Post date: Aug 14, 2014 2:31:00 PM
1 July 1966, Haarlem Holland
Last week I took the train to Paris to meet Dave Dahl, who is with a choir tour. I rode around Paris with the tour (guided) and saw lots. We also played a very good 18th century organ in St. Severin’s.
Dave came back to Bielefeld with me and we saw several organs from Kleuker and Bosch (in Kassel) and the reed pipe factory in Göttingen [I think from Ott]. We drove here [Haarlem] to hear an improvisation contest, five concerts, and four famous organs [especially St Bavo]. Tomorrow we drive to Alkmaar, Saturday to Amsterdam, and Sunday home via Zwolle.
After that, I have a week in Brackwede, then two weeks installing in Düsseldorf, the (starting August first) three weeks vacation in England with my [musical] friends from Frankfurt [and New Jersey, the Rodlands]. After that I’m going to build only a very small organ for two months and then work in the pipe workshop for several weeks. With this arrangement I won’t have to go out for installation.
Oh, yes, I saw Margaret Fountain [a first cousin on the Frary side] in Paris…her last day there. She really enjoyed her stay—it is a fantastic city—and goes back to the States for her senior year at Sarah Lawrence.
Holland is a lot different than Germany or Paris. The houses are smaller and mostly not so high, but well kept. As a consequence everything seems quaint. The churches are plain (except for the organs)—left over from the Reformation, when they stripped all ornament out of the church—but the organs sure are good.
Tonight is a concert in the auditorium by the local philharmonic (Haarlem has 150,000 inhabitants). In this hall is an organ by France’s best organ builder during the last century. The other famous organ in town is in the 18th century and we heard one today built about 1550 and still playing. Amazing!