Jean Langlais was a well-known Organist and Composer, and he gave over a hundred concerts and classes in a winter-spring 1955 tour. Portions of his diary were presented in a recent issue of The American Organist. (Intended to have the issue for this posting, but in this area: "Things go bump in the night.") Two railroad entries: He obviously traveled by the drawing r. and compartent and parlor seats, but in one occasion he had to use a lower berth. He said it was a battle to get undressed and dressed while in a prone position. The porter never told him about pushing the curtain out into the aisle and standing next to the bed, a technique all of us veteran train travelers learned quickly. He had a silent keyboard on his travels and used it to prop up the pillow and wrote that undressing and dressing was just possible with this help. But apparently he slept OK. The other was his trip Denver - Provo. He reported traveling on "a double-decker luxury train," obviously the California Zephyr. He did not report on the wonderful scenery in the excerpt printed, but that he was annoyed by canned music all day. The only thing relating to his profession I wish to excerpt is his evaluation that the Salt Lake City Tabernacle Organ was the most beautiful he ever heard or played anywhere, and he was of course knowledgeable about all the organs of note in Europe.
For additional info: www.agohq.org. Canadians can also contact www.rcco.org
Question: Is this of general enough interest to post on the TRAINS Forum?
Dave, I can only speak for myself....yes!
Have you read Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar?"
Ummm....I'm a little behind the since my renaissance to MRR and all things trains has come so late. I enjoyed the book. Some of what he related makes me glad to be a bit xenophobic and a stay-at-home.
-Crandell
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