I'm sticking to my original assertion that the Web is the real "MUSIC DATABASE" and that Elsie is right to be exclusive. Case in point just yesterday. A year ago I heard the "Queensland Version" of Waltzing Matilda on Vicky Gabareau's show from CBC Vancouver. Something jogged the old carbon based memory banks and I decided to look for it. I could have posted a request in this forum but I decided to try a search. Waltzing Matilda input to Excite uncovered a gold mine. Not only do I have buckets of information regarding Aussie folk singers I never heard of but on going to Roger Clarke's page I hit the jackpot. Imagine my excitement on seeing this:

--------------------------------------------------- The original score. This is referred to as 'the Queensland version'. The tune most commonly sung these days is quite different, and is referred to as 'the Victorian version'. -----------------------------------------------------

Clicking on the original score brought up a page with a pictorial copy of the actual original score. It's in E flat but I can always transpose eh!

Now instead of bothering DT participants to do research for me, I got my results in 10 minutes. Even better, I can contribute to the DT forum and make only really esoteric requests.

By the way Cecilia Bartoli has even made a live performance out here in the wild frozen west of Canada. A lot of people whom I thought were tie-died folkies went to hear her.

Maybe, like me, they believe that really good singing can sometimes transcend the genre of the song but that discussion is a whole nuther thread.

Frank Phillips