W. (William) Chappell English ballad index collection
Overview
Manuscript transcripts of indexes to English ballad collections, all copied under the direction of William Chappell.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1800-1899
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on physical access to this material.
Extent
.75 linear feet (7 volumes)This finding aid brings together a number of manuscript transcripts of English ballad indexes that were "copied under the direction of William Chappell." Some of the volumes include notes in the hand of William Chappell, but the predominant copyist's hands are identified in a letter from Chappell to Child (1875 May 29) as that of Chappell's young daughters. A few volumes are annotated by Harvard ballad scholar Francis James Child. Most of the indexes list ballad text by first line.
Collection includes transcripts for ballad indexes to the collections of: Pepys Ballads; Pepys' collection of "Penny merriments"; Ballad collections of Richard Heber, John Bagford, and Anthony à Wood; Ballad collection of Francis Douce; and Ballad collection of Richard Rawlinson. Original collections are at the Bodleian Library (Oxford University) and Magdalene College (University of Cambridge).
Biographical / Historical
William Chappell (1809-1888) was the eldest son of Samuel Chappell, one of the founders (1810) of the London firm of music publishers, concert agents, and piano manufacturers known as Chappell & Co. After Samuel Chappell's death in 1834, William continued running the business with his mother and brothers. William was noted for his interest in early music and in 1840 he founded (with Rimbault, Macfarren, and others) the Musical Antiquarian Society. He left the family firm in 1843 and went into partnership with Cramer and Beale, as Cramer, Beale & Chappell where he remained until his retirement in 1861. He took principal part in the founding of the Percy Society, the Ballad Society, and in 1874 he assisted in founding the Musical Association. He is especially know for his publication of A collection of national English airs (1838-1839), and Popular music of the olden time (1855-1859). It has been said that the modern revival of interest in English folk-songs owes much to the work of William Chappell.
Arrangement
Arranged in former call-number order.
Physical Location
f
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of various donors at various times. See individual items for full acquistion information.
Processing Information
Processed by: Bonnie B. Salt
- Title
- Chappell, W. (William), 1809-1888, compiler. W. (William) Chappell English ballad index collection: Guide.
- Author
- Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hou00272
Repository Details
Part of the Houghton Library Repository
Houghton Library is Harvard College's principal repository for rare books and manuscripts, archives, and more. Houghton Library's collections represent the scope of human experience from ancient Egypt to twenty-first century Cambridge. With strengths primarily in North American and European history, literature, and culture, collections range in media from printed books and handwritten manuscripts to maps, drawings and paintings, prints, posters, photographs, film and audio recordings, and digital media, as well as costumes, theater props, and a wide range of other objects. Houghton Library has historically focused on collecting the written record of European and Eurocentric North American culture, yet it holds a large and diverse number of primary sources valuable for research on the languages, culture and history of indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
Houghton Library’s Reading Room is free and open to all who wish to use the library’s collections.
Harvard Yard
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2440
Houghton_Library@harvard.edu