Quigley Preparatory Seminary - La Petit Seminaire Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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in -:Q SUNDAY PERFORMANCE OF THE POLYPHONIC CHOIR with the consent ol Monsrgnor Schmid the Mex can srngers appeared on Qurgley s stage to per form a hall hour concert The next day Sunday thus tourmg group of srngers sang wrth the Cathe dral Chorrsters at the Hugh Mass The Glee Club composed ol fourth and Frlth year men must needs be mentroned In the musr cal lrle ol Qurgley Theur chrel work rs to pro whrch are celebrated rn Sarnt ames Chapel and to blend their voices with the sopranos and altos of the Cathedral Chorrsters on May Concert nrghts The concert rs composed of such a selec tron ol popular and secular musrc that the audr ence goes home hummmg and srnglng the tunes To add culture to the school rs Qurgley s or chestra under the drrectron of Monsignor Meter and Father Mroczlcowslcr This group ol musr clans rs capable ol renderrng both classrcal and popular composrtnons Throughout the year they learn this very Important lesson that as mdrvld uals they are rncapable ol playmg the fmrshed composrtron, yet unrted rn a common effort they achieve their purpose expressrng the musrc of :ts composer 48 FIDDLING THE TIME AWAY Q , v T . . . ' I I I I - vide the tenor and bass parts for the Masses J 1 I - I

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direction began to win respect in the music world. ln 1931, the director of the choir became Father Edwin Hoover, who continued the choir on the road to success. With leadership such as this, one would be tempted to think that the Archdiocese ol Chicago had exhausted its supply ol musical genius, but in 1941 , the Cathe- dral Choristers were to get another fine director in the person of Monsignor Meter. It is important to note that the members ol this choir have always consisted ol Quigley's first and second year students. Year alter year Monsignor Meter has the most dillicult task ol replenishing his supply ol sopranos and altos. He receives the boys at a time just belore their voices begin to break and change. These voices last lor approximately two years, and then Mon- signor has the repeated task ol dropping older boys lrom the choir. Yet the choir must go on, and new talent is sought among the freshmen. HTUNING THE A STRINGS The members ol the choir must devote much time and effort to perlecting the numerous Masses and Motets which are to constitute their repertoire. Consequently the choristers can be heard practicing daily, perfecting the music lor the ten o'clock Sunday High Mass at the Cathe- dral and lor the other occasions that arise during the Liturgical Year. Added to the light tones ol the sopranos and altos, are the rich tenor and bass tones ol pro- fessional men who come from all parts ol Chi- cago. And when one has an exceptionally trained group ol sopranos, altos, tenors and af I T2 0 4. 1' -I A h I A A MOTU PROPRIO MASS basses, accompanied by Dr. Axel Norder at the organ, and the entire group under the skilllul baton oi Monsignor Meter, the result cannot but be the most beautiful polyphonic music this side of Rome. On November 7, 1953, when the celebration ol the fiftieth anniversary ol the Motu Proprio oi Pope Pius X was observed, choirs filled the cathedral to its capacity. This huge choir was directed by Monsignor Meter and Monsignor Maillet. The two organs oi the cathedral were in use that day, one by Dr. Axel Norder, the other by Monsignor Joseph Kush, director ol music at Saint Mary ol the Lake Seminary. To add to this occasion were the Little Singers ol the Wooden Cross, from France, under the direc- tion ol Monsignor Maillet. The French singers were touring the United States at that time and consented to unite their voices with those ol their fellow Boy Singers in Chicago, in prayeriul and inspirational music. Alter the Mass, the French singers agreed to entertain the members ol the choirs with some selections which they performed on their tour. Later, another singing group was touring the United States also, the Little Mexican singers, directed by the lormer director ol the Vienna Boys Choir. On January 30, 1954, through the arrangements made by Monsignor Meter and -if 22-4

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FR MROCZKOWSKI FRESH ATTACK' C mf Quigley welcomed Father oseph Mroczkow skr as chant drrector rn 1949 when he was ap pointed to replace Father Prrbyl Trained 1944 by the late Mother Stevens at the Prus X School of Gregorian Chant and prrvrleged to study rn 1947 wrth Father Frnn nationally known chorr director Father Mroczkowskr was adequately equrpped for hrs new appointment When after a years efforts to produce rnsprr atronal church musrc at the Cathedral Father was selected for further study of Gregorian musrc at Rome the reaction of the faculty and student body was one of mixed emotrons They were disappointed to lose so frne a director and yet they were happy that he had the opportunrty to round out to the full hrs knowledge of the art For three years Father made a detailed study of church musrc and developed a more complete knowledge and apprecratron of the classrcs Upon hrs return to Qurgley rn 1953 Father put hrs newly acqurred knowledge to work It was then that he clarrfred hrs theory concerning chant the student should understand chant not memorrze rt This attrtude toward church musrc grves the student more confidence rn hrs rendrtron of the srngrng One ofthe fundamentals whrch he stresses rs proper breathrng It rs Father s con vrctron that anyone hoprng to sing at all must frrst master resprratory control OF the musrcal organizations exrstrng at Qurg ley the Gregorian Chant Choir rs the oldest It provides all the plarn chant musrc requrred at the cathedral ceremonres Plain chant not only accentuates the drgnrty of drvrne worshrp but elevates the soul to srncere prayer Chant rs per formed wrthout organ accompanrment ln sprte of rts structural srmplrcrty rf rt rs performed prop erly chant rs capable of surpassrng even the most complex musrcal composrtron The fundamentals of chant that rs theory and applrcatron are taught to fourth year stu dents though the actual chanting for cathedral services rs done by those rn therr senror year If the proper of the Mass rs to be done wrth any amount of perfection rt rs achreved rn propor tron Realrzrng thrs the chorr group rn addrtron to therr regular rehearsals after school hours sac rrfrce a half hour of therr lunch perrod once a week whrch they add to the two 45 mrnute classes each week to perfect therr rendrtrons LEFT TO RIGHT DO RE 8t Ml .rr l . . , . , , I - , , , I - ll g : I -D ll I F . I . . . . - tion to the time sacrificed to master the composi- ' I I A I Q ' ' . ' in , I - , , I iv I I I F - . , , I Z' , Z I ll : I I I