Hey Amos, Your last paragraph reminded me of the time took My Grandmother (Sophia Puzelli) to Yankee Stadium to see Joe DiMaggio play. Grandma Loved the fact that an Italian American was considered to be one of the finest players the game has ever seen. I couldn't help but agree, even though I was a Brooklyn Dodger Fanatic.

All my cousins chipped in and we managed a couple of box seats right behind the Yankee Dugout. When the "Clipper" came to bat, Grandma was on the edge of her seat. Well, they walked him. As he trotted by on his way to first base, Grandma wanted to know how come he wasn't running. I told her, "because he got four balls".

A strange look came over Grandma's face, she sprang to her feet and yelled,
"WALK PROUD, JOE DI MAGGIO".

The point being that one person's definition, in such a nebulous area, might not suffice for everyone.

I've always thought of Folk music as being a reflection of the folks who create it. Russian folk music does, very much, reflect the Russ8ian -Ukranian-East European peoples. Italian folk music, with which I am somewhat familiar, does indeed reflect the different types of Italians, Napolitano (Oh Sole Mio) Sicilian, Calabrese, Bolognase, etc.
I translated an Italian "Hillbilly song" which at first hearing I thought to be very much like , "Cindy" Old Joe Clark,Going Downtown, etc.
My friend and Karate teacher, Giuseppe Scagliarini, wrote down a literal translation , (first Verse) Oh God of Heaven who has created the Rose. Provide a husband for each of these (Girls) The refrain following each verse translated to Marianne goes to the countryside when the sun sets, sun sets, sun sets. Who knows, who knows when she'll return. Which I then translated as, "Lord up above, who made the rose and daisy, please find a husband for each or these young ladies, And Mary Ann goes to the country, today when the sun goes down, but who knows who knows when she'll come back to town.

Giuseppe was flabergasted, (all 5 verses bore the same almost perfect translation) "That's what it says" He exclaimed, that's exactly what it says.
In the Italian version, the verses had the same kind of rhythm that Cindy-Old Joe Clark etc, had. But the rhythm (not the meter) changed for the refrain, into a "Tarantelle" like beat. This melody, which accurately refleced the kind of music in the area from whence it came, SIMPLY WOIULD NOT ADMIT THE aMERICAN LYRICS. The words fit the meter, exactly, but definitely not the mood. I HAD TO CHANGE THE MELODY TO ONE MORE LIKE OUR HILLBILLY MUSIC. A FOUR NOTE DIFFERENCE , AND ALSO HAD TO CHANGE THE BEAT OF THE REFRAIN TO A RHYTHM EXACTLY LIKE THE VERSES. Then it worked. When I perform this song, I switch back and forth to go with the language. It works,

S O T H E R E. WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE US AND HOW DOES IT FIT IN WITH THE PREVIOUSLY POSTED OPINIONS? IN THE WORDS OF SAM SHIMBASHI (must rub the back of your neck while shaking your head, and inhaling the first word) "SSSSSSSSSAAAAAAA" "PARI WAKARA-NAI" (BEATS ME)