In the interest of further transparency :) I should add to my above anecdote that I had also mentioned, in Liverpool, that I had training in a School of Music as a composer, and had once been engaged in writing concert ("classical") music. I think this, too, factored into the audience member's questioning of how I could be learning chanties from books. I expect this person had begun to stereotype me as someone in the "classical music" world who was only capable of learning music from written notation or who privileged it.

After the academic conference, I had the chance to perform some chanties, informally, on stage in a Liverpool night club - and with conference-goers in attendance. Incidentally, I avoided certain well-known items as "Blow the Man Down", as well as avoiding chanty repertoire that is, to my mind, rather marginal to the genre's "core". I believe what I performed were 5 or 6 brief renditions of chanties on a "Stormalong" theme - items that I believed would not carry too much baggage for a general Liverpool audience. Anyway, after the performance I saw the questioner again, and I believe there was something of a reconciliation. I'm guessing that the questioner had feared my performance would be "stiff" and "classical" sounding, but since it was not (indeed, I think I also performed "Old Moke" and it involved some cursing!) my performance persona was passably "authentic"!