Editor's Inbox

From: Diarmuid Pigott

Oliphant Chuckerbutty: How very odd to see the name used here. I have long treasured the score of Pensee fugitive and Fleure d'automne. Might I be so bold as to ask if you could tell me anything about him?

PS I adored the rejected reviews series enormously

From: Justin Zaza

There are a vast number of internet sites that focus entirely on glorifying popular geniuses. They contain nothing that is not extremely easy to acquire:

-a brief biography of the genius
-selected works or quotes of the genius
-pictures of the genius

One might think that genius worshippers are helpful to geniuses, but the opposite is true. Past geniuses are overecognized at the expense of present geniuses, who are entirely disregarded. One will often hear these worshippers crying about how terrible it was that their favorite genius went through life unrecognized. However by treating genius as something that no human could be, they have made it impossible for a living genius to not appear obnoxious and arrogant.

Genius worship is not recognition but the total opposite. One can not hope to understand something that one worships. To place a person or idea above yourself is just as insulting as placing it beneath yourself, because in both cases you can not relate to it. These worshippers are actually insulting their geniuses. They do this out of pure laziness: rather than believing in themselves and striving to do something significant, they tell themselves that only a divine being could be significant.

Attention genius worshippers: consider that it was you who prevented your favorite genius from being recognized in life.

From: David Schreiber

I am responding to your call for feedback. I must tell you that, although some items in your online publication interest me, as a Canadian I am not made to feel a member of your readership. Your articles are so full of references to British music, British conductors, British news, the BBC, that it is as if I am merely overhearing someone else's conversation in a public space. The internet, quite frankly, makes much of your material seem parochial.

From: Basil Ramsey, Editor

As music organizations around the world latch onto our magazine and facilities, so our news is becoming an international mix.

From: Paul K Miller PhD

Hi Guys! I stumbled on your website a few months ago via Backwire.com - it's great! I now get your monthly emails. However, your articles are a pain to print!! Can't your webmaster develop a way for us to have a printable format - several websites have an option to 'click for a printer-friendly format.' I went mad trying to print your article about The Philospher's Stone (bad translation but so is Twilight of the Gods!)and another about the pipe organ! I also note with sadness the passing of Robert J Lurtsema, for almost 30 years the Host of Morning Pro Musica on public radio - out of WGBH in Boston, himself a tremendous musician, composer and staunch supporter of the arts.

From: Keith Bramich, technical editor

We'll try to provide a plain black on white printable format shortly. In the meantime, please try switching off the printing of images and/or background images. If you've access to a different type of computer or browser software, you may find that it will print acceptable pages. We regularly print proof pages from M&V without problems.

From: Alexis Panselinos

I just read that you invite your readership's comments ('even adverse comments'). It seems you don't get much feedback, which, I must say, is quite unexpected for an e-zine. Interesting though. When I wrote you about the dubious humour of one of your contributors, I got a very curt answer, that questioning the gentleman's humour was to question the Editor's taste and authority to select what gets published in Music & Vision (which of course was definitely not the issue). Well, perhaps your readership got cold feet after such an answer to adverse comments.

From: Basil Ramsey, Editor

My apologies if my reply appeared to be 'curt'. It was not intended. As for readership, it steadily rises, with each month gaining new ground.

From: Randall Davis

I have enjoyed the newsletter. I particulary like the reviews with links to sound bytes to hear an example. I bought the Pavel Haas cd after a review recently. I particularly like to hear about more obscure 20th century avant-garde composers, and would love to see more reviews in this area. Thank you for your publication!

From: Basil Ramsey and Keith Bramich

Our thanks to those who do contact us about the magazine. We take note of all suggestions and criticisms, for we - like people generally - have much to learn, and make mistakes. The vital and stimulating task for us is building a daily music magazine to provide opinion and information of benefit to some of our readers regularly.

We must draw the attention of all to our growing database of everything published since the launch in January 1999. By the end of this year over 700 editions will have been published, providing in quantity a unique corpus of ideas, research, comment, reviewing, letters, information about music on the web, and much else. Our facility for this mass of material is our own search engine instantly available, and you can print whatever you wish to retain.

Keep in mind that we can be reached by email for whatever reason, and enjoy this contact with readers. Please go on enjoying Music & Vision, and tell us if there's a problem.