The lifelong work of Samuel Bayard was the collection of folk music and folk songs, especially
from Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. Bayard initially made
transcriptions in the field, but between 1948 and 1963 he recorded some 68 performers –
fiddlers, fifers, singers, and a few storytellers – on 28 reels of tape. He donated his audio
collection, field documentation, and his large collection of early tune books to the Special
Collections Department of the Pennsylvania State University Libraries. In the summer of
2001, with the help of an ARSC Grant, the author transferred Bayard’s field recordings
onto compact disk and was able to study their contents and quality, as well as his other
field materials. The Samuel Bayard Collection offers many insights into the researcher’s
working methods and the value of his folk music research. Most significantly, we are able
to hear the actual music from which he made his transcriptions. The collection is well
indexed and accessible to researchers, especially now that the audio portions have been
preserved. It is an essential resource for anyone studying the folk music of the region.