Look, for the last time, as far as I'm concerned, music is NOT a static museum piece, or pieces, it grows, it changes, it evolves

you said...

" It's widely accepted that for centuries it didn't change much - singing unaccompanied, repeating a tune for dance; and, I think, not just because there was not much other entertainment available to these folk, or the pride that they took in their tradition, but because just the top-line melody played or sung well sounds great.

well, sunshine, those days are long gone (as well as open field farming) , and all for the good. I and many others going to continue to 'plug in' and play. Me. I'll play my Strat as well as play my acoustic guitar, as well as sing unaccompanied, solo and with others, and dance a bloody jig if I want to.!!! (oh look a plethora of exclamation marks *LOL*)...oh and if I want to use, as an example, North American native drummers as accompaniment (which I have done) I will...got it? Good. Not very English I know, but there ya go.

Charlotte R