Peggy Seeger Research Paper

The Seeger family have been the front runners of American creativity for almost a century. They are known for their many contributions to music in America. After their time in the spotlight they seemed to fade in to the background of the whole music scene, they did not disappear they just all went their own ways in terms of life and jobs. The Seegers have enriched the American way of life with their music and scholarships.

Peggy Seeger is the daughter of Charles and Ruth Crawford Seeger, sister of Mike Seeger and half-sister of Pete Seeger. Peggy grew up in a family that loved music and it is a good thing that she also loved music because it would have been a hard time growing up with a musically inclined family. She started out learning

Seeger 's ideas about music and musicology were instrumental in founding the discipline of ethnomusicology."(loc.gov/folklife) Charles had a deep passion for American folk music, which he had passed down to many of his family members. Ruth Crawford Seeger is Charles 's second wife, " Is considered by many to be the most significant American female composer of the twentieth century."(loc.gov/folklife) She had composed modern works throughout the twenties and early thirties, the String Quartet in 1931 is one of her most celebrated works. Ruth married Charles in 1932 caring for his three children(including pete) and then they had some of their own children (including mike and peggy). she soon started to arrange and transcribe folk song Ruth was able to work with her husband and Alan Lomax on several books and soon published on of her own book of songs for children the influential "American Folksongs For Children" in 1948. two years later she was diagnosed with cancer and she died in

Pete Seeger, is the son of Charles and older brother of Mike and Peggy, who "Is known as America 's Most important folksinger."(loc.gov/folklife) Pete had authored and co-authored many important songs for example, " If I Had a Hammer." He fell in love with the banjo while attending the North Carolina Folk Song and Dance Festival in Asheville. Later he got the chance to work at the Archive of American Folk Song in Washington D.C. by his good friend Alan Lomax and then moved up to a position in the music half of the Library of Congress. Pete had met Woodie Guthrie out on the road and then eventually toured out west with him. After his return from many tours across america Seeger created The Almanac Singers who were a political group and then after his return from WWII he formed the Weavers who are a folk quartet with many hits including "Goodnight Irene" By Leadbelly. But Pete had strong political beliefs that upset amny which led to the Weavers disbanding and Seeger continued a solo career singing many traditional songs and ballads. Pete passed away on Januaury 27,