LEt's not be thick about the tradition of singing. It in the broadest sense is a global tradition that goesa back to the caves and the Etruscans.

But for any meaningful discussion within that broad stream, the fact must be faced that there are many traditions, of different temporal lengths, with different degrees of literacy or other devices in their transmission, and different musical dimensions.

Bach is a standout in one tradition, involving highly figured and formalized constructions. Elvis is a standout in another tradition which is closer (in time) to certain primitive oral forms, and closer to a different economic class. Economic classes and the kinds of effort that go into their formation are one of the vectors that form certain similarities in musical tradition, but by no means the only one.

But it is absolutely obvious to me thare is no single "tradition". There is a sheaf of them, wending and dividing and rejoining through time. So it would be helpful for the muddy-headed ranters to mention which ones they were ranting about before pounding their chests.

A