Not because their music is any less interesting, intense and attractive, but simply because theirs was a generation eclipsed by the genius of Handel, who dominated the whole period and upstaged the work of all other musicians. In this issue of Goldberg we take a new look at William Boyce, one of the greatest and most representative English musicians of the 18th century. As Pierre Dubois writes in his excellent essay on the composer, "unanimously esteemed during his lifetime both for his musicianship and his personal qualities", in a sense Boyce "is the embodiment of the aspirations of 18th century England: a subtle balance between moderation, courtesy, elegance and vitality, which by all accounts was the hallmark of both his music and his daily life".

Moving to our own day, the maestro Gustav Leonhardt is undoubtedly one of the best loved and universally admired musicians over a period of many years. Goldberg has long awaited the opportunity to interview the great performer and conductor. Among the most highly respected of musicians, Leonhardt is also one of those who have made the greatest contribution to the spread and popularisation of the historical repertoire, in his case particularly the music of J. S. Bach. In this issue, we publish a relaxed and friendly - but also sincere and profound - conversation between Gustav Leonhardt and Brian Robins, in which Leonhardt expresses himself with his characteristic vitality and openness of spirit.

As our readers know, every issue of Goldberg Magazine in 2006 marks Mozart Year by devoting space to some aspect of the life and work of the genius of Salzburg. In this issue, Zak Ozmo discusses the Requiem, the work that has sparked the most controversy among the composer’s admirers. As Ozmo observes, "For centuries, the Requiem myth has fired the imagination of music lovers and fanned the flames of academic debate". The work will no doubt continue to inspire many more commentators in the future, because day by day new details are being sketched into the historical fresco of Mozart’s life and work, one which may never be fully completed.

Our medieval section in this issue is doubly interesting. Maricarmen Gómez takes us on a fascinating tour of Europe’s schools of minstrelsy, while Nigel Wilkins reveals the musical secrets of a superb painting: The Festival of the Archers by the Master of Frankfurt.