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The Carter Family: Traditional Sources For Song, Margaret Bulger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The recorded repertory of the original Carter Family was analyzed for traditional influences. Of the 119 songs examined, it was found that fifty-five, roughly one-fourth of their total repertory, have definite roots in one or more traditional sources. The Carters employed traditional texts within their repertory throughout their professional career. Three genres of song were analyzed: sentimental songs, religious songs, and ballads. Of these, sentimental songs was the largest category with 113 songs. These songs were found to be remarkably similar in thematic content and moral sensibilities to Victorian parlor songs (ca. 1860-1910). The religious songs were shown to be …