ABSTRACT
The work of Edward Ives takes up “the vexed problem of folksong origins” in terms of the histories of singular folk poets, relating the individual songmaker to his tradition. Interested in creativity, he asks “how newness comes about” within traditions and communities. Ives studied Larry Gorman and other “folk poets” of the North American northeast with the historian’s eye for particular people, places, and events. Following Phillips Barry and other ballad scholars dedicated to collecting what they found in all its variousness, Ives remarks that his conclusions and method are not for those “who would have their folklore serve some ulterior purpose.” Indeed, his studies disclose the tangible complexities not only of local song traditions but of the lives of actual people from one generation to the next. At the same time, his work follows both the longstanding practice of comprehensive collecting and study and also the larger preoccupation in ballad scholarship with songs as a link to the past. With eloquent detail, Ives places individual song makers and their songs in context as facets of local history and culture. He continues the project of understanding songs within the context of community and group identity. He demonstrates the shaping of ballad tradition by individual effort and creativity.
