"So when was the last folk song written, Jim?"
No idea - the last identifiable community to make songs which were taken up and remade was the Travellers (all sorts of explainable reasons).
We started recording Irish Travellers in 1973 when they still had a fairly thriving tradition - by 1975 (18 months later) that tradition had disappeared - reason - they'd all gone out and bought portable televisions and the singers and storytellers lost their audiences, virtually overnight.
"Music is music is music!!"
Just as soup is soup is soup - personally I prefer mushroom, just as I prefer folk.
"Please don't let us get off on THAT dreary road again..."
Sorry Mike, it wasn't my intention to open this particular can of worms, but it is (as far as I am concerned) inseperable from this (and many other) questions connected with folk music.
"Today, presumably, the music of the people is........?"
The 'people' at one time made songs - again, for all sorts of reasons; now they don't (they all went out and bought televisions too).
People's music implies not just a passive acceptance, but an active part in ts making and transmission - it doesn't happen now - or does it?
They listen to light classical, middle of the road, pop (in all its manifestations)..... If you go into a South Wales ex (thanks to Mrs T) mining village you'll find (ex) miners choirs singing Verdi, Gounod, Gluck, Schubert, Brahms..... folk???? I think not.
Jim Carroll