Sciencegeek, would you be so kind as to give us a summary of your husband's explanations why he did what he did?

Setting old poems to music inevitably poses problems. I did it myself and was courageous enough not to change a word, however archaic, even though my music style does not claim to be as timeless as the typical "folk revival" styles do. The discrepancy must be made plausible by emphasizing the modernness of the lyrics.

Other decisions may be justified in different cases; I would be interested in reading such justifications from the horse's mouth.