Ok I understand, you have the odd indie/folk-rock band like Jethro Tull or Mumford and Sons, and you had that weird hippie folk revival during the 70s. But folk music simply hasn't taken the same place in society in England (I'm specifically talking about England as I'm sure the Celtic nations do have their own traditions) as it has in the US or Germany. Is there a historical reason for this? Apologies if this is the wrong subreddit for this question.
Martin Carthy is probably the most famous English folk singer of all time - both Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel (speaking of American folk music that isn't country) claim direct inspiration from him (not to mention countless other English folk singers as well, Richard Thompson, Bert Jansch and Anne Briggs coming immediately to mind). England still produces plenty of folk music, "indie" or not, Mumford and Sons (despite being insufferable in my opinion) being a prime example, given that they are one of the biggest bands in the world. I'd also recommend looking into union songs and protest music, as those songs are the origin point for much of what we categorize as "folk" music today.
No, no, there is TONS of good English folk music out there! Check out Martin Carthy (as elsewhere recommended); his daughter Eliza Carthy; the Demon Barbers; and Steeleye Span (a bit older but still great). Also there is a recent compilation called "The Elizabethan Sessions" that I would classify as English folk. It is also possible to find less polished, more "real" folk music being played in its original context, for example I was visiting the Iron Bridge Gorge site one day and it was a local celebration of some sort so they had morris dancing to a live band. Fear not, the English folk music tradition is alive and well.
I don't have anything to contribute, but you might find more answers at /r/musicology.
I suppose it depends on to what extent you define them as 'folk' music. I'd argue that country isn't a particularly 'pure' strand of folk, unlike some of the Appalachian folk and banjo stuff; I'd say that holds a similar place in American culture as most English folk.
That being said, there is something of a folk revival happening, with folk-influenced bands like Mumford making waves, and more traditional bands like Show of Hands getting more mainstream awareness than previously... The problem is, any definition of 'folk' is subjective, so it's a hard argument to have
One little thing, while Schlagermusik is somewhat related to folk music, it is its own genre. They share some topics (love, unfullfilled wishes, dreaming...) but they are distinct categories of music. What we call Schlager today only really exists since the fifties (the roots of it reaching back to the time of the german empire), while german folk is centuries old and is using different instruments, texting and so on.
English Folk music is alive and well.
There are well-established large festivals successfully held in scores of places throughout the land every year. Possibly the best known of those is Sidmouth Folk Week. Many English Folk performers are routinely invited to appear at international events overseas. There are also various annual awards, usually broadcast live on national radio, and often also televised. The main reason you may not have noticed English Folk music is that it rarely gets singled out for special mention; it just does its thing and quietly goes on its way again without a fuss.
The modern history of English Folk music is quite an interesting one. The famous Child Ballads (English and Scottish Popular Ballads, ed. by Francis James Child) had been published in 5 volumes between 1882 and 1898. In the late Victorian era a few other enlightened individuals had noticed how society was rapidly changing. In particular, new modes of transport allowed greater personal mobility than ever before. Also, the advent of universal elementary education meant children received a wider range of influences beyond their immediate family. These changes raised the spectre that traditional ways of life might soon disappear (this idea in itself was not wholly new of course, but rather was again brought to the fore). One such tradition was the oral handing down of songs from one generation to the next, with many songs dating back several generations, and yet often seemingly remaining unknown outside a particular family. Further urgent action was needed to preserve this wealth of England’s history and her cherished folk songs, it was decided.
The form of this action was that various individuals set about travelling the counties of England with pencil and paper. Their self-appointed task was to locate singers, to persuade them to perform their repertoire and, as they did so, to write it down in musical notation. Some of the now-famous collectors include Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), Frank Kidson (1855-1926), and Lucy Broadwood (1858-1939). However, the most prolific collector of all was Cecil Sharp (1859-1924), who is now regarded as the founding father of the English Folk movement. Sharp personally collected over 1,600 songs from some 350 singers. He also developed an enthusiastic interest in English Folk Dance, recording details of many distinct formats which occurred in different places. The English classical composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) also took a strong interest in English Folk music, using several tunes as themes within his large-scale works. Sharp’s collection is now housed in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, located at Cecil Sharp House in London - also the current home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society and a performance venue.
Another key figure, pivotal in the spread of English Folk music to a wider audience, was A.L. (Bert) Lloyd (1908-1982). Bert Lloyd had learnt many songs by ear and regularly performed them. He was also politically active, and had travelled widely. He became a presenter on BBC radio, and later also on television, plus contributed to film soundtracks and worked as a journalist. By the time of the 1950s folk revival, Bert Lloyd was a widely known and influential figure.
So far, I’ve described the collection and performance of songs through the process of hearing and remembering them. For some performers, this is an integral part of the Folk music tradition. They hold strong views that ordinary people have been able to create and perform music for hundreds of years without needing to write it down or make recordings. They would argue passionately that this is the best method for learning songs.
However, as in other disciplines, there are those who take an alternative view. This latter group are often inclined to use traditional instruments too, although might be more likely to know some music theory, to write their own songs, or to learn from a book instead of by listening. One of the benefits of the former approach is that a stranger can enter a room full of traditionalists and quickly get everybody singing along in chorus, whereas the latter approach will be met with silence if nobody knows the song. Straddling both extremes are those who have a repertoire of some traditional material, which they supplement with some new material.
Several specialist record companies dedicated to English Folk music exist. These include: Topic, Free Reed, Fellside, Navigator, and others. Some universities in England offer degree-level courses devoted to Folk music.
Amongst historic and current artists worth checking out are: