Oliver Condy, the editor of the BBC Music Magazine, who, it turns out, is trained as an organist published in his monthly column his “musical tree” back to J.S. Bach. It took him ten steps including himself. I can do it in nine:

1. Timothy Robson, who studied with
2. Arthur Poister (1898-1980), who studied with
3. Marcel Dupré (1886-1971), who studied with
4. Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937), who studied with
5. J.-N. Lemmens (1823-1881), who studied with
6. Adolf Hesse (1809-1863), who studied with
7. J.C. Rinck (1770-1846), who studied with
8. J.C. Kittel (1732-1809), who studied with
9. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Although this set of “musical begats” is technically correct, and I did study with Arthur Poister for a semester, I perhaps also should include my principal organ professor, Carl Staplin, who was a student of Poister’s, so I would still be in the line of succession.