The ICTM stated aims are quite different, it seems:
"The aims of the ICTM are to further the study, practice, documentation, preservation and dissemination of traditional music, including folk, popular, classical and urban music, and dance of all countries."

The use of the word "presrvation" interests me? How far does the preservation go?

Jim said: "I believe the tradition died when people stopped making and adapting songs and became recipients of rather than participants in their culture."

A good point. In theatre circles I've heard this called "spoonfeeding". I think we can couple this to the increase in recording of information. At one point people might hear a song and learn it without any idea (or care?) of whom the originator was. Now, not only is it easier to find the author it is a risky business to change words. If I were to change the words to a Burns song because I preferred a change I would be bounced on by a million Burns fans. I wonder how many people have been told they got the words to "No Man's Land" wrong because they didn't sing the Fureys' version.


Capt Birdseye: Indeed, as far as song
is concerned, that is the present stage of folklore development:
nowadays there is far greater use of the folk-song repertory and of
folkloric forms of creation in our industrial towns than in the
countryside."

In Poland (and east/Central Europe), in the 1980's there began a kind of anti-folklore ('fake-lore'), sometimes called 'post-folklore' where ordinary musicians and theatre-performers began to research old village music by seeking it out and learning it from the old musicians. Some of these researchers later developed schools for teaching the songs and singing techniques (as well as tunes/playing techniques). In my experience (albeit limited) most of the students of these techniques (and some of the teachers) are townies.