Folk Index Database Information

This index was originally created and is currently updated and maintained using Alpha4, a relational databse management software. Currently the database files reside on my home PC, an IBM Thinkpad pentium 5 model, using the DOS v.8 version of Alpha4. The files, consist of both primary and index link files. The primary files include: These primary files, which contain a unique ID for each record, are used to create the link files as described below. Other files include instrument files, and music category. They serve mainly as lookup files or auxilliary files that are not completely linked to the primary files.

Web file Management
Transferring a relational database system to the text based environment of web browsers requires considerable adjustment. Since the web is all about transmitting files over the internet, large files present problems. The original discography created by Alpha4 was about 3.5 Meg. Breaking this up into smaller files of about 30-50K and then establishing an index to these files is relatively easy, but the issues of presentation and the idea of creating "active" cross references presented some interesting challenges in terms of both web page and data management.

Since Alpha4 has a very sophisticated report writing facility, I decided to use this facility to generate these individual files with the required HTML markup. This meant establishing an additional datafile to store information about each separate file in order to generate the correct cross reference name anchors and links. A new field containing the name of the web file it apears in was added to the primary music database. In many ways, it is convenient to think of these 400 odd files as drawers in an old fashioned library catalog, with the cross references functioning to point you to other related entries in the catalog. The HTML hypertext link now gives instant movement between these cross references.

Future enhancements under consideration include:

A slightly more detailed description of the process involved in transforming this relational database structure into the current Web Site design is provided in a handout distributed as part of my poster session presentation at the Association for College & Research Libraries Conference in Detroit on April 9, 1999. 

Other statistics - Listed here are some statistics with respect to ranking of specific titles and performers. The rank frequency distribution for both music titles and performers follows the typical "80-20" rule, with approximately 80% of the songs and performers appearing 20% of the time, and 20% of the listings appearing 80% of the time. Thus there is a "top hits" distribution for both titles and performers.

Music titles - The list below show the top 10 entries for songs and ballads and then for dance tunes. On an absolute basis, the tunes outnumber the songs in terms of the 10 highest ranked, and this probably reflects my involvement as a stringband musician (fiddle, banjo, dulcimer, guitar, etc.) in collecting and indexing both the older recorded material and the modern "old-time stringband" revival recordings and books.

Ballads and Songs
Title Total hits Cross Refs Books Records
John Henry 238 16 64 158
Barbara Allen 187 14 100 73
Froggie Went A-Courting 134 10 80 44
House Carpenter 125 7 85 33
Buffalo Gals 119 10 50 59
Coo Coo 117 12 42 63
Pretty Polly* 115 9 48 58
Black Jack Davy** 107 14 36 57
John Hardy 107 4 44 59
Golden Vanity 106 8 54 44
*does not include any of the Cruel Ship's Carpenter versions.
** excludes Gypsy Rover, etc.

Dance music (Reels, Hornpipes, etc.) - included here pieces that are primarily used as music to be danced to. Some, such as Old Joe Clark which has many lyrics, are associated with square dances, but were also sung in a wide variety of settings, including children's games, show and display music, and many other social events.

Title Total hits Cross Refs Books Records
Old Joe Clark 206 7 67 132
Soldier's Joy 204 15 53 136
Turkey in the Straw 161 23 54 84
Sally Goodin 149 13 34 102
Cripple Creek 146 12 37 97
Arkansas Traveller* 131 2 40 89
Billy in the Lowground 127 16 39 72
Miss McCloud's Reel 124 12 38 72
Fisher's Hornpipe 122 5 33 84
Sally Ann 115 11 15 89
Flop Eared Mule 115 19 22 74
* Does not include the skit versions of Arkansas Traveler


Jane Keefer, June 19, 2007      Home