928-1935
19,417 manuscript items (12 linear feet manuscripts), 397 sound recordings [178 wax cylinders and 221 12-inch acetate discs], 180 cylinder containers, 1233 graphic materials (40 ink-and-pencil drawings, with 10 of these in color; 352 black-and-white film negatives, 17 color slides [positive transparencies], 1 black-and- white contact sheet, 592 black-and-white photographic prints, 4 color photographic prints, 112 black-and-white glass negatives, and 115 glass positives)
Carpenter, James M.
American Folklife Center
Biographical History for: James Madison Carpenter Collection 1928-1955, 1972, 1987 1928-1935
Biographical History James Madison Carpenter (1888-1984) was born in Booneville, Mississippi. He received both a bachelor of arts degree (1913) and a master of arts degree (1914) from the University of Mississippi. He continued his graduate training at Harvard University, where he came under the tutelage of Professor George Lyman Kittredge, a ballad scholar. At Harvard, Carpenter became interested in British and American folk songs; his dissertation, Forecastle Songs and Chanties, was completed in 1929. From 1929 to 1935 Carpenter traveled throughout England and Scotland primarily as a Harvard Fellow, collecting folk songs, folk plays, and other folklore materials. Upon his return to the United States, Carpenter taught himself to notate the tunes he had recorded, and proceeded to transcribe approximately 1000 tunes over the next few years. At the same time Carpenter became a college lecturer, giving presentations based on his research at institutions such as Harvard, Wellesley, Vassar, Smith, Radcliffe, Amherst, and the University of Vermont. In 1938 he taught English at Duke University, and continued his collecting of folk songs and children’s games, often as part of his curriculum. After five years at Duke, Carpenter taught for one year at the College of William and Mary and then became chairman of the English Department at Greensboro College. His tenure at Greensboro lasted ten years; he formally retired from the department in 1954. Carpenter returned to his hometown of Booneville in 1964, where he lived until his death on July 4, 1984.
Scope and Content The James Madison Carpenter Collection spans the years 1928-1987, with the largest portion dated 1928-1935. It is arranged into two groups or series. Series I, the bulk of the collection, consists of the materials purchased from Carpenter by the American Folklife Center, including manuscripts, sound recordings, and graphic materials. The entire collection represents the results of Carpenter's fieldwork, his subsequent work on the collection, and the documentation of other professional activities. Series II consists of material about the collection, primarily generated by the American Folklife Center. It includes manuscript material, sound recordings, and graphic materials. Carpenter spent most of his life as a university lecturer. However, he began his collecting activities while conducting research on sea chanteys in the northern United States (1927-1928) and in England, Ireland, Wales, and Scotland (1928) for his doctoral dissertation at Harvard University. This year of fieldwork extended into six more as Carpenter traveled throughout Britain as a Harvard Fellow, covering (by his estimate) 40,000 miles and recording the texts and tunes of thousands of ballads and folksongs as well as hundreds of folk plays. During his time abroad, Carpenter focused, successively, on collecting chanteys (particularly in eastern coast ports of northern England and Scotland, 1929-1930), ballads, and songs (chiefly in Scotland and the English counties of Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire, 1929-1933), and folk plays (in England and Scotland, 1934-1935). After his return to the United States, Carpenter continued collecting activities while a professor of English at Duke University, concentrating on children's songs and singing games (1938-1941). Carpenter collected approximately 1,000 ballad texts and 850 tunes of the Francis James Child canon; 500 sea songs and chanteys; 1,000 other ballads and songs, including bothy ballads (a “bothy” is a lean-to in the horse's stable where farm hands slept) and dreg songs (a “dreg” refers to the men in small rowboats who would pull a dredge to harvest oysters), from Britain and America; 200 children's singing games, riddles, and nursery rhymes; 300 British folk plays; miscellaneous folktales, African American spirituals, Cornish carols, etc.; and 500 related photographic images and 40 drawings). Although Carpenter used his collections as the subject of numerous lectures in colleges and universities, he never was successful at publishing his extensive collection. The collection represents not only the results of Carpenter's fieldwork, but also documents his fieldwork process. Traveling throughout Britain in a small roadster (an Austin Seven), he searched for singers and dancers. While Carpenter found many of his best informants through chance and circumstance, he purposely tracked down some of the singers and performers documented by Francis James Child, Gavin Greig, and Cecil Sharp. One of his most prolific informants, Scottish singer Bell Duncan, gave him 300 songs and ballads, of which 62 ballads were previously collected by Child. Using a dictaphone powered by a six-volt battery, Carpenter recorded his informants on wax cylinders. He also typed the song texts with a manual typewriter while the singer dictated. Later, he transferred many of the recordings to 12-inch acetate discs, and also taught himself music notation to transcribe approximately 1,000 of the recorded tunes. To record the folk plays, Carpenter usually enlisted several informants to recite the entire ritual drama, thus obtaining multiple versions of each play. While Carpenter's focus was on the spoken and sung word, his collection includes some documentation of dance and related dance activities (see Appendix A). Many of the mumming play texts, particularly the sword dance plays, include references to and some description of dance. The sound recordings include fiddle tunes used in morris dance. In addition, photographs depict morris dance (with broom dancing), sword dance, the Helston Furry dance, and dancing at May Day and English Folk Dance Society festivals.
series
Series I: Original Collection Materials
file
Subseries A1: Administrative Files
Finding aid (2008 revision of the 1996 collection guide).
45 pages.
Concordance to photographic images (revision).
40 pages.
Collection guide, photo inventory, and photo concordance.
The 1996 collection guide and the item-level inventory and concordance of photographic materials (all now superseded by revised documentation). 54 pages.
Correspondence, 1970-1972.
Correspondence between the Library of Congress and James Madison Carpenter, Kenneth S. Goldstein, and others concerning the acquisition of the collection and related matters. 26 pages
Correspondence, 1973-1991.
See description for Folder 2. 21 pages
Notes about the collection.
Handwritten and typed notes by James Madison Carpenter and Alan Jabbour concerning the contents of the collection (undated). 6 pages.
Early box/content lists, circa 1972.
Early box/contents lists. Handwritten and typed lists by Alan Jabbour and other Library employees outlining the contents of the collection, primarily the manuscript materials and the microfilm (undated). 43 pages.
List: informants.
Typewritten list of names of people from whom Carpenter collected in northeast Scotland, circa 1930. Compiled by E.B. Lyle, 1975, from the headings of texts. 4 pages.
“A Guide to the Carpenter Manuscripts.”
A copy of the work compiled by E.C. Cawte, 1980. A typewritten inventory of tunes, songs, and folk drama texts based on the microfilm of the manuscripts. In reel order, it lists informant (singer, fiddler, etc.) and title. It also includes date and place when listed in the original, as well as brief descriptions of other material, such as correspondence and notes. 115 pages.
“A Guide to English Ritual Drama in the Carpenter Manuscripts.”
A copy of the work compiled by E.C. Cawte, 1980. 58-page, typewritten inventory of ritual drama and other folk customs based on the microfilm of the manuscripts. In reel order, each entry specifies place, source, Carpenter's folio number, type of custom, summary of materials, and comments. The guide also contains an analysis of the places and numbers of texts collected, a list of customs mentioned by Carpenter, an alphabetical index, and references. 58 pages.
Recordings: content list.
Original. Typewritten list (with annotations) prepared by Carpenter of the contents of the sound recordings. In disc-side order, it lists the title of the tune and the name or description of the singer/informant. It includes ballads, fiddle tunes, recitations of mumming plays, chanteys, forebitters, dreg songs, bothy songs, nursery songs, and spirituals. 68 pages.
Copy. Typewritten list (with annotations) prepared by Carpenter of the contents of the sound recordings. In disc-side order, it lists the title of the tune and the name or description of the singer/informant. It includes ballads, fiddle tunes, recitations of mumming plays, chanteys, forebitters, dreg songs, bothy songs, nursery songs, and spirituals. 82 pages.
Articles by/about James Madison Carpenter.
Photocopies of newspaper and magazine articles by Carpenter (1931, 1938) and about Carpenter and the collection (1985, 1989, 1990). 30 pages.
Castle identifications made by Ian B.D. Bryce.
Corrections, made by Bryce, to previously identified (or unidentified) photographs in the collection. Folder includes some correspondence relating to these corrections. 18 pages.
Additional photo identifications.
Additions and corrections to known photo identifications, made by Lesley Ferguson (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland), Medwyn Parry (Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales), and others at these institutions. 6 pages.
SIG: NDL file check (Folder 1 of 3).
SIG (Systems Integration Group, Inc.) digitized the manuscript materials. Staff working in NDL (The National Digital Library Program) were responsible for running the file check, which confirmed whether or not the vendor created digitized images according to Library of Congress specifications. 71 pages.
SIG: NDL file check (Folder 2 of 3).
See description for Folder 11d. 64 pages.
SIG: NDL file check (Folder 3 of 3).
See description for Folder 11d. 58 pages.
JJT Inc.: inventory and technical data.
JJT Inc. digitized the photographic images. 89 pages.
VidiPax: summary and condition reports.
VidiPax was the company responsible for digitizing the audio recordings. A technical report by Adrian Cosentini (audio engineer, VidiPax), describes the condition and problems encountered during the digitization of the collection’s wax cylinders. 178 pages.
Subseries A2: Original Manuscript Materials
Correspondence/papers, 1928-1939
Correspondence between Carpenter, Harvard University and John A. Lomax (Library of Congress) concerning his fellowships, collecting experiences, and possible lecture opportunities. Includes original fellowship certificates. 7 pages.
Scottish and English songs - A
Typewritten and annotated texts of songs from Scotland and England, on separate 8 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄2-inch sheets. Most sheets include name of tune, singer (informant), and date and place of recording. Sheets are numbered, but are not arranged in numerical order. Numbers may refer to various indexes. 86 pages.
Scottish and English songs - B
See description summary for Folder 13. 103 pages.
Scottish and English songs - C
See description summary for Folder 13. 82 pages.
Scottish and English songs - D
description summary for Folder 13. 68 pages.
Scottish and English songs - E
See description summary for Folder 13. 99 pages.
Scottish and English songs - F
See description summary for Folder 13. 136 pages.
Scottish and English songs - G
See description summary for Folder 13. 117 pages.
Scottish and English songs - H
See description summary for Folder 13. 118 pages.
Scottish and English songs - I
See description summary for Folder 13. 108 pages.
Scottish and English songs - J
See description summary for Folder 13. 116 pages.
Scottish ballads - A
Typewritten and annotated texts of ballads from Scotland, on separate 8 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄2-inch sheets. Most sheets include name of tune, singer (informant), and date and place of recording. Sheets are numbered, but are not arranged in numerical order. Numbers may refer to various indexes. 145 pages.
Scottish ballads - B
See description summary for Folder 23. 178 pages.
Scottish ballads - C
See description summary for Folder 23. 130 pages.
Scottish ballads - D
See description summary for Folder 23. 120 pages.
Scottish ballads - E
See description summary for Folder 23. 125 pages.
Scottish ballads - F
See description summary for Folder 23. 54 pages.
Mumming plays -A
Typewritten and annotated texts of mumming plays, including Riding The Stang, Christmas plays, sword dance plays, pace egger plays, and others. Originally bound, these are now separate 8 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄2 inch sheets. Includes name of play/group, location, informant, and text of play, as well as some description of movement/action, costuming, and circumstances of performance. Some plays copied from cited published sources. Often there are several versions of the same play from different informants, as well as information about the way the informant learned the play. Pages are numbered, but not necessarily arranged in numerical order. 161 pages.
Mumming plays - B
See description summary for Folder 29. 162 pages.
Mumming plays - C
See description summary for Folder 29. 86 pages.
Mumming plays - D
See description summary for Folder 29. 161 pages.
Mumming plays - E
See description summary for Folder 29. 158 pages.
Mumming plays - F
See description summary for Folder 29. 275 pages.
Mumming plays - G
See description summary for Folder 29. 255 pages.
Songs and chanties - A
Typewrittten and hand-annnotated song texts, on separate 8 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄2 inch sheets.. Includes title of song and often name of informant, date, and location. Pages are numbered but not necessarily arranged in numerical order. Begins with six-page typewritten and annotated “Index to Songs and Chanties” that lists titles of songs and their page number(s), in numerical order. 165 pages.
Songs and chanties - B
See description summary for Folder 36. 166 pages.
Songs and chanties - C
See description summary for Folder 36. 131 pages.
Songs and chanties - D
See description summary for Folder 36. 203 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and indices - A
Miscellaneous handwritten notes and song titles, mostly on 8 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄2-inch sheets; “Sharp's English Folk Song From Southern Appalaciana;” partial index of song titles and singers; partial sound recordings contents list, #73-126 (see Folder 9); and partial lists of informants, song genres, and titles. 117 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and indices - B
See description summary for Folder 40. 103 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and indices - C
See description summary for Folder 40. 70 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and indices - D
See description summary for Folder 40. 51 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - A
Typed and handwritten (annotated) notes and texts similar in format to those in Folders 13-39; “Index to English and Scottish Traditional Ballads” arranged alphabetically by song title. 90 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - B
See description summary for Folder 44. 198 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - C
See description summary for Folder 44. 139 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - D
See description summary for Folder 44. 225 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - E
See description summary for Folder 44. 141 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - F
See description summary for Folder 44. 175 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - G
See description summary for Folder 44. 92 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - H
See description summary for Folder 44. 119 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - I
See description summary for Folder 44. 116 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - J
See description summary for Folder 44. 147 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - K
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - L
See description summary for Folder 44. 83 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - M
See description summary for Folder 44. 152 pages.
Miscellaneous field typescripts and manuscripts - N
See description summary for Folder 44. 138 pages.
Miscellaneous notes (Folder 1 of 3)
Typed and handwritten notes on 8 1⁄2 x 6 1⁄2-inch sheets. Covers topics such as music, emotions, animal sounds, culture, race, civilization, cultural relativity, faith, students, present trends, and the study of folklore. 89 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and lectures
Typewritten and annotated notes, on 8 1⁄2 x 11-inch sheets, mostly dated 1954-1955. Includes lecture notes on topics such as education, civilization, and emotions, as well as script ideas. 55 pages.
Miscellaneous words and music
Handwritten lyrics and accompanying tune transcriptions of several songs. Includes photocopies of original materials rehoused in Folder 191. 9 pages.
Handwritten lyrics and accompanying tune transcriptions of songs. 41 pages.
See description summary for Folder 61. 25 pages.
Miscellaneous notes (Folder 2 of 3)
Typed and handwritten notes, including a description of the Shop Acts and a list of songs. 10 pages.
Miscellaneous notes (Folder 3 of 3)
Typed and handwritten notes and a “Plan For Work” concerning his collection. 12 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and correspondence - A
Mostly handwritten notes of various sizes. Includes some correspondence, play texts, and newspaper clippings. Includes photocopies of original materials rehoused in Folder 191. 64 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and correspondence - B
See description summary for Folder 65. 87 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - A (Volume 1)
Typewritten 8 1⁄2 x 11-inch sheets of ballad texts with title, singer/informant, and location. Arranged alphabetically by song title. Begins with annotated drafts of indexes: “Index to Ballads,” “Index to American Ballads,” “Child Ballad Texts,” and “British and American Popular Ballads.” 55 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - B (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 53 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - C (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 52 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - D (Volume 1)
Ballads - index and texts - E (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 50 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - F (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 55 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - G (Volume 1)
Ballads - index and texts - H (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 46 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - I (Volume 1)
Ballads - index and texts - J (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 49 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - K (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 41 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - L (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 34 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - M (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 32 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - N (Volume 1)
See description summary for Folder 67. 36 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - A (Volume 2)
Continuation of the above texts (volume 1 of “Ballads - Index and Texts”) in alphabetical order by song title. 40 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - B (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 49 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - C (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 32 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - D (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 37 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - E (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 43 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - F (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 39 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - G (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 34 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - H (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 48 pages.
Ballads - index and texts -I (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 44 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - J (Volume 2)
Ballads - index and texts - K (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 27 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - L (Volume 2)
Ballads - index and texts - M (Volume 2) (Box 4M)
See description summary for Folder 81. 38 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - N (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 35 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - O (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 56 pages.
Ballads - index and texts - P (Volume 2)
Ballads - index and texts - Q (Volume 2)
Ballads - index and texts - R (Volume 2)
Ballads - index and texts - S (Volume 2)
See description summary for Folder 81. 42 pages.
Music manuscripts - A
Handwritten transcriptions of tunes on 8 1⁄2 x 11-inch music sheets, arranged alphabetically by song title. Each tune lists the metronome setting, name of singer/musician/informant and lyrics. Includes some correspondence and notes. 33 pages.
Music manuscripts - B
See description summary for Folder 100. 57 pages.
Music manuscripts - C
See description summary for Folder 100. 44 pages.
Music manuscripts - D
See description summary for Folder 100. 51 pages.
Music manuscripts - E
See description summary for Folder 100. 38 pages.
Music manuscripts - F
Music manuscripts - G
See description summary for Folder 100. 41 pages.
Music manuscripts - H
See description summary for Folder 100. 46 pages.
Music manuscripts - I
See description summary for Folder 100. 54 pages.
Music manuscripts - J
See description summary for Folder 100. 43 pages.
Music manuscripts - K
See description summary for Folder 100. 49 pages.
Music manuscripts - L
Music manuscripts - M
See description summary for Folder 100. 35 pages.
Music manuscripts - N
Music manuscripts - O
See description summary for Folder 100. 48 pages.
Music manuscripts - P
See description summary for Folder 100. 39 pages.
Music manuscripts - Q
See description summary for Folder 100. 37 pages.
Music manuscripts - R
Music manuscripts - S
Music manuscripts - T
See description summary for Folder 100. 36 pages.
Music manuscripts - V
See description summary for Folder 100. 31 pages.
Notes (1939 datebook) - A
Miscellaneous correspondence and a bound 1939 “Day Book” with notes listing song titles. 9 pages.
Notes (1939 datebook) - B
See description summary for Folder 122. 99 pages.
Songs and notes
“Lefax” music staff notebook, 6 3/4 x 4 inches, containing handwritten music transcription and notes. 130 pages.
English melodies
Bound music notebook, 6 1⁄2 x 5 inches. Contains transcriptions of titled tunes collected in 1928. 60 pages.
American melodies
Bound music notebook, 6 1⁄2 x 5 inches. Contains transcriptions of titled tunes collected in 1927-28. 55 pages.
The Scottish National Dictionary
Typewritten copy of The Scottish National Dictionary, Volumes I and II, by William Grant, published by the Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1941. 42 pages.
Composition book
“Southern Maid” composition book, 6 3/4 x 8 1⁄2 inches. Contains several pages of handwritten notes. 11 pages.
Notes, etc. - A
Typed and handwritten notes, correspondence drafts, newspaper clippings, and curriculum materials on paper of various sizes. Topics covered include “Music and Cosmic Orientation”; “British Folksong and British Peasants”; segregating methods; Hitler; different types of songs; education; intelligence; folk literature; and expressions of moods, screams, and emotions. 69 pages.
Notes, etc. - B
Photocopies of original (oversized) materials, in Folder 192, Subfolder A. See description summary for Folder 129. 57 pages.
Notes, etc. - C
See description summary for Folder 129. 46 pages
Notes - A
Typed and handwritten song lyrics (particularly children's songs) and descriptions of square dances and accompanying tunes. Includes informants' names (possibly Carpenter's students). 30 pages.
Notes - B
See description summary for Folder 132. 41 pages.
Exercise book and notes
Bound “Exercise Book,” 6 1⁄2 x 8 inches. Contains handwritten song texts. Lower third of front cover torn off and absent. 30 pages.
Games
4 x 6-inch note cards containing handwritten texts to children's games and songs. 39 pages.
Music
Bound music book, 7 1⁄2 x 9 1⁄2 inches. Handwritten title on cover: “The Census of American Ballads--Louise Pound Ballad.” Handwritten music transcriptions with lyrics and metronome settings. 52 pages
Miscellaneous notes and papers - A
Typed and handwritten sheets of various sizes. Includes manuscript and lecture drafts, notes, lists and indexes, song texts, glossary (may include Scottish or Gaelic), English class administrative notes, and tune transcriptions. 47 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - B
See description summary for Folder 137. 92 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - C
See description summary for Folder 137. 86 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - D
See description summary for Folder 137. 78 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - E
See description summary for Folder 137. 56 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - F
See description summary for Folder 137. 66 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - G
See description summary for Folder 137. 76 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - H
See description summary for Folder 137. 87 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - I
See description summary for Folder 137. 51 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - J
See description summary for Folder 137. 28 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - K
See description summary for Folder 137. 32 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and papers - L
Photocopies of original (oversized) materials are in Folder 192, Subfolder B. See description summary for Folder 137. 18 pages.
Loose-leaf notebook (notes and songs) - A
Mostly 8 1⁄2 x 11-inch sheets, typed and handwritten. Begins with a list, “Summer School Students,” and continues with texts of songs. Each text identified with a student's name. Includes some accompanying music transcription. 52 pages.
Loose-leaf notebook (notes and songs) - B
See description summary for Folder 149. 60 pages.
Loose-leaf notebook (notes and songs) - C
See description summary for Folder 149. 54 pages.
Loose-leaf notebook (notes and songs) - D
See description summary for Folder 149. 52 pages.
Miscellaneous papers and notes - A
Typed and handwritten sheets of various sizes. Includes notes, song texts, lists of songs (chanteys, Child ballads), and drafts of lectures and/or articles. Bound, 6 1/4 x 8-inch “Exercise Book” with handwritten mumming-play text. 37 pages.
Miscellaneous papers and notes - B
See description summary for Folder 153. 30 pages.
Miscellaneous papers and notes - C
See description summary for Folder 153. 91 pages.
Miscellaneous papers and notes - D
See description summary for Folder 153. 143 pages.
Mumming plays and miscellaneous notes - A
Typed and handwritten sheets of various sizes. Includes lecture drafts describing mumming plays, folk carols, ballads, chanteys, and Carpenter's collecting experiences; texts of plays; and tune transcriptions. Photocopies of original (oversized) materials located in Folder 193, Subfolder A. 62 pages.
Mumming plays and miscellaneous notes - B
See description summary for Folder 157. 55 pages.
Mumming plays and miscellaneous notes - C
See description summary for Folder 157. 62 pages.
Mumming plays and miscellaneous notes - D
Photocopies of original (oversized) materials are located in Folder 193, Subfolder B. See description summary for Folder 157. 71 pages.
Mumming plays and miscellaneous notes - E
See description summary for Folder 157. 95 pages.
American songs - A
Typed and handwritten sheets, mostly 8 1⁄2 x 11 inch. Texts of songs with name of informant (possibly a student). 63 pages.
American songs - B
See description summary for Folder 162. 111 pages.
American songs - C
See description summary for Folder 162. 88 pages.
Music manuscripts books - A
Folders 165-177 contain twelve music notebooks (one per folder), 7 1/4 x 5 1⁄2 inches, 8 1/4 x 7 inches, and 9 1⁄2 x 7 1⁄2 inches. Contain handwritten transcriptions of tunes with lyrics, as well as notes. 21 pages.
Music manuscripts books - B
See description summary for Folder 165. 38 pages.
Music manuscripts books - C
See description summary for Folder 165. 79 pages.
Music manuscripts books - D
See description summary for Folder 165. 77 pages.
Music manuscripts books - E
See description summary for Folder 165. 81 pages.
Music manuscripts books - F
See description summary for Folder 165. 7 pages.
Music manuscripts books - G
See description summary for Folder 165. 75 pages.
Music manuscripts books - H
See description summary for Folder 165. 83 pages.
Music manuscripts books - I
See description summary for Folder 165. 53 pages.
Music manuscripts books - J
See description summary for Folder 165. 11 pages.
Music manuscripts books - K
See description summary for Folder 165. 52 pages.
Music manuscripts books - L
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - A
Mostly 8 1⁄2 x 11-inch sheets, typed and handwritten. Includes article (lecture?) drafts such as “Living Ballads From Britain's Long Dead Past,” “Burns' Folksong Muse,” “Scotland's Folk Singers,” “Collecting Folklore in Britain,” and “Folksongs of British Peasants,” as well as correspondence drafts, such as query letters concerning lecture and publishing opportunities. 59 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - B
See description summary for Folder 177. 41 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - C
See description summary for Folder 177. 37 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - D
Photocopies of original (oversized) materials located in Folder 193, Subfolder C. See description summary for Folder 177. 53 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - E
Original (oversized) materials are in Folder 194, Subfolders B and C. See description summary for Folder 177. 46 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - F
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - G
See description summary for Folder 177. 35 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - H
See description summary for Folder 177. 59 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - I
See description summary for Folder 177. 17 pages.
Miscellaneous notes and article drafts - J
See description summary for Folder 177. 53 pages.
Notes relating to photographs (Folder 1 of 5)
Correspondence and other notes (on paper, envelopes, original photo print enclosures) by Carpenter and others describing the contents of photographs and other miscellaneous information. 14 pages.
Notes relating to photographs (Folder 2 of 5)
See description summary for Folder 185. 15 pages.
Notes relating to photographs (Folder 3 of 5)
See description summary for Folder 185. 18 pages.
Notes relating to photographs (Folder 4 of 5)
See description summary for Folder 185. 10 pages.
Notes relating to photographs (Folder 5 of 5)
See description summary for Folder 185. 9 pages.
Ephemera
Miscellaneous historic postcards, drawings, and printed verses. 41 pages.
Cylinder slips (Folder 1 of 6)
Original cylinder slips that accompanied wax-cylinder sound recordings made by Carpenter. 18 pages.
Cylinder slips (Folder 2 of 6)
See description summary for Folder 190b. 20 pages.
Cylinder slips (Folder 3 of 6)
Cylinder slips (Folder 4 of 6)
Cylinder slips (Folder 5 of 6)
Cylinder slips (Folder 6 of 6)
See description summary for Folder 190b. 19 pages.
Research papers written by Carpenter’s students at Duke University, circa 1937-1941
Includes documentation and interpretation of folk music, songs, and other folk- related genres. In general, they are organized by class or semester. 600 pages (approx.).
See description summary for Box 12c. 600 pages (approx.)
Oversized originals (Folder 1 of 4)
Original manuscript material larger than 8 1⁄2 x 11 inches. Photocopies, filed in the original locations for these oversized documents, serve as place markers, within Folders 12-184. Includes original materials from Folders 60 and 65. 25 pages.
Oversized originals (Folder 2 of 4)
See description summary for Folder 191. Subfolder A includes original materials from Folder 130. Subfolder B includes original materials from folder 148. 20 pages.
Oversized originals (Folder 3 of 4)
Photocopies of original (oversized) materials are in Folders 157, 160, and 180. See description summary for Folder 191. 8 pages.
Oversized originals (Folder 4 of 4)
Photocopies of original materials are in Folder 181. See description summary for Folder 191. 26 pages.
Index cards
Headings include titles and genres, with the name(s) of people from whom Carpenter collected these songs or examples. Index cards are housed in one archival box. 749 cards.
Subseries B: Sound Recordings
Wax cylinders
Original field recordings by Carpenter made in England and Scotland, circa 1929 to 1935. Numbered 1 through 179, with cylinders 3, 24, 59, 60, 94, 108A, and 157A missing. Nine more cylinders were discovered in 2004, bringing the total extant cylinders to 175. Due to damage (e.g., broken cylinders), mold, or poor recording quality (e.g., shallow grooves), not all cylinders could be transferred as digital files. See AFS 14,830-15,052. 175 cylinders.
12-inch acetate discs
Copies made by Carpenter of the wax cylinders, as well as other disc recordings made in North Carolina and Mississippi, circa 1929 to early 1940s. Includes ballads, dance tunes, lyric songs, sea songs, fiddle tunes, dreg songs, bothy songs, wassailing songs, children’s songs, carols, mumming plays, and spirituals. Extant discs were numbered SR001 through SR220, representing disc sides 1-440 (the one missing disc represents Sides 125/126). See Folder 9 for a content list of the recordings, prepared by Carpenter. 220 discs.
10-inch reel-to reel audiotapes
Preservation copies of AFS 14830-15050. 22 reels.
10-inch reel-to-reel audiotapes
Preservation copies of Cylinders 1-50 (SR223-270), created by John Howell in 2003. 19 reels.
Original cylinder containers: SR223_ct01-251_ct01
Individual paper-covered cardboard containers for cylinders. In some cases there are cylinder housings and no extant cylinder. Each cylinder housing (both the container and its lid, if present) are numbered to match the AFC number of the cylinder.
Original cylinder containers: SR252_ct01-280_ct01
See description for the contents of Box 35.
Original cylinder containers: SR281_ct01-309_ct01
Original cylinder containers: SR310_ct01-339_ct01
Original cylinder containers: SR340_ct01-368_ct01
Original cylinder containers: SR369_ct01-398_ct01
Original cylinder containers: SR399_ct01-401_ct01; two unnumbered cylinders
Subseries C: Graphic Materials
Drawings
40 ink and pencil drawings on loose sheets of various sizes (undated), 10 of which are in color. Made by George Baker, a British dry mason whose father was a mummer. Drawings depict characters and scenes from mummer and Christmas plays. Some drawings include a descriptive caption, such as “Sweet Moll” or “Little Dick Nip.” 40 pages.
Film negatives (Box 1 of 2)
Black-and-white film negatives, mostly 4 1/4 x 3 1/4 inches. Arranged numerically by subject category. Unless documented otherwise, the negatives are assumed to have been photographed by Carpenter. Oversized negatives are in Box 16, Envelope 1. For item-level description, see Folder 1c for the latest version of the concordance to photographic images. 40 items.
Film negatives (Box 2 of 2)
See description for Box 15a. 162 items.
Photographic prints and oversized negatives
Black-and-white photographic prints and six film negatives of various sizes. Arranged numerically by subject category. Unless otherwise indicated, photographic prints corresponding to film negatives are assumed to have been taken by Carpenter. Includes many photographic prints by other photographers who are often identified in captions on the photo print or in other documentation. Multiple copies of the same image exist. For item-level description, see Folder 1c for the latest version of the concordance to photographic images.592 items.
Glass plate negatives
Black-and-white glass plate negatives, 4 x 3 1/4 inches. Hand-tinted with pink substance, to enhance tone contrast as a positive image. Arranged numerically by subject category. Only two do not correspond to photographic prints or film negatives of the same image. For item-level description, see Folder 1c for the latest version of the concordance to photographic images. 112 items.
Glass positive transparencies (lantern slides)
Black-and-white glass lantern slides, 4 x 3 1/4 inches. Arranged numerically by subject category. Almost all correspond to glass negatives of the same image; only four do not correspond to film negatives or photographic prints of the same image. Most have a one- or two-word description printed on the label, presumably by Carpenter. Originally arranged by the collector in groups that may correspond to lecture topics. For item-level description, see Folder 1c for the latest version of the concordance to photographic images. 115 items.
Series II: Oral History, Programs, and Products
Subseries A: Manuscripts
Oral history interview transcript
Transcript provided by Dr. Kenneth S. Goldstein, in 1981, of the interview with Carpenter, recorded by Alan Jabbour, in Carpenter's home in Booneville, Mississippi, May 27, 1972. See sound recordings AFS 14762-14765. 29 pages.
Lecture materials
“Raise A Fire and Strike A Light.” Press release and flier promoting the lecture by Paul Smith on British folk drama in the Carpenter Collection, presented at the Library of Congress on November 19, 1987. 2 pages.
Oral history interview
Interview with Carpenter recorded by Alan Jabbour in Carpenter's home in Booneville, Mississippi, on May 27, 1972. A transcript of the interview can be found in folder 256. Listening copies are available in the Folklife Reading Room. Four 7-inch reels.
Photographic prints
4 color photographic prints of Carpenter taken in May 1972, presumably outside his home in Booneville. Photographer was probably Alan Jabbour.
Lecture materials: photographs
One black-and-white contact sheet and one 8 x 10 in. photo print of Paul Smith during the his lecture, on November 19, 1987.
Lecture materials: slides
17 35mm color slides of photographic prints and drawings of mummers housed in this collection, which were used for the November 19, 1987, lecture by Paul Smith. Photographed by Carl Fleischhauer.