This book was a long time in the making and it is a great sadness for me that my husband did not live to see it published. In the early years of the new millennium we had many discussions with friends who came to visit us at our home in south-west France about what Michael’s next project would be. Despite being weakened by heart disease, he had recently completed two books that were to be published in 2003 and was impatient to find the next topic to write about. During one such discussion, Michael talked spiritedly about his interest in the music of the sixties, reminding us that he knew many of the composers of the period from his time as a music producer at the BBC as well as from his earlier conducting years, when new music had been a special enthusiasm. The germ of an idea had been sown, and between 2003 and 2005 Michael was busy working his way around the UK interviewing as many composers, musicians and other key people as possible.

He amassed a vast amount of material and sometimes despaired of finding a coherent means of dealing with it. Eventually he decided that two books would be needed: one on Music Theatre and a second on other genres. By now, however, his health was deteriorating further and the writing process was slow. In 2006 life in rural France was no longer practicable and we returned to the UK. The upheaval caused yet more delays in the writing. Furthermore, repeated spells in hospital, followed by the need to recuperate, made him almost give up. However, with characteristic tenacity, he decided to make a supreme effort to complete the first of the planned books by his eightieth birthday. He did so and the manuscript was submitted to the publisher two months later in May 2012, after his friend, the composer Anthony Gilbert, had helped him edit his final draft. But Michael was gravely ill by now and he died not knowing if the book had been accepted for publication or not.

When an author dies before being able to discuss the editing of his manuscript, those with the responsibility of bringing the project to fruition face a dilemma. The publisher’s criteria have to be met but the author’s intentions must also be respected.