In Scarlet Town where I was born...
Test yourself. What's the next line??
None of my undergraduate students was able to come up with the definition of a "ballad," in the historical sense. A few knew the word "ballad" to mean a slow song in twentieth century popular music. "My Funny Valentine" is a "ballad" in this sense. None had heard of "Barbara Allen."
So my question is this. Is this particular lacuna surprising to you? When I was a kid (60s) people still sang these songs at home with guitar or autoharp. At what point did this particular part of popular culture drop out of the "vernacular"?
It's the height of dumbness to condemn people for not having been exposed to something. I'm just curious. Where is the cut-off point in knowledge of ballads? 30? 40?
Yes, of course, good point. Then when did this household culture cease to exist on a massive, popular scale? It wasn't just at home either; summer camps and schools featured a certain amount of folk singing too. Not to mention t.v. and radio, etc...
ResponderEliminarThere's also another point. I often can't judge what other people know or don't. I can't really say how typical my experience was. I assume that everyone my age knows "Babara Allen" but that might be a false assumption.
Well yes, and I negotiate that divide every day. It's called teaching. Nothing is to basic to be explained. Bob Dylan still gets 100% name recognition, Joan Baez about 20-25%, among college students now aged 22.
ResponderEliminarRock criticism, however, is written in a coded language that is probably opaque to most people. It is to me. Here it is not assuming my knowledge is everyone's, but the exact opposite: assuming that only someone already within this world will pick up the publication.