EFDSS

EFDSS
Name	English Folk Dance and Song Society
Formation	1932
Headquarters	Cecil Sharp House, Camden, London
Region served	England, United Kingdom
Website	efdss.org

EFDSS The English Folk Dance and Song Society is a national membership organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, performance, and study of English traditional music, song, and dance. Founded through the merger of two earlier bodies, it occupies Cecil Sharp House in Camden and maintains extensive archives, publishes scholarly and practical materials, and runs training and participation programs. The society works with artists, scholars, festivals, and institutions across the United Kingdom and internationally to support living traditions and academic research.

History

The society was formed in 1932 by the merger of the English Folk Dance Society and the Folk-Song Society, institutions associated with figures such as Cecil Sharp, Marian Sharp, Lucy Broadwood, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Gustav Holst. Its early decades were shaped by collectors and revivalists including Sidney Beer, Frank Kidson, Percy Grainger, and Maud Karpeles, and the society hosted concerts, conferences, and publications that connected to folk revivals across Europe, including contacts with Bartók and Kodály. During the mid-20th century EFDSS engaged with performers and scholars like Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger, A.L. Lloyd, and Dink Dawson, while its archives grew through donations from activists such as Ivor Gatty and collectors like Cecil Sharp. Postwar activities linked EFDSS to festivals such as Sidmouth Folk Week and to educational initiatives with bodies like Arts Council England and the British Library. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries the society negotiated changing practice amid influences from groups like Fairport Convention, The Watersons, Martin Carthy, and new folk ensembles, while responding to heritage debates involving the National Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Mission and Activities

EFDSS’s stated aims emphasize safeguarding, promoting, and developing English traditional music, song, and dance through collection, performance, research, and education. It runs performance programs that feature collaborations with artists such as Eliza Carthy, Seth Lakeman, Mark Radcliffe, June Tabor, and Thea Gilmore, and curates events that bring together practitioners from ensembles like The Albion Band, Bellowhead, and Silly Wizard. The society engages with national cultural partners including BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 2, English Heritage, and international networks such as Living National Treasures-type programs and exchanges with institutions like the Smithsonian Folkways and the Folklore Society. EFDSS also supports competitions and showcases that connect to organizations such as Folkworks, The English Folk Dance Society (regional groups), and regional museums including the V&A Museum and Museum of London.

Collections and Archives

The society maintains a significant archive housed at Cecil Sharp House that includes manuscripts, field recordings, tune books, broadsides, photographs, and ephemera. Key collections derive from collectors and contributors like Cecil Sharp, Lucy Broadwood, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Maud Karpeles, Henry Highton, and George Butterworth. The audio archive contains wax cylinders, acetate discs, and digital transfers of singers and musicians collected by figures linked to Harry Albino, Peter Kennedy, and Reg Hall, while the manuscript holdings contain dance notations and tune transcriptions associated with Isabelle Rawsthorne and William Kimber. The archive works with national repositories including the British Library and regional record offices to ensure conservation and access, and contributes to catalogs used by researchers at universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of Sheffield, University of Leeds, and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Educational and Community Programs

EFDSS provides training, workshops, and community initiatives for students, teachers, and amateur performers, collaborating with conservatoires and schools such as the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and local education authorities. Programmes include teacher training linked to national curricula used by practitioners in settings from primary schools to adult learning centres, and participatory projects with community partners like Age Concern, youth organisations like The Scouts, and festival organisers at Glastonbury satellite folk stages and regional events including Shrewsbury Folk Festival. Residential courses, online resources, and teacher packs support activities involving step dance, Morris, ceilidh, and song, and the society aids community archives and oral history projects in partnership with bodies such as Local Studies Libraries and Community Music Initiatives.

Governance and Funding

EFDSS is governed by a board of trustees and operates as a charity and company limited by guarantee, engaging with funders such as Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund, private trusts, corporate sponsors, and membership subscriptions. Its governance has involved notable chairs and patrons drawn from cultural life including supporters like Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, and institutional links to Cecil Sharp House Trust-related committees. Financial oversight and strategic planning balance earned income from ticketed events, publishing, venue hire, and education with grant funding from national bodies and philanthropic institutions including Paul Hamlyn Foundation and regional cultural funds.

Publications and Research

EFDSS publishes scholarly and practical materials including periodicals, tune books, and research monographs. Historic and contemporary publications have involved editors and contributors such as Moira Jamieson, Ralph Vaughan Williams, A.L. Lloyd, Ewan MacColl, and researchers affiliated with universities like University of Manchester and Newcastle University. The society’s journals and song collections are used by performers and academics, and its research projects address themes linked to oral tradition, transmission, and revival, connecting to international scholarship represented by figures and institutions like Alan Lomax, Bronisław Malinowski, Folklore Society, and the International Council for Traditional Music.

Category:Organizations established in 1932 Category:Music archives in the United Kingdom