The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS, or pronounced 'EFF-diss') is an organisation that promotes English folk music and folk dance. EFDSS was formed in 1932 when two organisations merged: the Folk-Song Society and the English Folk Dance Society. Karpeles, Maud and Frogley, Alain (2007–2011)
'English Folk Dance and Song Society'
In: ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and th ...

'',

Oxford Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and the ...

. Retrieved 24 October 2011. . The EFDSS, a member-based organisation, was incorporated in 1935 and became a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

in 1963.

History

The Folk-Song Society, founded in London in 1898, focused on collecting and publishing folk songs, primarily of Britain and Ireland although there was no formal limitation. Participants included: Lucy Broadwood, Kate Lee, Cecil Sharp,

Percy Grainger Percy Aldridge Grainger (born George Percy Grainger; 8 July 188220 February 1961) was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist who lived in the United States from 1914 and became an American citizen in 1918. In the course of a long an ...

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

George Butterworth George Sainton Kaye Butterworth, MC (12 July 18855 August 1916) was an English composer who was best known for the orchestral idyll '' The Banks of Green Willow'' and his song settings of A. E. Housman's poems from ''A Shropshire Lad''. Early y ...

, George Gardiner, Henry Hammond, Anne Gilchrist,

Mary Augusta Wakefield Mary Augusta Wakefield (19 August 1853 – 16 September 1910) was a British composer, contralto, festival organiser, and writer. Biography Early life Wakefield was born in Kendal, where her paternal ancestors had been members of the Quaker ...

, and Ella Leather. The English Folk Dance Society was founded in 1911 by Cecil Sharp.

Maud Karpeles Maud Karpeles (12 November 1885 – 1 October 1976) was a British collector of folksongs and dance teacher. Early life and education Maud Pauline Karpeles was born at Lancaster Gate in Bayswater, London, in 1885. She was the third of five child ...

was a leading participant. Its purpose was to preserve and promote English folk dances in their traditional forms, including Morris and

sword dances Sword dances are recorded throughout world history. There are various traditions of Solo dance, solo and mock-battle (Pyrrhic dance, Pyrrhic) sword dances from Africa, Asia and Europe. General types of sword dance include: *solo dancers arou ...

, traditional

social dances Social dances are dances that have a social functions and context. Social dances are intended for participation rather than performance. They are often danced merely to socialise and for entertainment, though they may have ceremonial, competi ...

, and interpretations of the dances published by

John Playford John Playford (1623–1686/7) was a London bookseller, publisher, minor composer, and member of the Stationers' Company, who published books on music theory, instruction books for several instruments, and psalters with tunes for singing in churc ...

. The first secretary of the society was Lady Mary Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis; Trefusis Hall in the EFDSS HQ, Cecil Sharp House, is named after her. One of the greatest contributions that the EFDSS made to the folk movement, both dance and song, was the

folk festival A folk festival celebrates traditional folk crafts and folk music. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature folk dance or ethnic foods. Handicra ...

, starting with the

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

Festival in the 1940s and continuing with festivals in

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a maritime, mineral and tourist heritage. Its East Cl ...

Sidmouth Sidmouth () is a town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England, southeast of Exeter. With a population of 12,569 in 2011, it is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of the town h ...

Holmfirth Holmfirth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England, on the A635 and A6024 in the Holme Valley, at the confluence of the River Holme and Ribble, south of Huddersfield and west of Barnsley. It mostly cons ...

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement i ...

and elsewhere.

Publications

Since 1936 the EFDSS has published ''English Dance & Song'' at least four times a year. This has become the longest-established magazine devoted to folk music, dance and song in the country. ''English Dance & Song'' is aimed at stimulating the interest of the membership of the EFDSS, as well as the wider folk music and dance community. Their regular scholarly publication is ''Folk Music Journal'', published annually in December, which was formerly entitled the ''Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society'' until 1965. The work continues the earlier journals of the two societies: ''Journal of the Folk-Song Society'', 1899–1931; ''Journal of the English Folk Dance Society 191431''.

Cecil Sharp House

The Society is based at Cecil Sharp House in Camden, North London. Originally conceived as a purpose-built headquarters for the English Folk Dance Society, and now Grade II-listed, it was designed in the neo-Georgian style by architect Henry Martineau Fletcher, and opened on 7 June 1930. The building’s most striking feature is Kennedy Hall, a large concert and performance space with a sprung ballroom floor for dancing. The space features acoustic-focused design elements, courtesy of Fletcher’s friend and fellow architect

Hope Bagenal Philip Hope Edward Bagenal, (11 February 1888 – 20 May 1979) was a British architectural theorist and acoustician who introduced a scientific approach to the acoustic design of buildings. Education and early career Bagenal, known by his s ...

. One wall of the hall originally accommodated a raised musicians gallery, but this was destroyed by bomb-damage in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. When the damage was repaired, in works concluding in 1954, the decision was made to commission a mural by the British abstract pastoral painter Ivon Hitchens. When unveiled, it was the largest single-wall mural in the United Kingdom. In addition to Kennedy Hall, Cecil Sharp House contains several smaller performance and rehearsal spaces; a café and bar; and the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and Archive. Cecil Sharp House is an active and popular venue for concerts, as well as conferences and other private functions. In 2015, the building was voted as one of London’s 20 best music venues by readers of

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an engine ...

magazine.

Recent developments

In 1998, with the folk movement strongly supported by a number of other organisations and the seeds planted by EFDSS thriving, the EFDSS altered its strategy to focus on education and archiving, with its primary goal the development of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library as the country's national archive and resource centre for folk music, dance and song. In 2009, the society became a regularly funded organisation (now called a National Portfolio Organisation) of

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

. In 2011 the society entered into a joint commission with Shrewsbury Folk Festival to create the

Cecil Sharp Project The Cecil Sharp Project was a multi-artist, residential commission to create new material based on the life and collections of the founding father of the English Folk Revival Cecil Sharp. The residential took place in March 2011, immediately fol ...

, a multi-artist residential commission to create new works based on the life and collecting of Cecil Sharp. The project took place in March 2011, the artists involved being:

Steve Knightley Steve Knightley (born 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and acoustic musician. Since 1992 he has been one half of folk/roots duo Show of Hands along with Phil Beer. Knightley was named "Songwriter of the Nineties" by BBC Radio 6 Music i ...

, Andy Cutting,

Leonard Podolak The Duhks are a Canadian folk fusion band, formed in 2002 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Featuring banjo, fiddle, guitar, percussion, and vocals, The Duhks blend folk music together with various Canadian and American traditional styles, includin ...

Jim Moray Jim Moray (born 1981) is an English folk singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Recording artist While studying classical composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Moray released the home-recorded ''I Am Jim Moray'' EP. During ...

, Jackie Oates,

Caroline Herring Caroline Herring (born 1969 in Canton, Mississippi) is an American folk and country singer, songwriter and musician. She started singing professionally when she was a graduate student at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the Unive ...

Kathryn Roberts Kathryn Roberts is an English folk singer, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Early career Roberts' first released recordings were on the album ''Intuition'', a collection of songs by various South Yorkshire folk artists which also included he ...

and Patsy Reid. In 2013, EFDSS launched The Full English, an ongoing archive project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund,

The Folklore Society The Folklore Society (FLS) is a national association in the United Kingdom for the study of folklore. It was founded in London in 1878 to study traditional vernacular culture, including traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts an ...

, the National Folk Music Fund and the English Miscellany Folk Dance Group. This free and searchable resource of 44,000 records and over 58,000 digitised images is the world's biggest digital archive of traditional music and dance tunes. As well as folk music, the EFDSS is home to a number of performance artists, providing a regular performance platform for acts including the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, the

Massive Violins The Massive Violins are a musical ensemble of singing cellists. They play music from a variety of musical genres, all using the cello and voice. History Founded in 2010, the Massive Violins have performed concerts in venues across the UK and ...

and the

Swingle Singers 270px, The Swingles at the Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany">Kirchzarten.html" ;"title="Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten">Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany on 29 June 2019 The Swingles are a v ...

. In September 2021, EFDSS opened consultation to consider changing its name, as it was felt by some that it did not represent the aims and outlook of the society. A proposed name was 'Folk Arts England', a name formerly used between 2005 and 2014 by the Association of Festival Organisers. Of 65 members surveyed in November 2021, 74% approved this name, against other proposals such as 'Folk Arts Society'. As of , consultation continues.

EFDSS Gold Badge Awards

The EFDSS Gold Badge Award, created in 1922, is made to those deemed to have made exceptional contributions to folk music, dance, or the wider folk arts and folk community. Many past recipients are prominent figures not only within the folk community, but of wider British culture and society. * 1922

Lady Mary Trefusis Lady Mary Trefusis, née Lygon (26 February 1869–12 September 1927) was an English hymnwriter and courtier. She was also known as Lady Mary Forbes-Trefusis. She was a daughter of the 6th Earl Beauchamp and the wife of Lt.-Col. Henry He ...

; Griselda Hervey * 1923 Cecil Sharp;

William Kimber William "Merry" Kimber (8 September 1872 – 26 December 1961), was an English Anglo concertina player and Morris dancer who played a key role in the twentieth century revival of Morris Dancing, a form of traditional English folk dancing. He was ...

* 1928

; William Wells * 1929

Helen Storrow Helen Osborne Storrow (September 22, 1864 – November 12, 1944) was a prominent American philanthropist, early Girl Scout leader, and chair of the World Committee of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) for eight years ...

* 1930 Winifred Shuldham-Shaw * 1934 W H Bonham Carter * 1938 Anne Gilchrist; Miss E F Lawrence * 1940 Miss C Holbrow * 1943 Dr Ralph Vaughan Williams * 1945 Miss H Cornock Keen * 1946 Lady Ampthill;

Frank Howes Frank Stewart Howes (2 April 1891 – 28 September 1974) was an English music critic. From 1943 to 1960 he was chief music critic of ''The Times''. From his student days Howes gravitated towards criticism as his musical specialism, guided by the a ...

* 1948 Frederick Keel; R J Tabor; Rev E A White * 1950 Richard Callender * 1954 Violet Alford; Elsie Avril; Marjory Sinclair * 1956 P J Terry * 1957 Janet McCrindell * 1960 Kenneth Constable; Irene Fisher; Marjorie Heffer; Dr Robert Kenworthy Schofield; George Osborne * 1961 Kathleen Adkins; Miss L Chapin; Lily Conant; May Gadd; Margaret Grant; Sybil Lightfoot; Grace Meikle; Philip Merrill; Marjorie Penn; Evelyn Wells; Elsie Whiteman * 1962 Alec Hunter * 1963 Everal de Jersey * 1964 Lady Mary Trevelyan; Dorothy Bessant * 1965 Douglas Kennedy & Helen Kennedy * 1969 Harry Cox; Arthur Marshall; Edward Nicol * 1970 Dr W Fisher-Cassie; Fred Hamer * 1971 Nan Fleming-Williams; Patrick Shuldham-Shaw * 1973 Mollie Du Cane; Dr Leonard C Luckwill * 1974 William Ganiford * 1975 A L Lloyd * 1976 Kenneth Clark; Johnson Ellwood * 1977

Stan Hugill Stanley James Hugill () (19 November 1906 – 13 May 1992) was a British folk music performer, artist and sea music historian, known as the "Last Working Shantyman" and described as the "20th century guardian of the tradition". Biography He wa ...

; Rev Kenneth Loveless * 1978 Sybil Clark; Bob Copper (

Copper Family The Copper Family are a family of singers of traditional, unaccompanied English folk song. Originally from Rottingdean, near Brighton, Sussex, England, the nucleus of the family now live in the neighbouring village of Peacehaven. The family firs ...

); Kathleen Mitchell * 1979 Bill Rutter * 1980 Dr Russell Wortley * 1981 Dr Lionel Bacon;

Bob Cann Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States * Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

* 1982 Sam Sherry; The Watersons (

Lal Lal ( fa, لعل, hi, लाल, bn, লাল, ur, لال, ps, Lāl) is an Indo-Iranian surname and given name, which means "darling", "precious", or "beloved", from the Sanskrit ''lala'' ("cajoling").''Dictionary of American Family Names''F ...

, Norma and Mike Waterson, John Harrison and

Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such ...

) * 1983 Nibs Matthews;

Walter Pardon Walter Pardon (4 March 1914 – 9 June 1996) was an English carpenter, folk singer and recording artist from Knapton, Norfolk, England. He learned songs and tunes from older members of his family and remembered and performed them at a time whe ...

; The Spinners (Tony Davis, Mick Groves, Cliff Hall and Hugh Jones) * 1984 Philip Bloy; Leslie Hyner * 1986 Hugh Rippon * 1987 Reg Hall; Ewan MacCoIl;

Peggy Seeger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American folk singer. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years, and was married to the singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989. First American period Seeger's father ...

; Michael Yates * 1988 Joe Brown; Ursula Vaughan Williams * 1989 Peter Dashwood; Jack Hamilton * 1990 Tom Cook; Pat Tracey * 1995 Ivor Allsop; Liza Austin; Brenda Godrich; Cyril Jones; Fred Jordan; Harry Pitts; Rex Laycock * 1996 May Beeforth; Elsie Cloughton; Tony Foxworthy; Francis Shergold * 1997 Barbara Kinsman; Ivy Romney; Cyril Swales * 1998 Jill Copper, John Copper & Jon Dudley (

); Marjorie Fennessy; Dr Ian Russell * 1999 Roy Judge; Ron Smedley * 2001

Roy Dommett Roy Leonard Dommett (25 June 1933 – 2 November 2015) was a British engineer and rocket scientist, and the United Kingdom's Chief Missile Scientist, who for many years led the United Kingdom's research and development of both ballistic missil ...

; Dr Denis Smith; Trevor Stone * 2002 Dr Christopher Cawte; John Kirkpatrick;

Dave Swarbrick David Cyril Eric Swarbrick (5 April 1941 – 3 June 2016) was an English folk musician and singer-songwriter. His style has been copied or developed by almost every British and many world folk violin players who have followed him. He was ...

* 2003 Dave Arthur;

Shirley Collins Shirley Elizabeth Collins MBE (born 5 July 1935) is an English folk singer who was a significant contributor to the English Folk Revival of the 1960s and 1970s. She often performed and recorded with her sister Dolly, whose accompaniment on ...

;

Iona Opie Iona Margaret Balfour Opie, (13 October 1923 – 23 October 2017) and Peter Mason Opie (25 November 1918 – 5 February 1982) were an English married team of folklorists who applied modern techniques to understanding children's literature and ...

; Roy Palmer * 2004 Steve Heap; Peter Kennedy; Geoff Rye; Malcolm Taylor * 2005

Alistair Anderson The High Level Ranters are a Northumbrian traditional musical group founded in 1964, best known for being one of the first bands in the revival of the Northumbrian smallpipes. Name and history The name was chosen as a combination of the locat ...

; Tony Engle; Phil Heaton; Aubrey O’Brien;

Doc Rowe David "Doc" Rowe (born 8 December 1944) is a folklorist, author and film-maker who lives and works in the United Kingdom. A graduate of Hornsey College of Arts, he is a prominent lecturer on and advocate for folk traditions and folk music. De ...

* 2007

Eliza Carthy Eliza Amy Forbes Carthy, MBE (born 23 August 1975) is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing the fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson. Life and ca ...

; Michael Heaney; Frank Purslow; Pat Wilkinson; The Yetties (Bonny Sartin, Pete Shutler and Mac McCulloch) * 2008 Ray Fisher; John Heydon; Lou Killen; Colin Ross * 2009 Jack Brown; Beryl Marriott; Roger Nicholls;

Steve Roud Steve Roud (; born 1949) is the creator of the Roud Folk Song Index and an expert on folklore and superstition. He was formerly Local Studies Librarian for the London Borough of Croydon and Honorary Librarian of the Folklore Society. Life and c ...

; Derek Schofield * 2010 Jim Coleman; Vic Gammon; John Howson; Katie Howson;

Taffy Thomas Taffy Thomas, MBE is a storyteller, based in Grasmere in the English Lake District. Biography In September 2009, Thomas accepted the honorary position of the UK's first Laureate for Storytelling, which was officially launched on 30 January 201 ...

* 2011 Johnny Handle;

Nic Jones Nic Jones (born Nicolas Paul Jones; 9 January 1947) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Regarded as a prominent figure of the British folk revival, he has recorded five solo albums and collaborated with various musicians. Biography ...

; George Peterson; Les Seaman; Jackie Toaduff; Eddie Upton * 2012

Bill Leader Bill Leader (born 26 December 1929) is an English recording engineer and record producer. He is particularly associated with the British folk music revival of the 1960s and 1970s, producing records by Paddy Tunney, Davey Graham, Bert Jansch, John Re ...

;

Graeme Miles Graeme Miles (1935 – 29 March 2013) was an English folk singer and songwriter based in Middlesbrough. Born in Greenwich, London, he grew up in Teesside and studied at West Hartlepool Art School. He became enamored with folk music and with the T ...

* 2013

Ashley Hutchings Ashley Stephen Hutchings, MBE, sometimes known in early years by his nickname, "Tyger" Hutchings (born 26 January 1945) is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founding member of t ...

; Ricky Forster; David Blick * 2014

Maddy Prior Madelaine Edith Prior MBE (born 14 August 1947) is an English folk singer, best known as the lead vocalist of Steeleye Span. She was born in Blackpool and moved to St Albans in her teens. Her father, Allan Prior, was co-creator of the police dr ...

;

Sandra Kerr Sandra Kerr (born 14 February 1942, Plaistow, Essex) is an English folk singer. Kerr sings and plays English concertina, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer and autoharp. She was a member of The Critics Group from 1963–1972. With John Faulkner, she ...

; David Leverton; Alan Bearman * 2015 Ian A. Anderson;

John Tams John Tams (born 16 February 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician born in Holbrook, Derbyshire, the son of a publican. He first worked as a reporter for the '' Ripley & Heanor News'' later working for BBC Radio De ...

; Rollo Woods; Paul Wilson and Marilyn Tucker (Wren Music) * 2016 Maggie Fletcher; Pete Coe and Sue Coe; Mike Wilson-Jones and Mary Wilson-Jones * 2017 Johnny Adams; Nicolas Broadbridge; Dave and Maggie Hunt;

The Wilson Family The Wilson Family is an English folk music group from Billingham, County Durham, North East England. They have been singing and performing a cappella folk songs since 1974. They consist of sister Pat and five brothers: Tom, Chris, Steve, Ken ...

* 2018

Frankie Armstrong Frankie Armstrong (born 13 January 1941) is an English singer and voice teacher. She has worked as a singer in the folk scene and the women's movement and as a trainer in social and youth work. Her repertoire ranges from traditional ballads to m ...

; John Bacon; Antony Heywood; Vic Legg * 2019 Carolyn Robson; Chris Coe; John Graham; Mike Norris;

Kate Rusby Kate Anna Rusby (born 4 December 1973) is an English English folk music, folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, an ...

* 2020 Paul and Liz Davenport; Benny Graham; Mick Peat

References

External links

* *
English Dance and Song Magazine website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:English Folk Dance And Song Society English folk dance English folk music English folklore Ralph Vaughan Williams Arts organizations established in 1932 1932 establishments in the United Kingdom Charities based in England History of the London Borough of Camden Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden