I am intrigued with the discussion about traditional music in the folk clubs.

There is a way of learning about traditional singing styles and presentation and it
requires some study. Much of the traditional music itself can't be relegated to print
so that any dating of publication of this music can't be relied upon as a start of any song.

Only composed songs or song variants that have been attributed to certain people have a copyright date.

As to the singing styles, much of the traditional music was not meant for clubs or the concert stage. Much of it has to be heard in its own environment. This means you have to do some leg work. You have to go to where it was originally sung in a cultural setting.

When you transfer this type of performance (an "informant" in his/her habitat) to the concert or club stage, the music changes. Singing for example a sea chantey onstage will not recreate the use of that song for the work. When music becomes a performance
onstage, it is a different entity than when it comes out of a cultural environment.

The values for performance change it for one thing. People want to be entertained so they have a way of expecting what that is. A lot of musical material enters the ring, so to speak, and must often defeat that which is considered to some without the context to be boring.

I am able to enjoy an old ballad by an untrained singer if I know the context, background and the references of the text. This is not easily communicated to an "audience". In this way, Jim Carroll has a point.

Frank