I once read an article about the song "House Carpenter" stating, with some academic authority, that it was written in about 1600 by a known composer. Imagine telling an Appalachian ballad singer that "It's not traditional, you know, it's composed", as if "traditional" songs arose spontaneously out of the ether. I seem to remember another article, but I can't trace it, saying that of the songs collected by Sharp, about 95% can be traced to a known composer.

This means that the importance is not the song, it's the context in which it's performed that gives it a traditional label, along with other factors such as: giving rise to variants, being passed on from person to person, acceptance by a group or community etc.

The whole subject is a minefield and although I think I can spot a "traditional" song when I hear it, I guess that all of you will have a different perception.

This issue can go round and round in ever-decreasing circles and we all know where that leads.

Tradsinger