"There was an interesting programme on the radio which had a section about how MacColl and Seeger trained female singers to select particular types of 'tone' (for lack of a better word) for particular songs. "
Your display of ignorance is n=breathtaking as is your capacity to persist with it
MacColl (not Pegg) was approached by a group of singers in the early sixties to "take classes"
He refused and instead, set up a self-help" group (which eventually became the Critics Group, which met weekly in their home for nearly ten years
They/we ( I was a member for a couple of years, my wife was part of it for most of its existence) on the one hand,experimented with various voice and relaxation techniques in order to improve their performances.
They also examined the history and social significance of the songs in detail
By the time the Group finally disbanded in the early 1970s, some members had become voice trainers and teachers themselves, others major songwriters and others still prominent singers in the Revival - Pat and I went on to research the music we have been inspired to examine closely
One of the earliest members, Like Kelly, became a leading figure on the Irish scene, Sandra Kerr was part of a music course in Newcastle University, Frankie Armstrong, apart from being a respected singer in her own right, taught voice
John Falkner and his then partner, Dolorous Keane became household names on the Irish scene
The Group left behind a couple of dozen of the best examples of folk singing ever produced in the revival - London songs, Sea songs, Songs of the 19th century Industrial Revolution, Women's songs - all solo or group researched and sung gems
On top of that, the Group participated in the making of two sets of combined poems and songs for schoolchildren along with some of Britain's most prominent actors/readers - a folio of around 30 albums in all

Can I suggest that, if you are gong to make this yet another MacColl hate-fest, you avoid making a fool of yourself by showing you know something of what you are talking about
No wonder you are a Steve Roud fan
Jim Carroll