Texas bound

SEVEN of my nine students are heading to Kilgore and Longview, Tex., on Saturday to attend the second East Texas Pipe Organ Festival. We have made our plans, paid our registration fees, procured a university van, found a hotel expense angel, and gotten excited about hearing some creamy American organs. Organs courtesy of Aeolian-Skinner, G. Donald Harrison, and Roy Perry. Festival founding by Lorenz Maycher.

My students have treated their ears to the Aeolian organ in Duke Chapel, plus the E.M. Skinner organ at St. Paul's Church in Winston-Salem. And so it was easy for them to recognize the excitement behind my voice when I told them of the Festival in Texas. And SEVEN of nine students are going, and they are missing an entire week of classes for it. An exciting enthusiasm, indeed.

So far, only three organs have brought tears to my eyes on first hearing. One was the Cavaillé-Coll in St-Sulpice, Paris, the sounds that Widor knew. The second was the Cavaillé-Coll in Ste-Clotilde, Paris, the sounds that Franck knew. And the third was the Aeolian-Skinner in First Baptist Church, Longview, Texas (of all places). Those of you who know your organs know what I'm talking about. The history represented in Aeolian-Skinner has been defended in many corners and destroyed in others. But that little pocket in northeast Texas still knows what it has, and the organs have been cared for and are being celebrated anew. Let the good times roll. We can hardly wait!