ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how and why Serge Hovey became so interested in Robert Burns's songs and song-writing methods, but an exploration of his "hobby" has even further-reaching effects on the understanding and appreciation of Burns's songs as people celebrate the 250th anniversary of the poet's birth and begin the project of editing a new all of Burns's songs. Notably absent in any major critical work on Burns during the final decades of the twentieth century, Hovey's project has yet to receive the critical attention it deserves, as do the personal connections he forged with artists and academics living and working in Scotland. During the creation of his project Hovey inspired traditional Scottish singers and ethnomusicologists to think again about the place of Burns's songs in their wider cultural context. For Hovey, as a composer, this project allowed him to establish a musical hybrid combining old Scottish tunes with his own contemporary American musical language.
