Jim, I have never denied the interaction between oral tradition and print, in fact I have lots of evidence that a lot of broadside ballads were taken from oral tradition. I am writing an article at the moment about a ballad that does just that. That doesn't take anything away from my belief that at leat 95% of them actually originated under these commercial conditions. The ones they were taking back from oral tradition had originated on broadsides or in the theatre and pleasure gardens.

As for your points b and c I absolutely agree with you and lament the situation, but that is how it is, or was when these things were being collected. Apart from the fact that nearly all of these singers had a sizable repertoire of music hall songs and parlour songs all of commercial origin from the towns.


IMO