I'm no rocker. I've played organs for a long time, but prefer keyboards. I did once make a bit of a trip to Montreal to hear my cousin play a huge pipe organ, and spent the weekend there and during Saturday sat beside her while she finished her preparations. She had a priest who played Bach do some pieces and we stood in the nave and listened. It was amazing to see 2 coffins in the place, the bodies in coffins hoisted about 30 feet in the air and a big mirror was over the face, flowers cascading upwards towards the corpses. Someone played that organ almost all day, the families of the deceased came and went, and there were masses at 9 12 3 6 and 9 Every Day. Heck I lived in many small parishes in Quebec and the catholic churches had Mass at 9 and 12 every day in the late '60's and early '70's and .

Like a lot of subjects I didn't take, it's the books. For example I never took philosophy, but I have all the major texts, and a bookshelf full of what I thought mattered, and am prepared to discuss existentialism in literature from the perspective of Albert Camus, in French if you wish. I'm sure I can hold my own with most 3 year Philosophy majors. I cannot however hold my own with my 36 year old son who should have his Phd in a few months, I learned that he had honed his skills to a fine edge, and he can read and understand a 300 page textbook in a few hours. The key is understand, they he start pulling out quotes. The best I can do is read the book in a day and I need to fish for things, I remember them but not verbatim. Oh well.

I have some books here on the major organs of the world, one with a description of stops, and they are now useless because you can get as good or better on the net.

My wife and I are going to London and Paris in the spring, and there are 3 organs I'd like to hear. I have but 3 weeks. Although 3 members of my family were wounded in the 2 World Wars, I've never been to the battlefields, and that's on the agenda. And the Musee D'Orsay, for the impressionists. I insist on Aix-en Provence, (its an art thing).

You won't get much rock from John. Bach, Mozart, Strauss, Verdi, Elgar.....and many others fill my day

John Conley
Musica est vita