Archives / Libraries - Single View

"The German Archive of Folk Song (Deutsches Volksliedarchiv - DVA) collects, publishes and conducts research into folk and traditional songs of the German-speaking world.

Established in 1914 by Prof. Dr. John Meier (1864-1953), a philologist of German and an ethnologist, the DVA soon developed not only into the leading research centre of its kind but also established itself as a research centre for international folk and popular song. Since 1953 it has enjoyed the status of a ”fully independent scientific research institute” of the State of Baden-Württemberg.

The Archive essentially came into being from a desire to produce a complete edition of German folk song based on scholarly research. Hence, right from its inception the DVA was set to become a focal point at which traditional and popular song in German language was collected, documented and researched - in all its various manifestations (including foreign language song parallels and its relationship to folk music and folk dance).

In close collaboration with academics and institutes in other countries, the DVA has been established for years as an ”active centre for international folk song research”, catering directly to the needs of numerous visitors from home and abroad."

Duties and responsibilities

• Research into and publication of popular song plus the publication of academic literature
• The ongoing filing of new material coupled with the extension of accessibility to documented song
• The communication of popular scientific knowledge as to the state of research in the field
• Responding to inquiries and attending to the needs of visitors