Judy-

Interesting, I was just reading Hans Nathan regarding Emmett and the authorship of "Dixie".   For what it's worth, he writes:

"Stylistic comparison alone, unaided by dates, clearly establishes Emmett as the author of Dixie." (Hans Nathan, "Dixie," Musical Quarterly, vol. 35, no. 1, 1949, p.69)

He goes on to note similarities between the tune and other American tunes, both black and white, as well as affinities with English, Scottish and Scots-Irish tunes. If the question is the relationship between folk and popular music, that is another question. To rephrase my initial questions, was Emmett exploiting or appropriating the folk traditions of England and Scotland? Certainly, he paid no royalties to the anonymous composers of the numerous untraced folk airs from which he freely borrowed. And if we acknowledge that Emmett probably did borrow melodies and stylistic elements from the music of blacks, but that these melodies and elements were themselves partially derived from European antecedents, the question of authorship becomes even more convoluted.

Thanks again for responding.