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Early on, I had hoped that organ building would be an island in the stormy seas of the business world. I thought that building organs would be a particularly peaceful endeavor bringing me into contact with only the friendliest of people. Now, after having a half century or so to reflect on this early dream, I must confess that my youthful vision was somewhat naive. For along with the many wonderful friends and acquaintances which I did indeed gather over the years, Allen Organ Company and I seem to have snagged our share of misanthropes. At first, this gave me cause for concern, but I later realized that, in the great scheme of things, if we live our lives fully, we must inevitably deal with both friend and foe alike. Let me elaborate.
Few organ people view the business of organ building impassively. Happily, the vast majority of people I've encountered over the years as an organ builder have responded quite positively to the work going on at Allen. Pipe organ "elitists" are, of course, a glaring exception.
Another kind of "Allen Organ basher" turns up from time to time—the local "techno-guru." These individuals often have enough of a technical background to command respect from the local following. Sometimes we inadvertently become food for their mischievous appetite. Without warning, "techno-gurus" can become pesky "techno-bullies" or "techno-hecklers." Perhaps we somehow rubbed them the wrong way. Maybe they're jealous of our technical accomplishments. Maybe they consider it just a sport. Whatever the reason for their behavior, the "techno-bully-hecklers" can certainly try one's patience. It seems that no amount of scientific explanation will curb their barbs. And, given the esoteric nature of organ technicalities, the "techno-guru" can sometimes maintain a firm grip on the sentiments of a local following. Getting a fair trial under these conditions is not easy. Sometimes we can't even get into the courtroom.
One example—a chap in England wrote us a letter in the mid-1970s taking issue with our claim that the heart of our new digital organ was, in essence, a computer. We responded, in defense, with all of the technical dialogue and dissertation which such a “weighty” matter commands. Apparently he did not like our explanation. Ever since that encounter, he has gone out of his way to bad-mouth our products whenever the opportunity presents itself.
I suppose, in a sense, we are dealing with one of those quirks of human nature with which, I'm sure, we all encounter from time to time—the dogged avoidance of having to say, “I was wrong.” I know of at least one "techno-bully" who expended a great deal of energy taking a position about supposed “technical flaws” in the "Allen-engineered" organ. Apparently, he finally reached a point where he could no longer deny our technical arguments. However, rather than simply say, “I was wrong,” he chose instead to endorse an allegedly similar organ—similar, but one produced by an Allen competitor.
Fortunately for Allen, such tenacious gadflies are in the minority. Sometimes, when we do encounter a pesky backbiter, he or she can be sent away with a quick shrug of the shoulder. Otherwise, we just say to ourselves, “C’est la vie.”