Music in the Universities

Extract

On Friday last I received from Sir Hugh Allen a prepaid telegram in regard to this meeting. Although I do not come to the meetings as often as I should like—mainly because of the difficulty of getting away in term time—I intended to come on this particular occasion; and I replied to this effect. Sir Hugh Allen then sent me this sheaf of pencilled notes, which I received by the second post on Saturday. Well, those of you who have had to read Sir Hugh Allen's writing, especially when he has written in a hurry, will know that it requires leisure to decipher his notes; and even I find it difficult to decipher them, although we have worked together for years. With this sheaf came the message: “Here are my notes and you say what you think fit.” But it was the beginning of the Cambridge term last week; and those of you who know what term time is like at Cambridge will know there is very little leisure. In the circumstances I know you will feel sorry for me, and that you will do your best to overlook all imperfections. Then, further, Sir Hugh Allen went to Brighton yesterday to recoup, so I have not been able to see him. He calls his Paper “Music in the Universities.” I do not know what his intention was. All he has been able to do has been to go into the question of Oxford and occasionally to touch upon Cambridge. Whether he meant to touch upon the question of Music at all the Universities I do not know. I wrote to him on the subject, but no answer has reached me, and, as I have said, I have not been able to see him.