Long day's song

The program opens with performer Elizabeth Hughes singing the folk song "Lord Randall" with dulcimer accompaniment. Lynn Poole briefly discusses southern Appalachian mountain folk lore and how music records the heritage of the people. Virgil Sturgill describes the origins and characteristics of folk songs such as "Billy Grimes," sung by Ms. Hughes. The ballad "Barbara Allen" can be traced to the mid-1600s in Scotland, with several versions of the tragic fate of the rejected lover evolving over time and continents. Mike Seeger sings one version with a fiddle; Larry Marxer performs another variant with guitar; and Ms. Hughes sings still another with dulcimer. Mr. Sturgill shows the typical instruments played in the Appalachians: melodian or autoharp, dulcimer, banjo, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, whistle, and fiddle, and Seeger plays "Black Mt. Rag" on the latter. The performers sing answering back songs, such as "Billy Boy"; Bible stories, such as "Little Moses"; and songs about local events.