If you have ever been to Mexico you probably know why a composer should want to write a piece of music about it. Nevertheless, I must admit that it came as something of a surprise when I left Mexico in 1932, after a first visit, to find myself with exactly that idea firmly implanted in my mind. It isn't as if I had never been away from home before. I had done my share of wandering about, and had even ventured as far as old Fez in Morocco without bringing back any musical souvenirs. But there must have been something different about Mexico. Or perhaps it wasn't just Mexico—perhaps my piece might never have been written if it hadn't been for the existence of the Salón México.

Britten's name was first included under this heading in our January number. That it should re-appear so soon is symptomatic not of an undue haste in the writing of his works, but rather of the unusual faculty he possesses for mentally conceiving and moulding his ideas, so that the actual writing and welding of them is achieved in a very short time. A considerable stream of music has flowed from the Britten fountain since the beginning of the year. His music for J. P. Priestley's Johnson over Jordan, produced in London a few months ago, was very favourably received—somewhat more so than the play, we fear. A choral work, Ballad of Heroes, was also commissioned from him, and as an example of the faculty just referred to it might be mentioned that the piano score of this work was handed to our editorial office only six days after it was begun. The orchestration was completed three weeks later.

Anton Webern's String Quartet, Op. 28 (1938), is in three movements, the structural elements of which are related to classical forms. The first movement is designed as an adagio (ternary form), the second is a kind of scherzo and trio en miniature, in which neither part contains a second section or development. The third movement is an elaborate scherzo form without trio.

A recent distinguished visitor to our Regent Street office was Leopold Stokowski, who, in the course of a European tour, conducted concerts in Stockholm and Paris with outstanding success. Formerly permanent conductor at Philadelphia, Stokowski now spends much of his time in Hollywood.