The sun., 1904-12-25
M THE ORGANIST
A Tradition Of Three Services at
Midnight On Christmas
Eve at Seville.
From hs Spanish.

before the crowd fills II from end to end.
IL is always crammed on Christmas eve.
'The nuns have prize In their organist.
Other sisterhoods have made Maese Perez
magnificent offers. and even the Arch
bishop offered him mountains Of gold II
he would 90 TO the cathedral. But the
sanity old man would rather give up his
life than his beloved organ.
with no relatives or friends but his
, daughter and the organ, he spends his
life caring for the one and repairing the
| other. He is blind. too, did / tell you,
and his playing Is the most marvellous in
the world. especially at the midnight mass
on Christmas eve.
Then the organ sounds like the very
voices OF the angels themselves. But We
must hurry and 60 in, the bells have stopped
ringing"
So saying. tho speaker and her COM
panion forced their way into the church
through the crowd.
The church was profusely illuminated.
The many lights sparkled on the rich jewels
Of the noble ladies who knelt In brilliant
circle around the chancel grating. Be-
hind them men OF highest nobility in the
old city of Seville formed a wall to pro-
tect their wives and daughters from con-
tact with the poorer population.
1t was time for mass to begin. Several
minutes passed, however, and the Bishop,
impatient. sent out one OF his attendants
to learn the reason of the delay.
"Maese Perez has been taken very Ill,
and they think he cannot como tonight
said the attendant on his return.
If your E1cellency will allow me- will
r,Iayy inataaA amid n fall nn0atDly
stepping forward.
The Bishop hesitated. He knew the
man who had just spoken was jealous Of
the old organist and longed to take his
place. just then the rumor sprang from
mouth to mouth: -Maese Perez is here!
Maese Perez has GOMEZ"
Pale and evidently suffering, the old
man was indeed entering the church.
daughters tears had prevailed to keep
him in bed
NO." he had said, this is the last
know IL. ] will not die without hearing
again the voice Of my organ, and tonight,
of all holy nights, implore you. COM
mand you. take me to the church
His wish was granted They carried him
to the organ loft. Mass began. Maese
ItltL dScb upoh WIG htSb
OF the organ.
The first chord, like the voice from earth
calling TO heaven, was answered by another
that seemed to come from great distance
of, soft at first, then swelling until it be-
came torrent of laundering melody.
1t was the voices Of the angels, singing to
the mortals upon earth.
Gradually the various chants dropped
out Of the harmony, until at the elevation of
the host single note, brilliant as a ray Of
light. was held by the organ. Then it
explosion of harmony filed the church.
Each one OF the notes Of the mighty chord
developed theme Of its own, until 1t seemed
as though everything the waters, the birds.
the breezes and the forests, heaven and
earth-was each in its own tongue singing
the birth of the Christ child.
Suddenly the cry Of woman was heard
In the organ loft. The organ gave forth
a strange discord. something like a sob,
then all was silent. Maese Perez was dead.
On the wings of his own wonderful music
his soul had flown to the good God.
Good evening, neighbor. you hero. too,
for midnight mass? Dear me. it makes
Maese Perez's death. Truly he was
saint.
THE new organist was more insolent than
brave when he said he would play tonight
aver every oIt tl-t Itllheu OuI OF re-
spect to the old Maestro All! If the dead
could rise, the old organst would die
second death tonight rather than witness
the proclamation Of his organ. Come, we
must go in"
The temple was as brilliant as II had been
the year before In the loft the new organ
st, the man who had asked to play on the
night of old Maese Perezs death. pulled
out all the stops.
At the first note terrible uproar filed
the back of the church. horns. bagpipes,
timbrels, tambourines, all sounded at once, |
but the clamor lasted only a moment. A !
torrent Of sonorous harmony g,ished from /
the metal pipes of the organ
There were celestial chants like those |
which caress the ear in moments OF ecstasy,
chants which the soul perceives but which |
the lips cannot repeat: single notes of |
distant melody sounding. at intervals. |
brought by a gust Of wind the sound of |
leaves that kiss each other with a murmur |
OF rain, trills Of the lark. choruses Of sera-
phim. the unknown music OF another world |
all this was expressed In the voices OF |
the organ in a more mystic power than !
ever before.
But when the organist came down from !
his loft and the people. recovering from !
the emotion caused by the music, rushed !
toward him, his face was as white as death |
and his hands trembled violently.
There's some mystery about it. de- |
olared the loquacious gossip to his neighbor, |
as they made their way home together, |
awhen he came stumbling down the steps
OF the loft he looked as IL he was trying to |
AL sL.S 4 FL.