I am beginning to see where you are coming from, Conrad, and at the heart of your argument is a fundamental misconception.

Don Firth expressed it above when he said "... collectors like Cecil J. Sharp, the Lomaxes, the Warners, et al, are not particularly concerned with the quality of the voices and the general singing ability of those from whom they collected songs..."

The point is that their primary interest was collecting the songs so they would not get lost. Although the early song collectors could only write down the songs, the technology for making audio recordings was becoming available and later song collectors were able to make recordings of the songs they collected. Many of the early recordings of traditional song do not come over as particularly good quality partly because of the limitations of the technology available to the collectors and partly because their respondents were often elderly and past their best. However, that does not matter in this case because the quality was of secondary importance to the record and the main objective of the collector was to make a record of the songs.

As a result of their work, we have a body of music which would otherwise have been lost and which would not have been available to us today. However, that time is now past as the people from whom the body of traditional song was collected are now all dead.

For those of singing the songs today (and playing the tunes - we must not forget the tune collectors) then quality is important, particularly if you are singing to entertain others. That does not mean you are being elitist or exclusive.

You are confusing purposes. If you are collecting a song, then content is more important than quality of delivery - providing the words are clear and the tune can be discerned. If you are singing to entertain, even if it is among your family, then quality of delivery is of prime importance.

Your misconception is in not recognising;

a) The different purposes for which a singer may be asked to sing a song.

b) That the days of collecting are effectively over, so folk songs are now sung largely to entertain.