This is a list of folk song collections including pioneer and notable work in collecting folk songs.

Many such collections were made in the 19th century. The earlier ones are often considered to be parts of the National Romanticisist interests in folklore. The monumental efforts of single enthusiasts laid the foundation for the modern academic investigations of epic folk songs. The comments made by various collectors also indicate that they respected and were inspired by the work done by their counterparts. Child's comments show that he indeed could read and understand ballads in Scandinavian languages.

The following table lists comparable pioneering works from different countries or language areas, and corresponding modern scholarly collections or classifications. The 'pioneers' are not necessarily the first collectors, but they were each the first to gain widespread recognition, and to provide classification or at least useful enumeration.

Country/region	Title	Collector	Modern classification
Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...	Danmarks gamle Folkeviser Danmarks gamle Folkeviser Danmarks gamle Folkeviser is a collection of all known texts and recordings of the old Danish popular ballads.It was started in 1853 by Svend Grundtvig... (DgF)	started by S. H. Grundtvig Svend Grundtvig Svend Hersleb Grundtvig was a Danish literary historian and ethnographer. He was one of the first systematic collectors of Danish traditional music, and he was especially interested in Danish folk songs. He began the large project of editing Danish ballads. He also co-edited Icelandic ballads. He...  1853.	The original classification is essentially retained but expanded.
Faroe Islands Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...	Færøiske kveder	V.U. Hammershaimb Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb was a Faroese Lutheran minister who established the modern orthography of Faroese, the language of the Faroe Islands, based on the Icelandic language, which like Faroese derives from Old Norse.-Background:Hammershaimb was born in Sandavágur on the island of Vágar in...	Føroya kvæði. Corpus carminum Færoensium (CCF)
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	Chants et chansons populaires de la France	Théophile Marion Dumersan Théophile Marion Dumersan Théophile Marion Dumersan was a French writer of plays, vaudevilles, poetry, novels, chanson collections, librettos, and novels, as well as a numismatist and curator attached to the Cabinet des médailles et antiques of the Bibliothèque royale.-Life:The family's real surname was Marion but – to...	The original classification is still in use.
Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...	?	John Meier?	Deutsche Volkslieder mit ihren Melodien. Balladen
Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... , and American variants	Child Ballads Child Ballads The Child Ballads are a collection of 305 ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, collected by Francis James Child in the late nineteenth century...	Francis James Child Francis James Child Francis James Child was an American scholar, educator, and folklorist, best known today for his collection of folk songs known as the Child Ballads. Child was Boylston professor of rhetoric and oratory at Harvard University, where he produced influential editions of English poetry...	The original classification is still in use.
Lombardy Lombardy Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...	Canti popolari Lombardi	Giulio Ricordi Giulio Ricordi Giulio Ricordi was an Italian editor and musician.-Biography:Ricordi was born in Milan, where he also died....  and Leopoldo Pullè	The original classification is still in use.
Piedmont Piedmont Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...	Canti popolari del Piemonte	Costantino Nigra	The original classification is still in use.
Sicily Sicily Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...	Canti popolari siciliani	Giuseppe Pitrè Giuseppe Pitrè Giuseppe Pitrè , the great Italian folklorist was also a medical doctor, professor, and senator in Sicily. As a folklorist he is credited with extending the realm of folklore to include all the manifestations of popular life. He was also a forerunner in the field of medical historyPitrè was born in...	The original classification is still in use.
Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....	Svenska folk-visor från forntiden	Erik Gustaf Geijer Erik Gustaf Geijer Erik Gustaf Geijer was a Swedish writer, historian, poet, philosopher, and composer. His writings served to promote Swedish National Romanticism. He also was an influential advocate of Liberalism.-Biography:...  and Arvid August Afzelius Arvid August Afzelius Arvid August Afzelius was a Swedish pastor, poet, historian and mythologist.From 1828 till his death he was parish priest of Enköping...	Sveriges Medeltida Ballader Sveriges Medeltida Ballader Sveriges Medeltida Ballader is an edition of 'all' Swedish medieval ballads, produced by Svenskt Visarkiv....  (SMB).
China China Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...	Anthology of Yuefu Poetry (translated)	Guo Maoqian Guo Maoqian Guo Maoqian , also known as Kuo Mao-ch'ien, compiled an important collection of lyrical pieces in his work Anthology of Yuefu Poetry, which contains almost all of the surviving Music Bureau style, or Yuefu from the Han dynasty through the Tang dynasty and to the Five Dynasties, and which includes...	Traditional, with some elaboration

External links

• Chansons nationales et populaires de France digitized book
• Canti popolari del Piemonte digitized book
• Canti popolari siciliani digitized book