To the Editors:
Though I am not in the habit of writing letters to the editor, the article by Samuel Lipman, “But If the Artist Fail?,” in the February issue provided ample grist.

Before I comment on the article, I would like to express my appreciation of the magazine itself. I may not always agree with what is said, but hats off to how you say it.

Emotionally I end up agreeing with the final judgments in most of your articles that deal with the arts. Such is the case with Mr. Lip-man’s. Would that audiences who attend concerts today had the capacity to recognize the importance of the last word in the last sentence of Mr. Lipman’s article: “It would be a pity if the harsh interior reality artists face in their daily lives were forever to be ignored by those who, in reading about these artists, prefer enjoyment to understanding.”

The wrath dissipated by the truth of that sentence had reached its height in me with Mr. Lipman’s criticism of the musician as writer, i.e., the comments on Janet Baker’s diary. I doubt whether anyone who did not appreciate Dame Janet’s gift would really be interested in reading the book, except perhaps to be “in the know,” but then “understanding” would be difficult to achieve: such a person would really be interested in her as a human being/artist rather than vice versa. Perhaps through a thorough reading someone might even glean an introduction to “understanding,”