Singers’ Circle performs traditional music

The Bloomington Traditional Singers’ Circle meets every month to sing traditional folk music, often songs that were passed down orally for generations.

But last Sunday’s event may have been the last time for the Singer’s Circle to honor those traditions.

David Wood, founder of the Singers’ Circle, is moving away from Bloomington to Kansas.

“It is only going to keep going if people keep coming to sing,” Wood said.
The Circle is made up of a group of people that sings traditional folk music from England, Ireland and Scotland.

The group has also incorporated associated traditions, which formed in the United States and Canada, as part of its singing event.

They meet on the second Sunday of every month at the Runcible Spoon.
The groups are usually small, ranging from two to 10 people, but the public is welcome to listen.

Educated as a folklorist, Marge Steiner has been part of the Singers’ Circle since it formed about one year ago.

She said she has been coming to the Runcible Spoon since it opened in 1976.
“This was always a very congenial place,” Steiner said.

She said she came to Bloomington to study folklore, but the quality of life in Bloomington influenced her decision to stay here.

“This is home even though I am originally from New York,” she said.

Traditionally, the songs sung at the Singers’ Circle were passed down through families orally.

With the advent of accessibility to pen and paper, and later digital recording devices, it became easier to archive the music. 

A Celtic group called Scartaglen, founded near the town where Wood was raised, was an inspirational outlet that motivated Wood while he was studying traditional music.

Wood has a diverse musical background and currently serves as a music director for WFIU Public Media and Bloomington’s First United Church.

He said he enjoys generating musical experiences that can be appreciated by a broad audience with various musical interests.

Traditional music is often folk songs, which have been passed through the generations.

The songs are frequently learned by rote, which means the singers commit lyrics and melodies to memory through repetition.

The majority of traditional songs sung in the Bloomington Traditional Singers’ Circle are unaccompanied, meaning only one vocalist will recite with no instruments.

Wood said the songs that have a long-lasting effect on culture may have collective reasons for still being practiced.

Often, he said, these factors are good stories turned into effective lyrics that define a cultural heritage.

A deep meaning is often exemplified by a skilled voice and carefully selected lyrics.
Many stories tell tales of people’s lives.

“It brings people together,” Steiner said.

“Many of the themes are timeless, whether it is love or loss or joy. These songs survived because they speak to people even in changing circumstances.”