“Do all of you here write such bad music?” PaulHindemith asked me one evening a few years ago. Wewere wandering through the streets of Brussels, andhe pointed to a poster which bore the name of aliving academic composer, some of whose work itseems he had chanced to hear. I must admit that themusic in question was not exactly calculated toconvey to foreigners a favourable impression of ourart. Let us say that it was perhaps better suitedfor home consumption, and so should not give rise toany general judgment: but the fact remains thatHindemith's question points to a state of affairsthat is very detrimental to us. Our music is eitherin discredit or else it is unknown. And our moderncomposers suffer more from this than the others,because they seldom or never, even in their owncountry, get the chance to show what they are andwhat they stand for. They ought therefore to begrateful to Tempo for theopportunity here afforded to call them by name andfocus attention on them. It goes without saying thatwe shall not give a complete panorama of Flemishmusic, since we are charged specifically to confineour attention to the moderns.