Though best known for oratorio and opera, Brunskill was also admired for her song recitals. "The Times" said, "As a recitalist she excelled in the songs of Schubert, Brahms and those of contemporary English composers. Her voice, even throughout all registers... was capable of many and expressive nuances." In 1954 a "Times" critic commented that years of opera and oratorio had made her voice less suitable for the recital room. In a 2001 history of London's main recital venue, the Wigmore Hall, the critic Alan Blyth remembered Brunskill's "formidable presence with her handbag plonked on the piano lid."