The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-12-05
WHERE ARTISTS ARE GROWN.
Father Walsh and His Little italian
Proteges at the Mission of Our
Lady of Leretto.

les, ldlleE, answered NICOLA todll-
tella, hurrying to the priest
Il want you to sing for my friend
here said the priest. leading the way
from the sunny but crowded street
into a court between Elizabeth and
Mott street.
Nicola, who had been playing a
street game a moment before, stood
beside the piano in the Boys club OF
the mission. his hands clasped behind
him, waiting for the Introductory pas
sage of the song.
Father Walsh, a Jesuit, with the ten
derest of affection for the little chill
dren of the poor his kindly eyes in
viting condolences of children and
parents both, tucked his cassock be-
meath him and began the accompani-
ment
An Italian Virtuoso.
Ordinarily one would expect a
thread-bare, hard-worn ballad of the
streets from a little Italian boy from
an Elizabeth street tenement house,
but here came the surprise. The song
Nicola had selected from his roper
toire was music written by Gounod for
a poem of Victor Hugo. And not only
was the surprise there. Nicalo sang it
in French, and, if you please, his accent
was that of the Frenchman of Paris
and the salons.
Nicola evidently loved the song and
| the poem, for he sang it as an angel
might have sung it, his crystalline So
prano reaching the heart of each note,
the voice being handled with ease and
grace that made his hearers think Of
Sembrich.
so you Noticed that he sings right
in the middle of the note?" asked Fa-
Their Walsh. as he patted Nicola ar
fectionately on the arm. 1T is the
natural love of the Italian for music.
| There is no flattening to any of his
notes. The most delicate shading is
done with absolute perfection. They're
all that way. I'll let you hear some of
the others
Nicola went out into the sunny
street. Scores of little fellows some
not too warmly clad for the breezy
day, We're playing about. 1t was re-
cess time in the mission school In
little room of the mission many others
We're sitting at table slipping their
chocolate and munching their crack
erS. These little fellows had trudged
from more distant Little Italics" to
study at the mission, and the good
Father. from his little hoard of mission
money, was looking out for their little
stomachs as well as their little souls.
Nicola returned with little army of
the little Italians. Some were bit
peaked. as if they had been denied
much in the earlier struggles of their
parents to get a foothold in the new
land of promise; some were plump
and rosy checked; some were Sicili
ans. and other Calabrians, and all were
black-eyed. music-loving children, true
children of the land of sunshine, olives,
chianti and song.
Father Walsh, to show the natural
musical ability of his little charges
let them sing a song by Rubensteip,
written in four parts, the first veFse
without accompaniment Without d.
rection from the priest, the boys sang
it perfectly, their soprano and alto
voices filing the court between Mott
and Elizabeth streets with melody.
Then they sang the second verse with
accompaniment. and 1t was evident
that not one of the little singers had
forgotten single note or rest in the
song.
Paderewski."
Here's Paderwiski," whispered one
of the lads to another as a youngster
with the face of a cherub came into the
room. The little fellow had won this
nickname by the style he possesses
tenement room "Paderwiski'' trudges
every day to the mission to get his
chance at the piano or to sit patiently
at the cIavter and do his finger eXer-
cises.
Il have one little fellow" said Father
Walsh, "who comes at half-past in the
morning to begin his piano study. Some
of them will make any sacrifice to learn,
and our two pianos and one clavier are
busy nearly all the time. have Ger
man instructor who helps them along
wonderfully. We have very little
money, but he is modest in his charges,
and with what help 1 can give in di-
recting the boys at their studies of mu-
sic we are getting along very well.
MY boys are going to make fine
American citizens. 1 have three of
them in college now. They made their
entrance examinations with only the
work in the mission school
to depend on. In the three classes they |
are now in my boys lead their class |
mates
The Italian boy of the tenements has |
a great deal in him. He naturally loves |
the beautiful things in life, and here he
gets a chance to reach after and get |
them. He knows that study and decent |
behavior mean his development. l have !
many OF tne Oiuer boys make the mis- |
sion practically their home. They come |
here from work even during the luch |
hour and find time to improve their |
minds
Father Walsh's little Italians with the |
beautiful voices have seen more than is
to be seen within the confines of Lit
tie Italy, for they have been in de-
mand among the wealthy people just as
are the great singers Of the opera houses
during the social season. Father Walsh
frequently accepts requests for the 1nu-
sic his boys give, and Nicola and his
fellow singers have appeared in many
parlor.
One thousand Children of the Tene-
ments.
The mission building is one of the
most interesting to be found among the
of the city. 1t is merely a
'front.' and rear tenement house reshaped
or its present purposes. On the top of
he rear tenement has been built a bell
over. where hangs a great sonorous
,ell which calls Elizabeth and Mott
streets TO mass or to vespers. In the lit
lie court between the two buildings the
sunshine falls on bright geraniums and
resh, Well-cared-for vines. Against one [