Margaret MacArthur
Encyclopedia
Margaret MacArthur was an American singer and player of the Appalachian dulcimer.
Margaret Crowl was born in Chicago. As a youngster, she moved around with her family - in California, Louisiana, and Arizona. She remembered that at the age of five she heard cowboys on the timber crew singing folk songs in the Tonto National Forest
. She studied at Hutchins College of the University of Chicago
. In 1948 she married John MacArthur and moved to Newfane, Vermont
. She remained in Vermont for the rest of her life. In 1951 the couple moved into a 200-year-old farmhouse in Marlboro, Vermont
. For the first 6 years there was no electricity or running water. In preparation for the move, she bought "Country Songs of Vermont" (1937) by Helen Hartness Flanders
. It became the model for her future folk-song collecting. MacArthur volunteered to teach music at the school her children attended. She found old ballads appealing and she sought out traditional singers in the Vermont area. By 1951 she had performed several times on local radio.
In 1960 an 80-year-old neighbor gave her an old harp-zither
. Her husband repaired it and customized it. Margaret became an expert player. An instrument manufacturer was impressed and obtained permission to manufacture copies of it, calling it the "MacArthur Harp". This had originally been manufactured in 1900 under the trade name "Harp-O-Chord". There are photographs of the original harp-O-chord, the harp zither, and the modern reproduction on this page: Fretless zithers.
In 1962 she signed to Folkways Records
. Her first album, "Folksongs of Vermont", was recorded in her kitchen. "On the Mountains High" (1972) contains 8 songs that she collected in Vermont. Her 1976 album "The Old Songs" features vocal and guitar accompaniment from Gordon Bok
. Members of her family appear on most of her albums. In 1990 and 1991 she was artist-in-residence with the Vermont Council of the Arts.
She was a teacher of the lap dulcimer, and frequently appeared at festivals, coffee houses, and community events. In 1985 at the New England arts biennial, officials named MacArthur as one of seven "living art treasures of New England." In 1997 she represented Vermont at the Kennedy Center in a national celebration of the arts. In 2001 "Yankee Magazine" voted "Vermont Ballads and Broadsides" as one of the "The Yankee Top 40" of all time. In 2003 she performed at the Brattleboro Free Folk Festival
. Margaret MacArthur died in the Spring of 2006. After her death, a series of tribute concerts was given. Performers included The Boys of the Lough
and Gordon Bok
. She appears briefly in the video "The West Virginia Hills: A Tribute to the Mountain Dulcimer".
The Margaret MacArthur Collection, consisting of personal papers, books, her field recording
s of traditional singers in Vermont, and materials gifted to her by Helen Hartness Flanders, resides in the archive of the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury, VT.
Margaret Crowl was born in Chicago. As a youngster, she moved around with her family - in California, Louisiana, and Arizona. She remembered that at the age of five she heard cowboys on the timber crew singing folk songs in the Tonto National Forest
Tonto National Forest
The Tonto National Forest, encompassing 2,873,200 acres , is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the fifth largest national forest in the United States. The Tonto National Forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet in the Sonoran Desert to 7,400 feet...
. She studied at Hutchins College of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. In 1948 she married John MacArthur and moved to Newfane, Vermont
Newfane, Vermont
Newfane is the shire town of Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,680 at the 2000 census. The town includes the villages of Newfane and Williamsville.-History:...
. She remained in Vermont for the rest of her life. In 1951 the couple moved into a 200-year-old farmhouse in Marlboro, Vermont
Marlboro, Vermont
Marlboro is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 978 at the 2000 census. The town is home to both the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum and Marlboro College, which each summer hosts the Marlboro Music School and Festival....
. For the first 6 years there was no electricity or running water. In preparation for the move, she bought "Country Songs of Vermont" (1937) by Helen Hartness Flanders
Helen Hartness Flanders
Helen Hartness Flanders , a native of the U.S. state of Vermont, was an internationally recognized ballad collector and an authority on the folk music found in New England and the British Isles...
. It became the model for her future folk-song collecting. MacArthur volunteered to teach music at the school her children attended. She found old ballads appealing and she sought out traditional singers in the Vermont area. By 1951 she had performed several times on local radio.
In 1960 an 80-year-old neighbor gave her an old harp-zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
. Her husband repaired it and customized it. Margaret became an expert player. An instrument manufacturer was impressed and obtained permission to manufacture copies of it, calling it the "MacArthur Harp". This had originally been manufactured in 1900 under the trade name "Harp-O-Chord". There are photographs of the original harp-O-chord, the harp zither, and the modern reproduction on this page: Fretless zithers.
In 1962 she signed to Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
. Her first album, "Folksongs of Vermont", was recorded in her kitchen. "On the Mountains High" (1972) contains 8 songs that she collected in Vermont. Her 1976 album "The Old Songs" features vocal and guitar accompaniment from Gordon Bok
Gordon Bok
Gordon Bok is a folklorist and singer/songwriter who grew up in Camden, Maine.-Career:His first album, self-titled, was produced by Noel Paul Stookey and released in 1965 on the Verve Records Folkways imprint...
. Members of her family appear on most of her albums. In 1990 and 1991 she was artist-in-residence with the Vermont Council of the Arts.
She was a teacher of the lap dulcimer, and frequently appeared at festivals, coffee houses, and community events. In 1985 at the New England arts biennial, officials named MacArthur as one of seven "living art treasures of New England." In 1997 she represented Vermont at the Kennedy Center in a national celebration of the arts. In 2001 "Yankee Magazine" voted "Vermont Ballads and Broadsides" as one of the "The Yankee Top 40" of all time. In 2003 she performed at the Brattleboro Free Folk Festival
Brattleboro Free Folk Festival
The Brattleboro Free Folk Festival is an annual music festival which takes place in Brattleboro, Vermont, USA. The festival began in 2003....
. Margaret MacArthur died in the Spring of 2006. After her death, a series of tribute concerts was given. Performers included The Boys of the Lough
The Boys of the Lough
-The early years:Their first album, called Boys of the Lough consisted of Aly Bain , Cathal Mc'Connell , Dick Gaughan and Robin Morton ....
and Gordon Bok
Gordon Bok
Gordon Bok is a folklorist and singer/songwriter who grew up in Camden, Maine.-Career:His first album, self-titled, was produced by Noel Paul Stookey and released in 1965 on the Verve Records Folkways imprint...
. She appears briefly in the video "The West Virginia Hills: A Tribute to the Mountain Dulcimer".
The Margaret MacArthur Collection, consisting of personal papers, books, her field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
s of traditional singers in Vermont, and materials gifted to her by Helen Hartness Flanders, resides in the archive of the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury, VT.
Discography
- "Folksongs of Vermont" (1962)
- "On The Mountains High" (1972)
- "The Old Songs" (1976)
- "An Almanac of New England Farm Songs" (1982)
- "Make the Wildwood Ring" (1982)
- "Vermont Ballads and Broadsides" (1989)
- "MacArthur Road" (1989)
- "Them Stars" (1995)
- "Ballads Thrice Twisted" (1999)
External links
- MargaretMacArthur.com (official website)