Greetings, friends:  This morning I read with interest the entries from
Dave Bowers and Brian Smith.  Brian is quite right -- the last of those
who were connected to the heyday of mechanical music are or will shortly
be gone.  If we don't get their stories now, they, too, will be lost
forever.

Now is the time to speak to, or rather listen to, the stories of those
who were only one generation removed from the action, to get the stories
straight.  Memories fade and become altered as time goes on, so that
any information we can get we need to get now.

My uncle just passed away, and he didn't really talk too much about
the Molinari organs, but he did give me some information about parts my
grandfather milled after he had left Brooklyn.  When I first started
collecting and had an awakening that maybe I should ask my father, uncle
and aunt about their memories of the factory and house in Brooklyn, it
was too late to ask my grandfather.

And now is the time to collect.  With our digital age, the families of
present owners may not be as excited about the instruments as others
may be, so keep writing and sharing and appreciating your machines!
They are true treasures.

Claudia Molinari