Mats Norrman wrote: >I know I will crack the heart in Don Satz and other HIP fans on the list >now, but Historically Informed Performances are pointless, as there will >never be a perfect HIP. Writing from my hospital bed as I await a transplant, I would like to say that Mats will never be perfect, but that doesn't make his life pointless. I don't think of myself as a HIP fan, just a person who wants to get the most enjoyment and enlightenment out of the music he listens to. Once upon a time, I listened to baroque music only on modern instruments and wasn't pleased with the results. Then, I happened across period instrument performances and found what I had been missing; I knew nothing of any controversies about HIP, but I knew what I liked. So, all this posturing by so-called anti-hip individuals about the impossibility of historical accuracy and the bankrupt theory of HIP means nothing to me since those arguments do not relate in any way to the enjoyment of music. You either like period instrument usage or you don't; whether it's an accurate reflection of musical days gone by means very little in the final analysis. With all our chatter about the merits of the HIP/Period Instrument movement, we tend not to highlight the most important aspect: each of us has the opportunity to *effectively* register our preferences through our monetary expenditures. The record companies, with little exception, put out new baroque recordings of chamber, orchestral, and vocal/orchestral music on period instruments. They don't do this based on any preference for period instrumentation; they prefer whatever makes them the most profit. And the fact is that period instrument fans "buy" new baroque recordings; I often get the feeling that those not caring for period instrumentation do not buy baroque music; they just complain. If I buy $1,000 of baroque music on period instruments and my modern instrument couterpart buys only $100, the record companies are going to pay attention to me, not my counterpart. So, register your preferences. So far, the People have spoken, and they are saying "we want baroque instruments". If you don't like that result, open your wallet and do something about it. Baroque music was in the doldrums prior to the HIP movement. There was a giant void, and HIP filled it up. If the anti-hip folks had their way, the void would just come back as strong as ever. Don Satz [log in to unmask]