Since the publication of the book "An incomplete History of the Art of Funerary

Violin" there has been much debate in the media as to whether or not this history
is in fact a fabrication. I would remind them that History is, and will always be, a
matter of interpretation. An historian's job is to take what evidence he can find,
fit that which he can to whatever theory or notion he is presenting, discard that
which doesn't quite support his argument, and fill in the gaps. Anyone who has
read a nineteenth century history book will see how much has changed not only
in our interpretation of the facts, but in the facts themselves. It is hard to be
certain about what is happening now, let alone hundreds of years ago. Of course
distance can give a clearer perspective, but it also deprives the historian of
evidence, thus there is no such thing as objective real history, only interpretations
based upon selected facts, hunches and often wild imaginings. If the reader
chooses to believe that the contents of this book are true it becomes a valuable
piece of historical research; if the reader chooses to believe that it is imagined
then it is the invention of an entire historical genre, together with its own heroes,
villains, myths, enemies and of course, a vast number of archive scores and
recordings. Either way, my purpose, as Acting President of the Guild of Funerary
Vioilinists is to draw public attention once again to this most morbid of Artforms
- and as they say - there is no such thing as bad publicity.