The article explores the modern evolution of English folk music, highlighting contemporary groups like Shovel Dance Collective and Goblin Band. It asserts that folk music should be understood as a product of modernity stemming from the 1950s, rather than a continuous tradition. The act of collecting folk songs, traditionally seen as a preservation effort, is reframed through a modern lens, revealing how collectors, influenced by romantic nationalism, constructed concepts of 'folk' by discarding songs that didn't fit their narrative, reflecting broader cultural anxieties around identity and tradition in a rapidly modernizing society.
Folk music in England should not be seen as an unbroken continuity but as a modern product, shaped significantly since the 1950s.
The act of collecting folk songs was not merely preservation but a contemporary, empirical method that filtered out industrial and popular songs.
The construction of folk song categories emerged from a growing concern for preserving traditional culture amid the evolving landscape of modernity.
Romantic nationalism in the 19th century involved inventing folk traditions out of raw customs, reflecting a societal longing for continuity amid change.
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