Cecil Sharp

Although he started his career practicing law in Australia, Cecil Sharp would become the central figure in the English dance and folksong revival early in the 20th century. Born in London in 1859, Sharp attended Uppingham and Clare College, Cambridge, and then immigrated to Australia. In 1889, he would change his career from law to music, working as the assistant organist at Adelaide Cathedral and as the co-director of the Adel College of Music. He returned to England in 1892 and became music master at Ludgrove Preparatory School (1893-1910); later he would also work as the principal of the Hampstead Conservatory (1896-1905). Two central events would turn Sharp's attention to English folksongs and dance. On Boxing Day in 1899, he witnessed a performance of Morris dancing, a traditional dance of ancient origin, in Headington. The second event would transpire during the summer of 1903, when he overheard his gardener singing the traditional "The Seeds of Love." These events led Sharp to realize that there was a wealth of traditional dance and folksong material that needed to be preserved. He would devote the remainder of his life doing just that.

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