01/07/2011  by Cyril J. Law, Jr

去年為奧地利籍司鐸音樂家慈幼會士司馬榮神父 (Fr. Wilhelm Schmid) 誕辰一百週年紀念 (1910 – 2010)，他大半生居於澳門。奧地利 Hornstein 市長已邀請澳門的嚶鳴合唱團，到司馬神父家鄉演出他的作品，作為今年夏季他誕辰百年慶典的延續。

司馬神父於1939年到澳門服務，直至1966年，期間於聖若瑟修院及慈幼中學擔任合唱團主任及導師。他亦曾是澳門警察樂團，以及慈幼管樂團的負責人。在一些主要的慶典表演如話劇及音樂會中，小提琴隊伍由修生組成，而司馬神父的其他學生及朋友，則負責管弦樂團的弦樂及木管樂部份。他被認為是頗嚴格的導師。時至今日，很多校友還記得每逢唱歌走音時，司馬神父便會在他們頭上用指關節扣一下。

司馬神父是鮑思高慈幼會的一名傳教士（不要與另一位著名的德國籍司鐸，「民族學之父」聖言會 Wilhelm Schmidt 神父混淆）。我們的司馬神父教授唱腔、和聲、對位聲部、賦格及作曲。他創作了無數有關瑪利亞及聖體的拉丁文、葡文及中文聖樂，很多在昔日的澳門慈幼學校學生，對此無不知曉。根據曾與司馬神父共事的人所說，他承認對瑪利亞懷有特別的敬愛。每逢靈感一到，便會在動筆之前，唸一遍聖母經。

二零零九年，一篇出自司馬神父手筆，長達四十頁的彌撒曲手稿，被偶然發現在一個跳蚤市場中出售。當時，類似這樣不可替代的文化瑰寶，不時從痛苦幽谷中逃出來。

現任香港教區主教湯漢、以及可敬的香港作曲家及作詞家協會榮譽主席林樂培先生、台灣天主教輔仁大學的劉志明神父及澳門教區已故主教林家駿，都是司馬神父的學生。他曾教授的卓越學生，多不勝數。然而他們都有共通的特徵──透過作品中簡潔而無瑕疵的中文歌詞及熱切的曲調，表達一份真誠的虔敬。我現僅以口述，實無法評斷他們真正價值。你們應親身感受。

慈幼會士音樂是喜樂而豐富的，卻不輕浮空虛，擁有著意大利比哀蒙風情的和諧與虔敬的意境。事實上，我也應該提及其他記憶猶新慈幼會音樂家的名字，例如創立澳門葡光兒童合唱團的許天德神父Don Cesare Brianza (1986年逝世)，以及日本的文生施馬迪神父Don Vincenzo Cimatti (1965年逝世)。他們喚起生命的一份歌詠與愛情，我對他們致以極衷心的敬意。

譯自：MDTimes/ University of Saint Joseph

Father Schmid

01/07/2011  by Cyril J. Law, Jr

Last year marked the 100 birth anniversary of a celebrated Austrian priest-musician who dedicated a great part of his life to Macau , Fr. Wilhelm Schmid, SDB (司馬榮) (1910 – 2010). The mayor of the Austrian city of Hornstein has already invited a local choral group from Macau , the Perosi Choir, to perform Fr. Schmid’s works in his very hometown as part of an extended centenary celebration this summer.

Fr. Schmid served as choir master and teacher in Seminário de São José and in Colégio Salesiano during his years of dedicated service in Macau from 1939-1966.He was also the director of the Macau Police Force Band as well as of the Salesian Woodwind Band. For major festive performances like drama and concert, seminarians would make up the violinists section while Fr. Schmid’s other students and associates would take up the remaining strings and woodwinds of the orchestra. He was known to be quite a tough coach. Many alumni today still remember that signature knock on the head whenever one sang out of tune. 

Fr. Schmid was a missionary belonging to the religious society of the Salesians of Don Bosco (not to be confused with the other well-known intellectual German priest, Fr. Wilhelm Schmidt SVD, the “Father of Ethnology”). Our Fr. Schmid taught vocal lessons, harmony, counterpoint, fugue & composition. He composed numerous Marian and Eucharistic hymns with Latin, Portuguese and Chinese lyrics that many Chinese Salesian pupils of (g)olden days would know. According to his former colleagues, Fr. Schmid confessed that he had a particular devotion to Mary. And whenever inspiration for a melody comes, he always prays a Hail Mary before setting out to put the pen to paper.

In 2009, a forty-page manuscript of a Mass setting composed by Fr. Schmid was providentially found on sale in a downtown flea market. Similar items of such irreplaceable cultural value pop up from limbo once in a while. 

The current Bishop of Hong Kong , John Tong and Mr. Doming Lam Ngok-pui, the esteemed Honorary President of the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild, were both taught by Fr. Schmid. Not to mention Maestro Monsignor Antonio Lau of Fujen Catholic University in Taiwan, as well as our late Bishop Domingos Lam of Macau. The list of distinguished students can go on. But one hallmark characterizes them all – an unfeigned religiosity evident in the seamless union of plain Chinese lyrics and fervent melody in their compositions. I can’t do justice to their due value here with mere verbal description. You got to eat the pudding yourself.

Salesian music is joyful and exuberant yet not frivolous or inane. It features a Piedmontese harmonium and pious serenity. Actually I should also mention names of other Salesian musicians like Don Cesare Brianza (d. 1986) of fond memory, who founded the Little Singers of the Wooden Cross in Macau, and Don Vincenzo Cimatti (d. 1965) of Japan . They were inspirers who made life singable and lovable, to whom I tip my hat very, very profoundly.