Music to my ears.

As usual, The Advocate's October 11 issue is replete with bits of worthwhile and informative material. In particular, I appreciated Frankie Edozien's "Sharpton's New Sermon," because during Al Sharpton's earlier years in the public eye, he seemed to be merely a charlatan or a buffoon (or both). More recently he seems to have evolved as having a quick but responsible wit, becoming someone who may indeed fill a much-needed place in our political and social realm. Edozien helped by presenting Sharpton as a caring, well-meaning, thinking individual.

Now that I've lavished a bit of praise, allow me to grumble a bit as well. Is everyone at The Advocate so immersed in so-called rock "music" that they've never seen a harpsichord? I refer to a photograph on page 89 accompanying Justin Scott's "The Royal Treatment." According to the caption, "Playwright and author ... Edward Albee plays a miniature piano in his living room." Albee is clearly seated at a harpsichord, which was a favorite domestic keyboard instrument from the beginning of the 16th century to the end of the 18th. The fact that in our current era Albee apparently owns and plays a harpsichord presents for his public a new and remarkable facet of his personality.

JAMES MONTGOMERY New York, N.Y.