(42)The Heart of Music Education

Miyazaki December 15, 1926
To Amerio Franco, seminarian

Dear Amerio,

I'll send you some music. Go forward, always working with joy for everyone. My best wishes to the musicians in particular. Say this to the chorus with congratulations:

‡@	When you sing, offer every note to God.
‡A	Singing is praying, so think carefully about the meaning of the words you are singing.

For those who play the piano,

‡@	Study well. A lot of good can be done through music.
‡A	Offer every note to God.

And also tell everyone:

Always cheerful, hardworking and humble: these are the characteristics of a Salesian musician.

Pray for me and ask others to pray for me.

Your Father V. Cimatti

Miyazaki December 11, 1926
Grigoletto Giuseppe, to the seminarians

My Grigoletto

In response to your lovely letter, Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you for what you've done for me. I'm sure it will be good for heaven.

I'm glad to hear that you passed the exam. And I'm also grateful for the wonderful things you collected. Japan's nature is also amazing. Until now, I've been sending Father Toneri a monthly package of plant and insect specimens, but I think I'll be able to send even more once I start making the rounds.

It's wonderful that your German has also improved. Don Bosco wanted his children to learn many foreign languages, so that they could help many people.

You say you want to learn Japanese, but grammar alone won't get you very far. You especially need kanji to read.

Now you work in a school. Work hard, study hard, and teach your students to study hard too. But always do it in a Christian, Salesian way. (...)

We have pumpkins in Japan too. [Pumpkin was the nickname of seminarian Grigoletto.] They're tasty and sweet. They're bumpy and fan-shaped like Italian melons. I've never tried the ones from Venice (where you're from), so I don't know if they're any tastier than the ones there.

Pray for me. Please ask Jesus to help me become a saint and learn Japanese words quickly. Happy Christmas and New Year to everyone. I hug you and bless you.

Your Father V. Cimatti