"I wonder, did the people of olden, if traditional, times know that the songs they enjoyed were "folk" songs or that they were traditional?"

I'm sure they didn't think in those terms, but then, they didn't have all manner of recorded songs/music coming at them day in day out from various sources to influence their own traditions, so they didn't have to 'protect' it as such.

It's only in relatively recent times that we have been able to hear music from all over the country, and indeed the world. In days gone by the only songs most people would ever hear would be those sung by themselves and their mates down the local pub. They did not need to worry about old traditions dying out because then the tradition was very much alive.

Nowadays if it wasn't for a small handful of folk then many of these old songs and tunes would never see the light of day. And I for one like to keep that link with my heritage and not have it overrun by singer/songwriters and pop music covers. I think there is a place for such music but to me it is not 'Folk' in the sense that I think of it.

And thats why I feel it is important to have these definitions of what is and what isn't Folk Music.

Ged