From Father Crevacore's "Biography of Father Cimatti"
"It was easy to see that Father Cimatti truly loved and cherished music.
This was evident when he accompanied the choir on the organ or piano during liturgies or concerts.
His organ improvisations were like soul-stirring prayers lifted to heaven.
Although he possessed a wonderful baritone voice, he mainly accompanied others,
but it was a joy for me to see him accompany himself in operas and his own works."
Father Cimatti and music are two words that are inextricably linked.
In Faenza, at the age of just five, he first took to the stage of the Municipal Theater to play the lead role in an operetta,
where he and his kindergarten classmates erupted in applause.
He also sang at a celebration and received a kiss from the famous Italian poet Giovanni Pascoli while still in the early grades of primary school.
A school friend described him as a singer, saying, "Even as a child he had a rich, clear, expansive soprano voice.
He would also understand and memorize a piece of music in an instant and perform a 'solo,' to the amazement of his listeners."
Secondo Guadagnini of Faenza wrote, "He could effortlessly hit a B-flat, or even a high C!"
As well as singing, he also started playing the piano and organ from a young age, and he also composed music on them.
Once he started music, he never stopped. He was a music teacher at the Salesian College of Valsalice for 28 years.
Many of his students traveled all over the world carrying his music, spreading his fame.
At the age of 47, he moved to Japan, where he continued his activities as before, but also opened up new avenues:
concerts in public halls and other venues. As a piano soloist, accompanist, and even as a singer, he was in high demand.
He performed in Japan's largest concert halls, evoking both familiarity and amazement in every venue.
In this far eastern land, he gave approximately 3,000 concerts. I have never heard of a missionary with such intellectual spark
and musical breadth that he could be compared to him. And this was in a highly advanced country like Japan.
Of course, personal success was of no importance to Father Cimatti. What mattered was the Lord who should be glorified and
the realization of the Kingdom of God.
Although he continued his musical activities into the last years of his life, his most visible activities came to a halt in 1949, when he was 70 years old.
His hands had begun to tremble. But when he placed his hands on the keys, he played the piano or organ with the vigor of a young person.
Cimatti Museum
Father Marsiglio
May 6, 2024
Go to the index page of Father Cimatti's life
|
