Introduction to Anglo-American Folk Music
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this survey of folk music traditions in the British Isles and North America, running from the 18th century through the 1960s folk revival to the present. The course covers balladry, fiddle styles, and African-American musical influences, drawing songs from the Child and Lomax collections. Students examine the material from literary, historical, and musical angles, sing ballads and folk songs in class, and work through readings that supply critical and background context. Guest visitors and films add outside perspectives on transmission and preservation of the tradition. Materials are drawn directly from MIT's course, licensed for open use, and free to access with no certificate attached. It suits anyone wanting a structured grounding in how folk repertoire moved between Britain and America and changed along the way.