It’s been a long time coming.  After  more than sixty-three years of  organ playing  I’ve finally succumbed to the realisation it was all a terrible mistake.  It’s amazing what rationalisation will do to a person for the sake of justification.  Back in 1963 when, for the first time, I listened to Virgil Fox’s “Encores” (which, recorded in 1958, is still a stunning sounding recording), I knew that I wanted to be an organist — notwithstanding my love of palaeontology at the time.  Without rehashing an old story, I was smitten.  I managed to convince my parents for me to have organ lessons, starting on a Lowery spinet.  I soon moved over the eight rank Estey at my Presbyterian church in Pitman, NJ., and ended up studying with George Markey at (the now — for all intents and purposes — defunct) Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ., which at the time was the largest and most prestigious organ department in the country.

Unfortunately, since then, as result of a number of — lets say ill-fated  — decisions my career as an organist has been less than propitious.  Notwithstanding, I muddled through thinking that the next opportunity to find an organ upon which I could regularly practise was just around the corner.  But, alas!  When my welcome to practise at Christ Church Quincy, MA was revoked, I should have seen the handwriting on the wall.  I was never again going to have access to a decent organ upon which I could practise the repertoire I wanted to play.  

Since then I’ve been playing off and on at a nearby Baptist church which has a decent two manual Allen Renaissance organ.  But, now it’s pretty evident that it will never fulfil my quest for the type of instrument that suits my needs.  Moreover, it’s fairly evident that “the blush is off the rose” and that my playing is no longer appreciated as it once was — a not uncommon occurrence with organists.  Ergo, time to leave.  

It’s just as well.  My problem has always been that the organ has been (and still is unfortunately) a church instrument and I am not, let’s say, a church person.   I’ve always looked upon the organ as a concert instrument, which is why I’ve never liked and never have been comfortable playing for the church; I only did it for the opportunity to practise  the music I really wanted to play.   

So, after all these years of sporadic access and exile from various consoles I’ve finally, FINALLY decided to stash away my patent leather organ shoes, and at 75 start life over.  I figure, what the hell, I have another 10-15 years (or more if I’m lucky):  it’s a perfect time to begin a new life, start all over again.  Right?  Right?  Yeah, right.