i'm sorry but i really think it comes down to the same thing every time.

You say its an English tradition, and yet it certainly has never touched my family, or the family of anyone I know.

if there is an English tradition - it is something to do with galloping pragmatism, moving round the country and indeed the world like dervishes looking for work. it is one hell of a long time since the majority of English people worked in agriculture lived in one village - and only got to hear one style of singing and accompaniment.

In short, the traditon has been going on elsewhere to where the experts have been looking.

most english people see English traditonal music and musicians and how ever they dress it up and even if all the protagonists wear leather jackets and have midi connections on their harmoniums - it all sounds a bit like the madrigal singers did to Lucky Jim - bloody tedious, largely irrelevant and a hellish vision of 'merrie bloody England'.