I can't believe that anyone who looked *seriously* into Welsh folk song would be in any doubt as to its continuity. Of course there are Welsh male voice choirs. There are choirs in a lot of countries and if that's all a person can perceive, they're just being lazy.

The folk song in Wales is acontinuous, varied, evolved, tradition. The occasional 'new' trad song can even still being uncovered, although obviously not that many any more. But they are well published for anyone who truly wants to access them. And there's a huge groundswell of new interest and accompanying publications for Welsh instrumental tunes as well.

A good amount of the 'Victorian' stuff actually used Welsh Airs (harp tunes, which we treat as a separate category from 'folk song') for which poets devised words - often unsuccessfully from a singer's point of view. But then, this was happening everywhere else as well so it's just silly to think that the genuine 'folk song' disappeared in Wales because of this. It didn't happen in Ireland, did it, and you had the same things going on.

And the hymn tradition (which was broader than just the Methodists) actually SAVED a lot of tunes, so let's not be too down on chapels. In fact, the chapel argument is usually put forward by people too lazy to actually look for the reality but want to look like they are 'in the know'.

The Welsh Folk Song Society has set up three one-day symposiums with lectures on various aspects of the history. I've just been to the second one yesterday in Bangor; the third will be at the Welsh History Museum (which everyone actually knows as 'St Fagans') on 22 April, from 10.00 a.m. Free, with translation services, and, if memory serves, a focus on the folk songs of Glamorgan and the ballad printing industry in Wales.

There's a new English language history of Welsh traditional music currently being written which will be published by University of Wales Press. I think the author is edging towards the end of the 19th Century now so she's in the home stretch.

On another front, I think Mick Tems' site should have a link on the trac site above - probably under 'Calennig'.

sian