ABSTRACT
England is the largest of the four countries that constitute the United Kingdom and displays dramatic contrasts of population and topography. The solo-singing style of English traditional singers is declamatory. Melody is a vehicle for words, and telling the story is most singers' prime consideration. English traditional singing is an art of understatement, but the singer's involvement with the song is total. Dance-music in England is used in three important situations: for mixed social dancing, for single-sex display, and socially without dancing. The image of the traditional singer given by the early collectors tended to be that of a naive bearer of ancient survivals, unaware of the significance of what he or she knew, uncorrupted by modernism and commercialism. Many traditional performers were content to create within the conventions that the tradition allowed. Creativity is affected by context, to which traditional performers are highly sensitive.
