Unless one stops to think methodically of 'then and now' in a variety
of situations large and small, we generally act as though the past was
better than the present. It is also usually accepted that 'hindsight'
imposes a dimension of some consequence. The present flashes in
and passes back the new experience to mingle with the rest.
Clearly the present and its actions has the advantage of immediacy,
whilst the past is inevitably recalled with hindsight and some measure
of objectivity. It strikes me that our constant intake of music known and
unknown develops an undulating procession of experiences, of which
each in its way serves the accumulation of musical material enlarging
our outlook and perception. Perhaps what I write can remind us of what
stirs our feelings within an art form, dependent on our stock of experience
This editorial stems from talking with a good friend who puts so tight
a rein on his musical experience as to slowly strangle it in favour of an
easier, and therefore less arduous, route to the pleasures of listening.
There are those who run a full race, and others who take a leisurely
stroll round the block. I have yet to learn the art of disentanglement,
and to watch people miss the jewel in the crown without sadness.
Copyright © 26 July 2002 Basil Ramsey,
Eastwood, Essex, UK