The other evening, after my usual full day of writing music, I turned on BBC Radio 3, and was immediately immersed in Bach's St Matthew Passion. I felt privileged to be put so easily into touch with one of the greatest creative minds in our history, which had drawn together into one glowing, unified whole such diverse cultural threads – religious, historical and literary, alongside musical traditions. I reflected that through education I have access to all this, while at the same time regretting that the vast majority of people are unaware of it: not only unaware, but sometimes antagonistic, deeming it élitist, irrelevant to contemporary life, the product of a long-dead European white male.

I know the Bible upon which the work is based; I understand the German text; I know something of the rather peculiar Protestant theology permeating Bach's work; and the polyphonic and baroque traditions are familiar enough to enable me to appreciate efforts to create the original sound-world of the music. Most importantly – I can read music.