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Notes for Contributors: Style Guidelines

The citation of unpublished material by or relating to Cecil Sharp

This guide describes the preferred mode of reference to manuscript and other material created or collected by Cecil Sharp. The individual components of these materials are frequently interrelated, and for some of them there are copies or transcripts in various locations. This situation has given rise to uncertainty as to the best way to cite the material, and sometimes to inconsistency and even error. Until recently some of the materials were missing, adding to the difficulty in correct citation.

Two members of the Editorial Board of the Journal, Christopher Cawte and the late Roy Judge, have given much thought to this topic and were kind enough to provide summaries of the extant material and suggest citation methods which resolve these problems. Much of what follows is based heavily on, and sometimes literally reproduces their work, for which I am deeply grateful. However, the following recommendations are the responsibility of the Editor and the Journal only.

The principles which should underlie the citation of the materials are that it should accord with the requirements of the repository holding them in the first instance, and then with the requirements of the publication in which it is used. In the case of the Journal these are embodied in the MHRA Style Guide. While other style books may have different methods of citation, in general they will cover the same ground and require the same elements to be present.

The first citation in any work should be a full reference, but later citations may use a shorter form. It is also useful to have a means of referring to the materials in the body of the text which enables them to be identified in a way which is unambiguous in context but does not disrupt the flow of the prose. (Such occurrences should always, of course, be supported by the relevant exact reference in the notes.) In a few circumstances (for example, the presentation of material in tabular columns, or profuse citation), an extreme form of abbreviation may be called for, in conjunction with the identification of a specific item.

The MHRA Style Guide requires manuscripts to be cited in the following way:

(Place of repository), Name of repository, Name of collection, Shelfmark, Page/folio number(s).

The place of the repository is not necessary if it is contained in the name of the repository, nor if the repository is a national organization and is unambiguously named. The MHRA Style Guide is silent on the question of authors and titles of manuscripts. From the usage associated with other aspects of style in the style book, Folk Music Journal recommends including:

Name of Author, 'Title' [ if present ] / Title [ if supplied ]

ahead of the identification of the repository.

The material associated with Sharp is of three kinds:

• the notebooks which Sharp carried with him when he was recording
• the material which Sharp wrote as his fair-copy manuscripts
• other material which arose during his work.

The following paragraphs identify each of these and recommend methods for citation. They give:

Notebooks

Full reference:

London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, Field Notebooks, Words

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Field Notebooks, Words

Abbreviated reference:

FNW

Reference within the body of the text (Textual reference):

Sharp's field word books

Further identification:

Year and serial number (e.g. '1909/4'), folio

Previous citations:

CHMP 'ShaF', Chandler 'Sharp MSS, Field notebooks (words)'

Comment:

49 volumes. The year and the serial number within it are given on the cover of each notebook

Example:

Sharp MSS, Field Notebooks, Words, 1907/1, f.56.
 

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Full reference:

London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, Field Notebooks, Tunes

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Field Notebooks, Tunes

Abbreviated reference:

FNT

Textual reference:

Sharp's field tune books

Further identification:

Year and serial number (e.g. '1909/4'), folio

Previous citations:

CHMP 'ShaB'

Comment:

149 volumes. The year and the serial number within it are given on the cover of each notebook. There is a book identified as '1905-06/1', followed by '1906/2' &c;. There is also 'Morris Dances 1906/1' which should be cited as '1906/1 (Morris dances)'

Example:

Sharp MSS, Field Notebooks, Tunes, 1907/3, inside front cover.

Fair-copy manuscripts

Full reference:

Cambridge, Archive of Clare College, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, ACC1987/25, Folk Words

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Folk Words

Abbreviated reference:

FW

Textual reference:

Sharp's Folk Words

Further identification:

page number (the pages are numbered continuously throughout the volumes).

Previous citations:

CHMP 'ShaM', Chandler 'Sharp MSS, Folk Tunes' once, apparently an error (Morris dancing, p.231)

Comment:

19 volumes. There are microfilms of the collection at Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and elsewhere. Where a microfilm has been used this may be indicated in the first reference as follows: 'Cambridge, Archive ... from the microfilm in London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library'; subsequent references may follow the standard form. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library also holds a transcript of the words, made by or for Maud Karpeles. This is not an exact transcript and if it is used it should be cited as an independent set of materials, i.e. 'London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Transcript of Cecil J. Sharp's Folk Words', and thereafter as 'Folk Words (Transcript)'.

Example:

Sharp MSS, Folk Words, no. 2001.
 

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Full reference:

Cambridge, Archive of Clare College, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, ACC1987/25, Folk Tunes

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Folk Tunes

Abbreviated reference:

FT

Textual reference:

Sharp's Folk Tunes

Further identification:

number (the pages are numbered continuously throughout the volumes). If necessary indicate the number of the item in sequence on the page.

Previous citations:

CHMP 'ShaM', Chandler 'Sharp MSS, Folk Tunes'

Comment:

23 volumes. There is a rotagraph reproduction of the collection at Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and there are microfilms of the collection at Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and elsewhere. Where one of these has been used this may be indicated in the first reference as follows: 'Cambridge, Archive ... from the microfilm [or rotagraph] in London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library'; subsequent references may follow the standard form.

Example:

'Belle Isle's March', Sharp MSS, Folk Tunes, no. 957.
 

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Full reference:

Cambridge, Archive of Clare College, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, ACC1987/25, Folk Dance Notes

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Folk Dance Notes

Abbreviated reference:

FDN

Textual reference:

Sharp's Folk Dance Notes

Further identification:

by volume and page number

Previous citations:

CHMP 'ShaM', Chandler 'Sharp MSS, Folk Dances'

Comment:

4 volumes. There are microfilms of the collection at Vaughan Williams Memorial Library and elsewhere. Where a microfilm has been used this may be indicated in the first reference as follows: 'Cambridge, Archive ... from the microfilm in London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library'; subsequent references may follow the standard form. The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library also holds a transcript of the notes, made by Roy Dommett. This is not an exact transcript and if it is used it should be cited as an independent set of materials, i.e. 'London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Transcript of Cecil J. Sharp's Folk Dance Notes', and thereafter as 'Folk Dance Notes (Transcript)'.

Example:

Sharp MSS, Folk Dance notes, vol. 1, p. 79.
 

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Full reference:

Cambridge, Archive of Clare College, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, ACC1987/25, Index

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Index

Abbreviated reference:

Index

Textual reference:

Index to Sharp's manuscripts

Further identification:

by volume and page number

Previous citations:

None.

Comment:

4 volumes. Probably made by or for Maud Karpeles.

Other material

Full reference:

London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, Correspondence

Later reference: Sharp MSS, Correspondence

Abbreviated reference: Corr.

Textual reference: Sharp's correspondence

Further identification: Box number and folder

Previous citations: Chandler 'Sharp MSS, Correspondence'

Comment: 7 boxes. The first three contain a single sequence sorted alphabetically by corespondent; the last four are sorted by subject into folders. In most cases these references will be preceded by the name of the author and a supplied title which includes a date.

Example:

Cecil Sharp, Letter to Neal, 7 March 1909, Sharp MSS, Correspondence, Box 5, Folder A
 

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Full reference:

London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, Miscellaneous material

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Miscellaneous

Abbreviated reference:

Misc.

Textual reference:

Sharp's miscellaneous material [but the heterogeneous nature of the material is such that other forms of reference may be more appropriate in individual cases]

Further identification:

Box number and item number

Previous citations:

None

Comment:

7 boxes.

Example:

Cecil Sharp, notes for lecture headed 'Espérance Club. Small Queen's Hall (Nov 15 1906)', Sharp MSS, Miscellaneous, Box 5, Item 14.
 

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Full reference:

London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, Press Cuttings Books

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Press cuttings

Abbreviated reference:

PCB

Textual reference:

Sharp's press cuttings

Further identification:

Year span and page number.

Previous citations:

Chandler 'Sharp MSS, Press cuttings books'

Comment:

Numerous volumes. Material was added to the collection after Sharp's death by the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Where the identification of the article and newspaper or magazine in which an item appeared is present on the item itself, it is sufficient to cite that alone. Where the identification is on the basis of an attribution added to the cutting within the collection, then the collection reference should follow the newspaper/magazine reference. Occasionally the reference will be to the collection itself.

Example:

Evening Standard, 9 January 1909, Sharp MSS, Press cuttings books, 1908-11, p. 28.
 

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Full reference:

London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, Cecil J. Sharp MSS, Photograph Collection

Later reference:

Sharp MSS, Photograph Collection

Abbreviated reference:

Photo. Coll.

Textual reference:

Sharp's photograph collection

Further identification:

Where present, cite the shelfmark and unique reference number

Previous citations:

None

Comment:

Over 12,000 photographs. Most are uncatalogued and lack reference numbers. References should be preceded by the name of the photographer if known and a title (usually supplied).

Example:

Cecil Sharp, Photograph of Abingdon Morris Dancers, Sharp MSS, Photograph Collection, mo/ab/1912 (10988).