Accepting that this thread has gone seriously astray from Tapster's original gripe, here's a further digression inspired by much of the above discussion...

What's the thinking on those songs which are accepted as being traditional (and very often sung as such) but which are in fact the work of known individuals?

Perhaps the most obvious example is 'The Twa Corbies', which is invariably sung to the Breton tune of An Arlach Ar, although few singers seem to be aware of this, nor that it was Ray Fisher who first put the two together. Likewise 'Willie's Lady', as sung by Martin Carthy, which Ray first set to the Breton melody Son Ar Chistre.

On the recent compilation John Barleycorn Reborn you can hear Rachel & I singing my setting of Child#102, Willie & Earl Richard's Daughter, aka The Birth of Robin Hood, which I 'set' to the melody 'Balladelle Bergeronnette Douce Baisselete' by Northern French trouvere Adam de la Halle (1237-86) (from his Le Jeu de Robin et Marion which, whilst not concerning Robin Hood per se, nevertheless prefigures much that we have come to associate with the legend...). As with Ray's settings of Twa Corbies & Willie's Lady, here are two distinct though entirely traditional / historical elements being combined in a way that obviously works, but how much fuss do I make regarding authorship? Likewise to what extent can Rachel assert ownership of her superlative counterpoint which arose in direct & spontaneous response to the otherwise traditional / historic material?

Personally I think it's important to keep tabs on such things & to give credit where credit's due. Whenever I hear the Twa Corbies being sung in Ray's setting, I invariable ask the singer if they're aware of the provenance; needless to say few of them are.

As I've said elsewhere, lately I've been singing Kipling's Puck's Song to the tune of Idbury Hill / London Pride. This arose as a pure fluke in a serendipitous moment of mediumisic inspiration when trying to get to grips with the melody Peter Bellamy composed for this song, so can I really claim any sort of credit? For sure I would dearly love others to do likewise, although given the darkly jingoistic subtext of the poem itself I fear few ever will!