Niles was also an inveterate 'improver' -- ie one who thought that a song shouldn't sound the way it did, but would sound better when he had wrecked it with officious rewriting to his inappropriate classical tastes. Is there anything worse than his portentous version of the beautiful "Black is the Color" [see the version in Sharp's "Appalachians"]? - Tho it must be admitted that some of his originals, like Venezuela & Go From My Window are pretty good songs in themselves.

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