I just pulled up a thread that contained a statement of the "1954 definition." Frankly, I don't find much of anything to squawk about. It seems pretty comprehensive to me.

Above, I drew the parallel between a folk song and a piece of antique furniture. The genuine antique has a provenance—a history of previous ownership and usage. I think the parallel holds. A newly manufactured artifact is NOT an antique in spite of any claims made in its behalf.

The only people who get "hurt" by this definition are those who wish to claim a status and authenticity for a song they have written which has not yet earned it. Only time and other people learning it and singing it will do that.

Don Firth