The music brought us what it seemed / We had long desired, but in a form / so rarefied there was no emptiness of sensation

Walter Pater said that all the arts aspire to the condition of music, but I’ve always felt that music aspires to the condition of words.

Sometimes a musical phrase would perfectly sum up The mood of a moment. One of those lovelorn sonatas For wind instruments was riding past on a solemn white horse. Everybody wondered who the new arrival was.

So I cradle this average violin that knows Only forgotten showtunes, but argues The possibility of free declamation anchored To a dull refrain....

What I like about music is its ability to be convincing, to carry an argument through successfully to the finish, though the terms of the argument remain unknown quantities.