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Show CATHOLIC ORGANISTS. It is a pity that more of our young Catholics, men and women, who are good pianists do not learn to play the organ to play it well, we mean, and make themselves familiar with the Chant3 used at the Mass and various ofllces of the church. The Liturgy offers of-fers a fascinating study to those who approach- it merely as seekers after knowledge, and educated Catholics, who have time to give to it, should consider it a part of their education. To organists and choir masters acquaintance ac-quaintance with the musical part of the Liturgy is, of course, necessary, although that acquaintance is often sadly limited. Indeed, what the average aver-age organist, or choir singer doesn't know about rubrical directions, permissions per-missions and prohibitions, leads sometimes some-times to remarkable performances. We have the soprano, or bass, or the quartette, quar-tette, setting aside the words prescribed pre-scribed by the church and singing their own nice little "selections" at the Offertory Of-fertory or Communion of a Requiem or Nuptial Mass, as the case may be in English perhaps. And we remember remem-ber once having heard in a Cathedral church, Schubert's Ave Maria sung in French at the Offertory of the High Mass on Sunday. All this is blissful ignorance of their offending against church regulations or good taste. There is .always a demand for good organists. organ-ists. If it be objected by those who must make their musical talents serve the purpose of bread-winning that the salary paid in Catholic churches is too small to warrant the organist's prepar ing himself adequately for such a position, po-sition, it may be answered that salaries sal-aries improve as parishes grow more prosperous. Those who can afford to let the salary be a minor consideration find their compensation in the beauty of the work they have to do. It is very hard, xery taxing to mind and body; but if they have a choir sharing their enthusiasm for beautiful ecclesiastical ecclesi-astical music every effort is well repaid. re-paid. We leave piety out of the question, ques-tion, either as motive or reward and regard it simply from an esthetic standpoint; or from the practical one of a professional musician. The Leader. |