"no Jim I have not missed the point,as far as I am concerned I judge traditional singers and singers of traditional songs,on their ability as
singers
Cap'n
Many (most) of the traditional singers who were recorded were elderly. Most of them were past their best as singers, had difficulty holding tunes, forgot words, lacked breath control or simply had not sung for many years (a couple of singers we met had not sung for 50 years).
One of the singers here in Clare had a stunning repertoire, but sang his songs through a throat cancer.
Would you care to rethink your answer?
I repeat, you've missed the point.
Mark d,
You haven't missed the point, but have summed it up rather succinctly
Most collectors collect for archiving - some (Mike Yates for example) collect to make records, though he has concentrated on traditional singers.
I think you'll find that many revival singers would object to their singing being passed around generally (see bloggers thread).
The term 'collecting' in my experience in connection with folk song is used to refer to recording traditional singers, not revivalists.
Jim Carroll