We have decided to start again with "begin" after the summer break. It was Jean-Jacques Rousseau who, in his Confessions wrote: "The beginning is difficult in almost all things." But there is something universal about this aphorism; it can also be found in other languages and cultures. Several authors in this number start with it. For it is probably particularly true of music. We all remember the hours and days we have spent at our piano or with our violin in order to create a scale or a melody from just a few notes.

The extraordinary thing about it, however, is the ability to progress. A few years later, the former beginners who have persevered are sight-reading entire scores and no longer waste a thought on the underside of the thumb or changing the position of the hand. All this has become a matter of course.

It's the same with learning to drive a car. If we stall the engine five times in the first lessons before it starts, we can't imagine that months later, at 120 kilometers per hour on the highway, we will wonder why the law prohibits texting now. This incredible ability to learn, adapt and progress fascinates me.

And it is fortunate that they exist! Because we spend a lifetime moving from one beginning to the next. Only when we have mastered our instrument, after years of work, can we think about starting a musical career. And only when our career is already well underway can we hope to gradually be hired by the big festivals or promoters - if we even want to go that far.

This number on the subject of "beginning" looks at various beginnings: the start of a career as an artist or promoter, the promotion of debutantes, the opening of a new concert hall and even the creation of a music review.

Let's take this opportunity to remember that every beginning can be difficult, but also very exciting!