The Vernacular Tune Book Collection of Samuel P. Bayard at The Pennsylvania State University

This article and annotated bibliography pertain to the vernacular tune book collection of Samuel P. Bayard, housed at the Special Collections Library at The Pennsylvania State University. The collection reflects Bayard's research interests, namely folk music, both instrumental and vocal, belonging to Anglo-Celtic traditions. He donated 139 tunes books, defined as books containing some form of musical notation, even solfège. An additional 22 songsters and dance notation books are listed as an addendum to the bibliography. The majority of these books (85%) contain music from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The tunes were both composed and collected, or taken from earlier publications or manuscripts, passing fluidly into and out of aural tradition and also between written sources. These books were used for performing music in parlors and drawing rooms, as resources for dance musicians and recreational singing, and as scholarly studies of vernacular music. Many present interesting bibliographical problems. Vernacular tune books are one of the only windows into understanding the vernacular music culture of the past and are very worthy of further study.