Nobody, as far as I can see, has mentioned my pet hate; the gawdawful [Americanism!!!] spectacle of a "trained" operatic singer murdering ---in pefectly blissful ignorance---a traditional ballad. It is particularly painful for me when it happens to be a Scots folk-song being attempted by a SCOT whose musical talent has been focussed along the operatic route. Some, to give credit, actually learned to lay their "training" aside and make a good shape at it---Ken McKellar is a case in point; he never could handle a any breadth of Scottish folksinging till he had the experience of sharing a series with Jean Redpath and Alistair Mac Donald. He suddenly realised that there was more to Burns and all Scottish folk music than "My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose" and "Annie Laurie".

Just for the record, and as part of the thread as begun, the finest rendition of Robert Burns' "Bonnie Doon" I have ever heard was performed by Sean Cannon--as Irish as the poteen in Connemara.

There's a muckle brough roon the muin the nicht---an ye ken the spiel aboot a brough roond the muin;'a afaur brough's a near stoarm, a near brough's a faur stoarm. Nae mony yowes i' the brae-face the morn; they'll a' be coorit doon i' the biel o' the knowe. I know fine weel that some among us will understand perfectly.....