"On this and other threads there are many references to the 1954 definition of 'folk,' but never have I seen it detailed. What was the 1954 definition?"

On the 14th March 2007 a member called 'Dazbo' posted the following definition (looks like '1955' not '1954')in the 'What IS Folk Music' thread. I have taken the liberty of cutting and pasting it here, because I think it's rather nifty and bears repeating. Those who, for some reason, would like their own favourite musical form re-classified as 'Folk' will probably disagree.

'Folk music is the product of a musical tradition that has been evolved through the process of oral transmission. The factors that shape the traditions are: (i) continuity which links the present with the past; (ii) variation which springs from the creative impulse of the individual or the group; and (iii) selection by the community, which determines the form or forms in which the music survives. […] The term does not cover composed popular music that has been taken over ready-made by a community and remains unchanged, for it is the re-fashioning and re-creation of the music by the community that gives it its folk-character (Journal of the International Folk Music Council, VII, 1955, p. 23).