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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Size | 17.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 13000 items) |
Abstract | Annabel Morris Buchanan, composer, author, folk music collector, and officer of the National Federation of Music Clubs. Correspondence, field collections, writings, manuscript music, and other items documenting the career of Annabel Morris Buchanan. Included is correspondence with folklorists, musicians, poets, composers, performers, publishers, National Federation of Music Club officials, and personal correspondence. Also included are field collections, mostly of songs collected in Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maine, West Virginia, and elsewhere, between 1930 and 1960; writings, including three book manuscripts and articles incorporating songs and tales and describing Buchanan's collecting methods; manuscript music, including hand- noted scores of Buchanan's settings and compositions; a manuscript of a book of folk songs from southwestern Virginia; articles and clippings about Buchanan and about the White Top Folk Festival; photographs of the White Top Festival and the Virginia State Choral Festival, as well as photographs of Buchanan's friends, family, and professional associates; and other items. |
Creator | Buchanan, Annabel Morris, b. 1888. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Original processing and finding aid creation by Lyn Wolz and others, 1978-1979.
Processed by: Suzanne Ruffing, February 1996
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Anne Wells
Updated by: Laura Smith, February 2022
This collection was processed with support from the Randleigh Foundation Trust.
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
Annabel Morris Buchanan (22 October 1888-6 January 1983), composer, writer, and folklorist, was born in Groesbeck, Tex., the daughter of the Reverend William Caruthers Morris and Anna Virginia Foster. By seven, she was composing songs, writing poems, reading music by sight, and playing the piano for her father's services. At age 15, she won a scholarship to the Landon Conservatory in Dallas and was graduated in 1896 with highest honors in performance on piano and violin and theory and composition. She taught private and college music classes at Halsell College, Okla., 1907-1908, and at Stonewall Jackson College, Abingdon, Va., 1909-1912. She married John Preston Buchanan, a lawyer, writer, and Virginia senator, from Marion, Va., in 1912 and moved to Roseacre, where they had four children.
After moving to Roseacre, Buchanan published numerous pieces of music as well as articles and poetry. She organized a Marion music club in 1923 and became president of the Virginia Federation of Music Clubs in 1927. She began studying folk music and, in 1928, organized the first Virginia State Choral Festival, consisting of traditional folk performances. In 1931, she organized the White Top Folk Festival in an attempt to open traditional folk art to the public. Eleanor Roosevelt attended the festival in 1933, but the festival was abandoned after 1939. For these festivals, Buchanan collected thousands of songs, tunes, dances, games, tales, charms, and sayings from people in the mountain areas of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. She published articles and gave lectures on the festival and the study, collection, and use of folk music. During this time, she also published her only book, Folk Hymns of America.
Upon her husband's death in 1937, Buchanan sold Roseacre and moved to Richmond, Va., with her two youngest children. She taught music theory and composition and folk music at the University of Richmond, 1939-1940; during the summers, at the New England Music Camp, Lake Messalonskee, Oakland, Me., 1938-1940; and Huckleberry Mountain Artists Colony near Hendersonville, N.C., in 1941. She later moved to Harrisonburg, Va., and taught at Madison College from 1944 to 1948. In 1951, Buchanan moved to Paducah, Ky., and continued to write, compose, collect folklore, and organize societies, such as the Southeastern Folklore Society, the American Folklore Society, and the Kentucky Folklore Society. She received honorary life memberships in the Composers-Authors Guild, the Eugene Field and Mark Twain Societies, and in the National Federation of Music Clubs. She was also made an honorary citizen of San Jose California in 1954 when her choral work "Song of the Cherubim" was premiered at the Montalvo Artists Colony. Later, she became archivist for the folk music collecting project of the National Federation of Music Clubs, where she served until 1963.
[For further information, see "Annabel Morris Buchanan: A Profile of Her Contributions to Folklore," thesis by Carolyn Lelear (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina, 1978) and biographical sketches in Who's Who of American, Women (5th ed., 1967), Directory of American Scholars (5th ed., 1968-69), and Dictionary of International Biography (8th ed., 1970).]
Back to TopCorrespondence, field collections, writings, manuscript music, and other items documenting the career of Annabel Morris Buchanan. Included is correspondence with folklorists, musicians, poets, composers, performers, publishers, National Federation of Music Club officials, and personal correspondence. Also included are field collections, mostly of songs collected in Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maine, West Virginia, and elsewhere, between 1930 and 1960; writings, including three book manuscripts and articles incorporating songs and tales and describing Buchanan's collecting methods; manuscript music, including hand- noted scores of Buchanan's settings and compositions; a manuscript of a book of folk songs from southwestern Virginia; articles and clippings about Buchanan and about the White Top Folk Festival; photographs of the White Top Festival and the Virginia State Choral Festival, as well as photographs of Buchanan's friends, family, and professional associates; and other items.
Back to TopArrangement: chronological.
Professional and personal correspondence; speeches; and articles, clippings, and printed material. Letters between 1915 and 1932 deal with the permission, acknowledgement, acceptance or rejection of and payment for manuscripts, including songs, short stories, articles, and her novel. There are also many letters from concert singers and musicians who performed her songs. From 1933 to 1962, Buchanan corresponded with other folklorists about a variety of topics including the collection of folk songs; their work with professional societies; the publication of articles on folk music; theories about the modal structure of folk music; and research on folk hymns and her book, Folk Hymns of America. Correspondence, 1937-1938, 1955-1958, and 1960, is chiefly concerned with this book.
Correspondence pertaining to the White Top Folk Festival, which Buchanan organized, 1931-1939, appears mainly from 1932 to 1936 and includes letters of invitation to lecturers and guests; letters to John Blakemore, the festival's business manager; publicity information; and lists of participants. Scattered references to the festival are made in other years, notably in an article written by John Blakemore in 1959 and in another article written by Ulrich Troubetskoy for Virginia Cavalcade magazine in 1961.
Correspondence, 1958-1963, deals with Buchanan's position as National Archivist for the National Federation of Music Clubs' folk song collecting project. The club set up regional, state, and local archives and a separate collection at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress. Buchanan received advice and contributions from librarians, members of the music club, and folklorists, such as Rae Korson, librarian of the Archive of American Folk Song, and Vera Dougan, Ada Holding Miller, Mary Agnes Starr, Nora McGee, and Charles Iler, officers of the NFMC. Correspondence is heaviest from 1961 to 1963.
The volume of correspondence decreases after 1963, when Buchanan retired from the office of archivist. Letters after 1963 are concerned mainly with the copyright renewals of Buchanan's songs. The final folder of correspondence contains undated materials that are mostly personal letters and publisher's rejection slips.
Those with whom Buchanan exchanged letters include D. K. Wilgus, Olga Rosmanith, Sarah Gertrude Knott, William Kock, Anne Grimes, Carleton Sprague Smith, MacEdward Leach, Louise Pound, Richard Chase, Mary O. Eddy, Alan Lomax, Herbert Halpert, Wayland Jand, John Blakemore, Samuel P. Bayard, E. C. Beck, Ernest La Prade (of the National Broadcasting Corp.), Jimmie Driftwood (James C. Morris), and Paul C. Brewster. There is also slight, scattered correspondence from Maud Karpeles, Joe Hickerson, Fannie Eckstrom, Frank Warner, John Powell, Alton C. Morris, Helen Hartness Flanders, Percy Grainger, and George Korson. Correspondence with three scholars, Phillips Barry, Anne G. Gilchrist, and George Pullen Jackson, is filed at the end of Series 2 with the materials they sent Buchanan.
This series also includes articles and clippings about Buchanan and the White Top Folk Festival; texts of speeches; programs and materials for courses given by Buchanan, many on folk music; reviews of Folk Hymns of America; royalty statements; poems written by others that Buchanan wanted to set to music; writings of John P. Buchanan; articles by and about John Powell; National Folk Festival programs; clippings about the Virginia State Choral Festival; a file on awards Buchanan received; and other materials.
Folder 1 |
Correspondence 1915-1925 |
Folder 2 |
Correspondence 1926-1928 |
Folder 3 |
Correspondence 1929-1930 |
Folder 4 |
Correspondence 1931-1932 |
Folder 5-6
Folder 5Folder 6 |
Correspondence 1933 |
Folder 7 |
Correspondence 1934 |
Folder 8-9
Folder 8Folder 9 |
Correspondence 1935 |
Folder 10-11
Folder 10Folder 11 |
Correspondence 1936 |
Folder 12-13
Folder 12Folder 13 |
Correspondence 1937 |
Folder 14-16
Folder 14Folder 15Folder 16 |
Correspondence 1938 |
Folder 17-19
Folder 17Folder 18Folder 19 |
Correspondence 1939 |
Folder 20-22
Folder 20Folder 21Folder 22 |
Correspondence 1940 |
Folder 23-25
Folder 23Folder 24Folder 25 |
Correspondence 1941 |
Folder 26 |
Correspondence 1942 |
Folder 27 |
Correspondence 1943 |
Folder 28-29
Folder 28Folder 29 |
Correspondence 1944 |
Folder 30 |
Correspondence 1945-1946 |
Folder 31 |
Correspondence 1947 |
Folder 32 |
Correspondence 1948 |
Folder 33 |
Correspondence 1949 |
Folder 34 |
Correspondence 1950 |
Folder 35 |
Correspondence 1951 |
Folder 36 |
Correspondence 1952 |
Folder 37 |
Correspondence 1953 |
Folder 38-39
Folder 38Folder 39 |
Correspondence 1954 |
Folder 40-44
Folder 40Folder 41Folder 42Folder 43Folder 44 |
Correspondence 1955 |
Folder 45-49
Folder 45Folder 46Folder 47Folder 48Folder 49 |
Correspondence 1956 |
Folder 50-63
Folder 50Folder 51Folder 52Folder 53Folder 54Folder 55Folder 56Folder 57Folder 58Folder 59Folder 60Folder 61Folder 62Folder 63 |
Correspondence 1957 |
Folder 64-72
Folder 64Folder 65Folder 66Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70Folder 71Folder 72 |
Correspondence 1958 |
Folder 73-79
Folder 73Folder 74Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78Folder 79 |
Correspondence 1959 |
Folder 80-88
Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86Folder 87Folder 88 |
Correspondence 1960 |
Folder 89-95
Folder 89Folder 90Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94Folder 95 |
Correspondence 1961 |
Folder 96-103
Folder 96Folder 97Folder 98Folder 99Folder 100Folder 101Folder 102Folder 103 |
Correspondence 1962 |
Folder 104-115
Folder 104Folder 105Folder 106Folder 107Folder 108Folder 109Folder 110Folder 111Folder 112Folder 113Folder 114Folder 115 |
Correspondence 1963 |
Folder 116 |
Correspondence 1964 |
Folder 117 |
Correspondence 1965 |
Folder 118 |
Correspondence 1966 |
Folder 119 |
Correspondence 1967-1969 |
Folder 120 |
Correspondence 1970 |
Folder 121 |
Correspondence 1971 |
Folder 122 |
Correspondence 1972 |
Folder 123 |
Correspondence Undated |
Folder 124-127
Folder 124Folder 125Folder 126Folder 127 |
Correspondence Speeches and Programs on Folk Music |
Folder 128 |
Correspondence Other Speeches and Programs |
Folder 129-131
Folder 129Folder 130Folder 131 |
Correspondence Course Materials |
Folder 132-134
Folder 132Folder 133Folder 134 |
Correspondence Printed Programs of Music Written and/or Performed by Buchanan |
Folder 135 |
Correspondence Reviews of Folk Hymns of America |
Folder 136 |
Correspondence Royalty Statements |
Folder 137 |
Correspondence Lists of Library of Congress Recordings |
Folder 138 |
Correspondence Song Booklets from Folkways |
Folder 139 |
Correspondence Writings of John P. Buchanan |
Folder 140 |
Correspondence Poems to be Set to Music |
Folder 141-143
Folder 141Folder 142Folder 143 |
Correspondence Articles about Buchanan |
Folder 144-147
Folder 144Folder 145Folder 146Folder 147 |
Correspondence Articles about White Top Festival |
Folder 148 |
Correspondence Articles by and about John Powell |
Folder 149 |
Correspondence Miscellaneous Articles |
Folder 150-159
Folder 150Folder 151Folder 152Folder 153Folder 154Folder 155Folder 156Folder 157Folder 158Folder 159 |
Correspondence Photographs--removed to series |
Folder 160-162
Folder 160Folder 161Folder 162 |
Correspondence Clippings about Buchanan |
Folder 163-164
Folder 163Folder 164 |
Correspondence Clippings about White Top Folk Festival |
Folder 165 |
Correspondence Clippings about Virginia State Choral Festival |
Folder 166-173
Folder 166Folder 167Folder 168Folder 169Folder 170Folder 171Folder 172Folder 173 |
Correspondence Miscellaneous Clippings |
Folder 174-176
Folder 174Folder 175Folder 176 |
Miscellaneous Materials |
Folder 177 |
Awards |
Original, mostly unpublished, folklore material, primarily folk songs, with some copies of dance figures, tales, play-party games, singing games, jump-rope and counting rhymes, children's games and nursery rhymes, beliefs, herbal lore, charms and cures, customs, proverbs, and folk speech. This material was primarily gathered from white informants; the few songs collected from African-Americans are filed separately. There is also correspondence from folklorists.
Most of the material in this series was collected by Buchanan beginning in 1930 and continuing until approximately 1954. There are also a number of items solicited by her from other collectors. These range in date from 1913 to 1963. A very small number were taken from printed sources with the permission of collector and publisher to be used in her book manuscripts.
Buchanan did most of her collecting in Virginia, her home state for 30 years. She also collected a large amount of material in Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Maine. A large number of items are from Buchanan's family tradition in Texas. Items that she collected from people at the Huckleberry Mountain Artists' Colony in North Carolina and the New England Music Camp in Maine, with items she solicited from other collectors, extended her collection to encompass 48 states by 1957.
Most of the songs have typed word sheets and hand copied tune sheets. Tales and other materials are not typed but appear in a hand-written collecting notebook located at the end of the series kept by Buchanan on field trips in 1935, 1936, and 1950. Items include the following information if available:
informant's name (often includes maiden name);
informant's home town, county and state;
collector's name;
date of recording;
local title used by informant;
Child title and number, Laws title and number, or other standard title;
where informant learned the song and from whom;
family background of the informant;
type of melodic scale of tune (e.g., pentatonic);
and mode of melody, if not standard (e.g. Mixolydian).
Many of the items have a small hand-written note "Sent to LC." This indicates that Buchanan made a copy of the tune and text of the song and sent it to the Folk Music Archive of the National Federation of Music Clubs, which was housed in the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress. Some items have penciled-in notes refering to the location of the same or a similar version in a printed collection.
The arrangement of this series was established by Buchanan; this includes the numbering system and title of the sections. The classification divides the material into five basic categories:
IAArranged by Child number;
IB-VIII Arranged by type of song;
IXArranged by collector;
X-XXArranged by place where collected;
XXI-XXVMiscellaneous materials.
A song may appear in more than one of these categories. For example, a song might be filed in section I because it is a Child ballad; in section IX because it was collected by someone other than Buchanan; and in section X because it was collected in Virginia. The original copy, taken down by hand in the field, is usually filed in sections X to XX (which are subdivided by individual or family); typed copies appear in other folders as appropriate. The tune may appear in only one folder. Note that XI-D is a "ballet" notebook given to Buchanan by one of her informants. Multiple versions of a particular song are filed by date of collection.
Sections XXI through XXV consist of collecting correspondence, dance figures, African-American songs, Buchanan's family songs, and notes and clippings for the book manuscript of Mountain Magic. The correspondence between Buchanan and collectors and informants is placed here because the letters contain or accompany the texts and tunes of songs sent by these people to help her with her collection and her book manuscripts. The informants, NFMC officials, and folklorists whose entire correspondence with Buchanan is filed here, include Phillips Barry, Anne G. Gilchrist, George Pullen Jackson, Charles Iler, Ross Whitemire, and Bob "Fiddler" Beers.
At the end of the series is filed a catalog of the songs in the collection. This catalog was made by Buchanan and covers the years 1930 through 1954. Note that, while the catalog is helpful, it is not complete.
Folder 178 |
I-A-1Child #1-6 |
Folder 179 |
I-A-2Child #7-11 |
Folder 180 |
I-A-3Child #12 |
Folder 181 |
I-A-4Child #13-25 |
Folder 182 |
I-A-5Child #26-52 |
Folder 183 |
I-A-6Child #53-61 |
Folder 184 |
I-A-7Child #62-72 |
Folder 185 |
I-A-8Child #73 |
Folder 186 |
I-A-9Child #74-77 |
Folder 187 |
I-A-10Child #78-80 |
Folder 188 |
I-A-11Child #81-83 |
Folder 189 |
I-A-12Child #84 |
Folder 190 |
I-A-13Child #85-111 |
Folder 191 |
I-A-14Child #112-161 |
Folder 192 |
I-A-15Child #162-249 |
Folder 193 |
I-A-16Child #250-277 |
Folder 194 |
I-A-17Child #278-299 |
Folder 195 |
I-A-18Oldest Traditional Ballads after Child |
Folder 258 |
IX-A-1Davis Collection (Child 1-89) |
Folder 259 |
IX-A-2Davis Collection (Child 90-300) |
Folder 260 |
IX-A-3Davis Collection (Later Imported Ballads, A-F) |
Folder 261 |
IX-A-4Davis Collection (Later Imported Ballads, G-Z) |
Folder 262 |
IX-A-5David Collection (Humorous and Nursery Songs) |
Folder 263 |
IX-A-6Davis Collection (Native American Songs) |
Folder 264 |
IX-A-7Davis Collection (Folk Hymnody and Carols) |
Folder 265 |
IX-BGrove Collection (Page County, Va.) |
Folder 266 |
IX-CHandlon Collection (Great Smokies, Tenn.) |
Materials arranged by the state where collected. Original copies of songs, taken down by hand in the field, are usually filed in these sections, which are subdivided by individual or family. Subseries XI is from Marion, Va.
Writings by Buchanan arranged into four subseries: non-fiction book manuscripts; articles on folklore; articles on gardening; and short stories and miscellaneous writings. There is no manuscript for Buchanan's only published book, Folk Hymns of America. Magazine articles on the White Top Folk Festival are filed in Series 1, and a book manuscript, "Southwest Virginia Folk Songs" with settings of tunes Buchanan collected, is in Series 4.
There follows a narrative description of the book-length manuscripts; an annotated list of the folklore articles, arranged alphabetically by title; a list of articles on gardening, arranged alphabetically by title; a list of short stories and miscellaneous writings, arranged by genre; and a folder list. An article or short story may appear under more than one title, and there are printed copies of many of the articles.
Three unpublished manuscripts by Buchanan: "White Top Folk Trails," a compendium of folk songs and dance figures with an emphasis on scholarly analysis and bibliography; "The Bough Was Given to Me," an analysis of the relationship between folklore and mythology, religion, and metaphysics in the folklore of the mountain people of Virginia; and "Mountain Magic," a memoir of Buchanan's collecting experiences and the individuals from whom she received her information.
Buchanan worked on "White Top Folk Trails" from 1934 through the 1960s. The one-volume first draft, which she wrote between 1934 and 1937, was submitted to Oxford University Press, which declined to publish it due to the onset on the Second World War. Then, because of her husband's death, Buchanan put it aside until the mid-1940s. The manuscript grew to four volumes during the 1940s-1960s. Correspondence in Series 1 between 1936 and 1961 documents the development of this work.
The opening chapter covers the history and development of folk music and its scholarship. In later chapters, she devoted much space to folk hymns and dances. Texts and tunes of songs are included, along with notes and references to other places where the songs had been published. The original order of the manuscript from Buchanan's files has been maintained, with settings for the songs filed in Series 4 and many of the collecting notes on which the volume filed in Series 2.
"The Bough was Given to Me" consists of non-musical material gathered by Buchanan while researching "White Top Folk Trails," combined with music, dances, hymnody, superstitions, and traditional customs that Buchanan collected later. In this manuscript, based in part on her 1936 series "Adventures in Virginia Folkways" for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Buchanan concentrated primarily on the traditions, customs, and beliefs of the mountain people and on her own ideas of the metaphysical and mystical origins of folklore.
"Mountain Magic" is primarily a montage of Buchanan's collecting experiences. EAch of the twelve chapters is a vignette of her dealings with the mountain people, including their songs, charms, and sayings. Photographs relating to this manuscript are filed in Series 6.
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Manuscript or printed copies of articles written on folklore by Buchanan. Note that most articles about the White Top Folk Festival are filed in Series 1.
"Adventures in Virginia Folkways" is a series of eight articles published in the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, 1936, about Buchanan's experiences collecting folklore in southwestern Virginia. These articles include ballads, songs, dances, play-party games, beliefs, and superstitions. Printed copies are filed in Series 5 and in Series 2, folder X-B.
"American Folk Hymnody" is an article from the International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians (New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1939), pp. 596-601, which covers the origin, history, and types of folk hymns.
"Ancient Pagan Rites in Virginia" is an unpublished article from the 1930s or 1940s about the demonstration of Morris and sword dances presented at the White Top Folk Festival and their origins in England.
"Anglo-American Folk Music" is an article from the International Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians that covers the types of music found in America, including dances and play-party games, and Buchanan's theory of the modal structure of folk music.
"Archive of American Folk Music" is a typescript of an article published in Showcase, the magazine of the National Federation of Music Clubs, January-February 1961. The published titles was "Archives ... Keepers of the Past."
"The Cherry Tree Carol" is an article from Presbyterian of the South, v. 113, 21 Dececember 1938, p. 11, which connected early carols with mystery plays.
"Creation and Fall of Man: A Kentucky Ballad Carol" is an article from the Kentucky Folklore Record, v. 1, no. 4, October-December 1955, pp. 91-99, which points out parallels and precursors of this religious ballad.
Buchanan wrote of review of Sharp's English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians which was printed in Music Clubs Magazine, undated. Printed copy only.
"A Folk Festival Above the Clouds" is an article on the White Top Folk Festival and appeared in Holland's magazine, August 1933, p. 18, 26.
"The Function of a Folk Festival" is an article from Southern Folklore Quarterly, March 1937, v. 1, no. 1, pp. 29-34, which explains Buchanan's belief that a folk festival should preserve the true character of folk music, not commercialize or exploit it. Two reprint copies only.
"How the Ballad Grows" is a nine page typescript that may be a chapter from one of her book manuscripts or an unpublished article.
"Modal and Melodic Structure in Anglo-American Folk Music: A Neutral Mode" is an address given to the International Congress of Musicology in New York on 13 September 1939 and published in Papers Read at the International Congress of Musicology at New York, ed. by Arthur Mendel and Gustave Reese, (Richmond, Va.: William Byrd Press, 1944), pp. 84-111.
"A Neutral Mode in Anglo-American Folk Music" is an abstract of the above address, which was published in Southern Folklore Quarterly, v. 4, no. 2, June 1940, pp. 77-92. Two reprint copies.
Buchanan reviewed the book Old Songs and Singing Games by Richard Chase. This is a typescript copy.
"On the Trail of Folk Song in the Virginia Mountains" is an unpublished article about Buchanan's adventures in collecting folk songs. It was probably written in the 1930s.
"Witchments, Charms Lures White Top's Faith" is an article from the Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, 2 December 1934, pp. 6-7, 10, on beliefs superstitions, legends, and tales of the White Top area. Printed copies only.
Folder 365 |
Articles on Folklore A-B |
Folder 366 |
Articles on Folklore C-E |
Folder 367 |
Articles on Folklore F-L |
Folder 368 |
Articles on Folklore M |
Folder 369 |
Articles on Folklore N-S |
Folder 370 |
Articles on Folklore T-Z |
Folder 371 |
American Folk Music Bibliography |
Arrangement: alphabetical.
Articles on gardening, some based on Buchanan's extensive gardens at Roseacre. Some articles appear under more than one title.
Articles, fiction (short novels), short stories, and poems. Also included are bulletins from the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) to which Buchanan submitted articles; booklets written by Buchanan for the NFMC; and three notebooks, 1919-1937, with lists of works written by Buchanan and their publishing history. The first notebook covers the years 1919 to 1936; titles are listed alphabetically. The second covers the same years, but the listings are by publisher. The third notebook covers from 1937 on by title only.
Sketches, notes, draft, and final copies of both folk and original songs, secular and sacred, by Buchanan or collected during her research. The arranging worksheets for her folk and tune book hymn settings contain extensive notes on both written and oral sources of the material based on her field research and her large collection of early American sacred tune books.
Buchanan arranged these music manuscripts in generic groups. She packaged major works, such as "Southwest Virginia Folksong," "The Legend of Hungry Mother," and her oratorio "Rex Christus," in bundles separate from other materials. Hand-written labels, such as "some of my early songs and earliest piano compositions, Texas and Oklahoma, 1902-1907" on other packages indicate other pre-defined classifications.
Buchanan's musical interest often overlapped in time, with many long-term interests cropping up again and again, and she often reworked earlier compositions and arrangements to suit current publishing demands. Nevertheless, there is enough temporal "clustering" of works in any of the muscial areas of major concern to Buchanan to make the chronological division a useful one, instructive of the many stages in the development of her career.
The first group of early piano compositions and other instrumental pieces includes composition dated 1902-1907, the period when Buchanan was studying at the Landon Conservatory in Dallas, Tex. Many of these compositions have only sketchy titles. Also included are later instrumental pieces, such as fragments of folk-derived dances and pieces arranged by Buchanan for piano and string orchestra. Original songs date from 1915 to 1953, but most were written in the 1920s and 1930s and composed for lyrics written by others. Secular folk song settings were arranged, for the most part, from 1931 to 1941. Most include information on when, where, and from whom the song was collected and are based on the early modal system of harmony.
"Southwest Virginia Folksong," an unpublished book manuscript dated 1931, includes ballads, dances, and singing games. Their order is listed in the book's table of contents. "The Legend of the Hungry Mother," a choral ballad for three voices, piano, and string quartet written in 1932, utilizes folk-derived material. Buchanan's oratorio, "Rex Christus," is dated 1944 although she began work in late 1943. Included in the papers are a publisher's copy, a penciled version, and worksheets and fragments. Material for her choral suite "The Moon Goes Down," written in 1961 and 1962, includes multiple versions, arranged from most to least complete; worksheets; notes; and various arrangements for "When De Moon Go Down," the African-American spiritual which inspired the choral suite.
The arranging worksheets and notes for folk and tunebook hymns reflect a concentrated effort, and their order could not be disturbed without doing damage. Included are four voice arrangements and extensive notes on the origins of hymns. Collecting dates are 1931 to 1935, arranging dates from 1933 to 1937. Folk and tunebook hymn settings range from 1933 to 1955, though most were arranged in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Included for many are source and modal information. Original hymns dated from 1919 to 1971, though most are from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. Some texts are scriptural while many were written by other authors.
Finally there is a miscellaneous category that includes workbooks bringing together works from several other categories; piano exercises and other information from Buchanan's early musical years; compositions by other composers; and songs written by Grady Davis and collaborators.
Arrangment: in order as received.
Processing information: FT-04020/6279-6282 were added to finding aid in February 2018.
Card File CF-4020/1-6
CF-4020/1CF-4020/2CF-4020/3CF-4020/4CF-4020/5CF-4020/6 |
Six card boxes containing an index to songs in the Annabel Morris Buchanan Papers. This index was prepared in the course of research for "White Top Folk Trails: Annabel Morris Buchanan's Folk Music Legacy," by Lyn Wolz (master's thesis, UNC-CH, May 1984). |
Folder 435 |
Explanation of how to use card box index |