You say you didn’t like ‘music without words’. So what did you listen to? French chansons. France Musique and Radio Classique didn’t exist in those days and it was non-stop Radio Luxembourg. Then one day I discovered a programme presented by Jean Witold called ‘Cantatas at St Thomas’s’. I was utterly rooted to the spot in front of the wireless as I listened to this sublime music. In fact it was the first time I had heard music by Bach, and I was completely captivated. Where did you turn for more serious training? I started on my own and that went on for a year or two. Then my parents made enquiries about the best course to follow. It was at that point that an organist called Noëlle Pierront, who was passing through Saint-Dizier, advised me to avoid the Paris Conservatoire, where according to her I was ‘bound to be a failure’. She strongly recommended the École César Franck, where the teachers were excellent. So I entered that establishment, which was private and fairly expensive. I know that my father, who was a railwayman, had great difficulty in paying for my tuition. Logically, the next step was the Paris Conservatoire, where my organ teacher was Madame Rolande Falcinelli. Then, after I’d left the Conservatoire, there were a few international competitions; all of this took place without a break, one thing after the other. 26 BACH ∙ THE ORGAN WORKS
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