George Malcolm Laws (January 4, 1919 – August 1, 1994) was a scholar of traditional British and American

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

. He was best known for his collection of

traditional ballads A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

"American Balladry from British Broadsides", published in 1957 by the

American Folklore Society The American Folklore Society (AFS) is the US-based professional association for folklorists, with members from the US, Canada, and around the world, which aims to encourage research, aid in disseminating that research, promote the responsibl ...

. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and joined the English Department Faculty there in 1942. He gives his name to a system of coding ballads; one letter of the alphabet, followed by 2 numbers. For example, "Laws A01" is "Brave Wolfe" also known as "Bold Wolfe" or "The Battle of Quebec". There is no immediately obvious logic, but a broad pattern appears: the letter A is for military songs, the letter D is for nautical songs, the letter F is for murder, and so on. The system is limited to 26 x 99 = 2576 distinct labels, and so tends to bring together similar songs. It is a useful adjunct to Child numbers. He includes many songs that

Child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

excluded, and of course, new ones that were found after Child died.

Examples of Laws numbers

* Laws A01 – Brave Wolfe * Laws A02 – Major Andrews Execution * Laws A03 – Stately Southerner * Laws A04 – Paul Jones * Laws A05 – James Bird * Laws A06 – Constitution and the Guerriere * Laws A07 – Battle of New Orleans * Laws A08 – Texas Rangers * Laws A09 – Manassa Junction * Laws A11 – Battle of Shiloh Hill * Laws A12 – Battle of Elkhorn Tavern The letters A to H are for native American ballads. * B :* Laws B01 – The Streets of Laredo * F Murder Ballads :* Laws F05 –

Banks of the Ohio "Banks of the Ohio", also known as "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" and "I'll Never Be Yours", is a 19th-century murder ballad, written by unknown authors. The lyrics tell of "Willie" who invites his young lover for a walk during which she rejects hi ...

The letters J to Q are for "American Ballads from British Broadsides". 290 British ballads are indexed. * J War ballads :* Laws J05 –

The Bonny Bunch of Roses "The Bonny Bunch of Roses" (Roud 664, Laws J5) is a folk song written in the 1830s by an unknown balladeer from the British Isles, perhaps with Irish sympathies. The earliest known version of the tune is in William Christie's ''Tradition Ballad ...

* K Ballads of sailors and the sea :* Laws K09 –

Lady Franklin's Lament "Lady Franklin's Lament" (also known as "Lord Franklin" and "The Sailor's Dream") is a traditional folk ballad indexed by George Malcolm Laws (Laws K09) and Steve Roud (Roud 487). The song recounts the story of a sailor who dreams about Lady Frank ...

:* Laws K33 – Coast of High Barbaree :* Laws K43 – Rosemary Lane * L Ballads of crime and criminals :* Laws L05 – Jack Hall :* Laws L12 – The Rambling Boy, The Newry Highwayman * M Ballads of family opposition to lovers :* Laws M04 – Drowsy Sleeper, Katie Dear, Silver Dagger :* Laws M32 –

The Bramble Briar "The Bramble Briar", "The Merchant's Daughter" or "In Bruton Town" ( Roud 18; Laws M32) is a traditional English folk murder ballad that tells the story of how two brothers murder a servant who is courting their sister. There are many versions of ...

* N Ballads of lovers' disguises and tricks :* Laws N07 –

Jack Monroe Jack Monroe (born 17 March 1988) is a British food writer, journalist and activist known for campaigning on poverty issues, particularly hunger relief. She initially rose to prominence by writing a blog titled ''A Girl Called Jack'' (now r ...

:* Laws N21 – The Female Highwayman :* Laws N27 – The Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green :* Laws N42 – "John Riley", "John(ny) Riley", "The Broken Token" or "A Fair Young Maid All in Her Garden" * O Ballads of faithful lovers :* Laws O03 – The Foggy Dew :* Laws O35 –

The Trees They Grow So High "The Trees They Grow So High" is a British folk song (Roud 31, Laws O35). The song is known by many titles, including "The Trees They Do Grow High", "Daily Growing", "Long A-Growing" and "Lady Mary Ann". A two-verse fragment of the song is found ...

:* Laws O36 – Polly Vaughn * P Unfaithful lovers :* Laws P02 – Green Bushes :* Laws P24 – The Butcher's Boy :* Laws P25 – A Brisk Young Sailor Courted Me :* Laws P31 – All Around My Hat :* Laws P36 – Pretty Polly, The Gosport Tragedy, The Cruel Ship's Carpenter * Q Humorous and miscellaneous :*Laws Q02 – Marrowbones

Bibliography

* Native American Balladry (1950, revised 1964) * American Balladry from British Broadsides (1957) * American Ballads from British Broadsides: A guide for students and collectors of traditional song (1957) * The British Literary Ballad: A Study in Poetic Imitation (1972)

References

External links

biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laws, George Malcolm 1919 births 1994 deaths American folk-song collectors American educational theorists American folklorists Educators from Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pennsylvania faculty

Examples of Laws numbers

Bibliography

See also

References

External links