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

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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

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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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One of the difficulties which the director meets in this worlc is that of producing a prayerful spirit with voices which have not yet Fully ma- tured. But with the patience and understanding of Fatherfvlroczltowskhvocal faults are corrected, the desirable tcne qualities of each man are de- veloped, until the entire group is so controlled that it sings in one, unified voice. But just as one group seems to have reached its heights of achievement, they are ready to be graduated and Father is faced with the taslc of perfecting another group. Of this year's senior class, twenty-eight have been selected for special chant training. This group formed the leading voices of chant choir. Any number of times during the year this group is called upon to sing for special occasions both at the cathedral and at the school chapel. For those students who have more than aver- age difficulties in grasping the lcnow-how of chant, Father lvlroczlcowslci has organized a sep- arate class which he conducts in his free time. Though this class is not compulsory, the men re- spond willingly, aware ofthe absolute necessity of their mastering chant in order to sing the Mass. Among some of the special occasions at which the Schola Cantorum participated in during the past year were: the fiftieth sacerdotal anniver- sary of Archbishop O'Brien, the Forty Hour De- votion at the Cathedral, when the schola chanted SATURDAY NIGHT RENDEZVOUSH S0 A LITTLE MUSICAL ADVICE the Litany of the Saints, and gave a four-part, a cappella rendition of Alblinger's Tantum Ergo, the Christmas Midnight Mass, and the Mass on Easter Sunday. It is also the schola's distinctive privilege to chant the Divine Office on Wednesday and Thursday of l'loly Week, as well as the Tenebrae Services on Good Friday. Theirs, too, is the honor of chanting the ancient liturgy of the l loly Weelc at the cathe- dral service. To observe fittingly the fiftieth anniversary of Blessed Pius X's Motu Proprion and for the consecration of Bishop Hillinger, the chanters of Quigley joined their voices with those of the Mundelein Seminary choir. These two occasions strengthened the bond of unity that always existed between the seminarians, whether they are in their first year at Quigley or their last year at Mundelein. Why the accent on training in plain chant? Because the seminary is ever mindful that one day her boys will stand before the altar of God, mediators between God and men, raising their voices in praise and petitions for those committed to their care. Hence, though concentration on plain chant and voice training began in fourth year, the principles of correct singing and chanting are introduced as early as first year. The administration believes that the longer a student is immersed in a subject the more sensitive will be his response to the knowledge of it.