Nick Dow wrote: Modern Folklorists do find their patience exhausted by Bert's activities.

I would say that we find our patience exhausted by Bert Lloyd's not owning to what he had done. Every performer fiddles with sources a little bit -- changing the tempo, fixing a word or two, conflating versions. That's normal, and I don't object to it. I think Lloyd did it to a far greater degree than was useful, but that is a point on which one can legitimately disagree.

But when one changes a song, one should admit to it. Modifying songs is reasonable, within limits. Lying is never acceptable, in scholarship. (And should not be, in politics, or in life. But in scholarship, it violates the whole purpose.)

The most charitable thing one can say is that Lloyd confused his roles as performer and scholar. But the plain fact is, he -- like Bishop Percy, like John Jacob Niles -- left us messes that we're still cleaning up, and there was no reason for it. All he had to do was admit it!