Out of the blue, on Friday night, the pre First World War compositions of my grandmother were "claimed for the nation". Having sat in an attic for 90 years, people are wanting to reconstruct and professionally record them, to make them heard for the first time. This is partly because I mentioned them on the internet. Due to this, musicians seriously interested in this kind of thing contacted me.
As a result, I have realised this. Artists are not private people: they are public property. What they leave behind them belongs to the nation. Forget politicians, VIPs, models and the rich. In less than a hundred years time, if global warming has not destroyed civilisation, the only "breathers" alive today who will be remembered will be serious artists (and leading theologians). The rest of us will be long since forgotten.
Who are they?
No comments:
Post a Comment