Willmar tribune., 1900-11-28
HE WALKS BY FAITH.
d. j. W. BischoH, the Blind Or
Canist Of Washington.
His Life, Career ana Success Should
.@F Ne m Inspiration for All Who .
Doubt Themselves and
y Their Maker. ~ !:
Especial Washington Letter.1 y

:=.'.-.. Their Maker. If =
s. -lspeciai Washington Letter.1 y
Il VHEN you visit the national
[.~\NN capital you should try: to
W. spend at least one Sabbath
day here in order to have an oppor-
tunity to 60 to the Congregational
church and hear the blind organist,
DR.. J.W.'i Bischoff. No matter what
may be your creed or home affiliations,
you should hear ,Bischoff.r - j. ~ !
/ The services in the, church the sec.
ond Sunday in this month were in
honor of the. twenty-tifth anniver-
sary of his continuous services as or
ganist and musical director. Both
the. morning and. the evening services
were so arranged as to give promi-
nence to the music; and the dear, de-
voted, conscientious, religious, honor
able and noble. man who presided at
the organ shook the pillars of the
temple with his rhapsodies of har-
>:mony and melody. He is living
symphony, 80. g., ~ ..:,.. ..:,...
The morning sermon was on "The
Relation of Music to the Religious
Life" and the eloquent pastor dwelt
particularly upon the almost absolute
necessity of music for success in the
work of every minister. The evening
sermon was on 'The Manifestation OF
the: Spirit;" and the beloved pastor
told the congregation of the many
manifestations of the Spirit which had
shone forth in the work. of the blind
organist, who has given half of his
life to the. work of the church. He
is so years of age, and; has been Is
years experimenting the musical
work Of the church. ~'" ~"
Julius Caesar said that he would
rather be the first man in Capua
than the second man in Rome; and, so
! far as human ambition might measure
mans pleasure, pride and content
ment, DR.. Bischof has achieved as
great success as Caesar, for he is
facile princeps, first in the hearts
OF the congregation which he, has
served so long and well.
Twenty years ago, for the first time,
the writer attended concert in that
! church for some public benefit, and
heard the blind organist play an ac-
,, compartment for Miss Edith Abel,
: OF Boston,, when she sang. .'::The Lost
Chord" A few days later he at
tended the funeral of son of the
pastor, DR.. Rankin, and heard the or
ganist pathetically lead his choir in
solemn sacred requiems; one of them
OF his own composition, yelling out
of his love for the bereaved father.
This year will mark the completion
of the nineteenth annual session of
Bischoff's concerts. The concerts are
directed and prepared by DR.. Bischoff,
and all of the participants are his
pupils. They are always success
full, and have grown to be such Gus
tom in the national capital that. they
are looked forward to each year as
a necessary part of the musical sea-
son-7and are, in fact, more firmly
established than any other, series of
concerts in Washington. ..
In the arrangement of the pro-
grammes and grouping and the Sc
lection of singers for the concerts.
DR.. Bischoff gives another evidence
of his broad musical culture and
musicianship. The programmes also
show that DR.. Rischoff is an Amer
lean of the Americans, loving his own
nationality in music and loving all
that is artistic and poetic from the
hands of his countrymen.
!. To be a singer, pianist, organist
! (and member of the A. G. o., most
successful teacher, eminent in regis
tration and in the art of transposi-
ton, would seem more than enough
for any musician, but DIR. Bischoff
does not stop here, and, in fact, con-
siders his talents as heretofore men.
toned as the smallest part of his
equipment.
+, Great as his success has been in
these former lines, his success as a
composer has been, even more marked.
All singers of note are familiar with
some of Bischoff's beautiful songs.
r DR.. Bischoff has done much to ele-
vate the standard Of music, in the
churches of Washington, not only by
presenting the best class of music in
the services of his own church, but