At four years and three months of age, The Boston Musical Intelligencer has reached a notable milestone. With the publication of ten reviews this weekend, BMInt has surpassed 2,000 posts. When the team of Robert Levin, Bettina A. Norton and I began the journal in September, 2008, we were perhaps naïve about both the demands and the rewards. Yet the work has become habit-forming.  As publisher I have had the job of recruiting and cajoling a distinguished group of musicians and music academics who have been writing interestingly about the work of their peers. In consequence of that tremendous, shared, uncompensated effort, readers enjoy a virtual music journal which has exceeded all of our expectations.

BMInt’s first published article was a reprint of the Valedictory Issue of our historical antecedent, John Sullivan Dwight’s Journal of Music. The cessation of publication in September, 1881 after 1051 issues came with the words, “This is the last appearance of the Journal of Music which has so long borne our name. . . We have for some time been convinced that there is not in this country now, and never has been, any adequate demand or support for a musical journal of the highest tone and character.” [see complete article here]  Had the Journal of Music continued in print, BMInt would not have been necessary. But we strongly believed that Boston deserved better classical arts coverage. So here we are, with over three thousand readers each day. And our readers are very much involved; a controversial post can easily elicit 50 comments. A popular article or review can easily get over 10,000 hits. Our “Upcoming Events” calendar has become indispensable. So we have to disagree with Dwight: demand and support for our undertaking are very much in evidence.

BMInt thrives without a single advertising dollar, because we feel that accepting revenues from artists and presenters might be seen to compromise our integrity. Though The Harvard Musical Association and one private individual have made generous contributions, what makes BMInt possible is the enthusiasm of our volunteer staff of nearly 100.

This is the moment to salute our top ten most prolific writers. At 178 posts, David Patterson is BMInt’s literary lion. He is followed in our scroll of honor by the following: Vance Koven with 125, F. Lee Eiseman with 81, Cashman Kerr Prince with 78, Mark DeVoto with 73, Geoff Wieting with 71, the late Mary Wallace Davidson with 68, Bettina A. Norton 64, Susan Miron with 61, Virginia Newes with 57, David Griesinger with 52, Larry Phillips with 50, Peter Van Zandt Lane with 45 and Michael Rocha with 40.

A grateful publisher toasts you all.