Steve Gardham wrote: I'm also curious as to why you find the question disturbing.

If the question does not contain an implication of comparative value then what is the purpose of the question?

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"I'm absolutely certain the 'elite' would have had their own lore as they do today, but whether that lore overlaps with the lore of the people is another matter."

I worry that this distinction is politically rooted. That Folk music was heavily politicised in the 20th Century, I think, is beyond question. To transfer that politicisation to an earlier work is worrying. The possibility that adding politicisation to comparative value could lead to iconoclasm is disturbing. Maybe it's just me.