The Music of the People
August 9th, 2008 by Steve BowbrickFlashing through the lanes of West Cork the other night, probably a bit too fast, on the way from Bantry to Baltimore in the dusk, I heard this beautiful programme of archive voices and music. It’s a real gem: quiet and a bit old-fashioned. Ian Lee, an RTE traditional music stalwart, has made a six part series based on the field recordings of the various folklorists and collectors who tramped around the place during the Twentieth Century.
This one’s about the recordings of Alan Lomax, legendary Library of Congress archivist. There’s nothing like it on British radio. I suppose it’s a kind of throwback—and you’ll really have to concentrate: some of the voices are impenetrable. But it’s wonderful. Here’s the MP3 and the other programmes in the series are all here.
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