He began visiting pubs and village halls, taking down and publishing the songs and dance tunes of the old-timers. More than anyone, he can be credited with saving the musical heritage of the English countryside – he collected nearly 5000 tunes, publishing nearly 1200 of them. He also toured the [[Appalachian]] area of [[USA]] collecting tunes and “square dances” of English origin. His work was used and augmented by a generation of English composers, themselves collectors; notably [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], [[Gustav Holst]] and [[George Butterworth]]. | He began visiting pubs and village halls, taking down and publishing the songs and dance tunes of the old-timers. More than anyone, he can be credited with saving the musical heritage of the English countryside – he collected nearly 5000 tunes, publishing nearly 1200 of them. He also toured the [[Appalachian]] area of [[USA]] collecting tunes and “square dances” of English origin. His work was used and augmented by a generation of English composers, themselves collectors; notably [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], [[Gustav Holst]] and [[George Butterworth]]. |