Among the Jesuits who were restless for Christ, the musical legend, Fr Walter Albuquerque was definitely one. He was restless to sing and help others sing the praises of the Lord through the medium of music. Fr Walter’s was a life lived to the full; a life lived at a very high level of musical excellence; a life lived in constant and generous response to God’s unique call; right up to the end he lived his 93 year long life to the full. It isn’t how long one lived that matters, but how well one has lived that life. Walter’s was a life filled with liveliness, fruitfulness and musical creativity. He was a simple, sincere, saintly, selfless, and service-minded Jesuit.
When Fr Francis Serrao, as Provincial, who later on became the Bishop of Shimoga, had gone on the annual visitation of St Aloysius College community, he went to meet Fr Walter. During the visitation a Jesuit unfolds his life before his Provincial. Fr Walter had put down his manifestation in the form of a song on a slip of paper, and wanted the Provincial to listen to it. “It was a moving experience”, says Fr Frankie. With Fr Walter’s permission the Provincial took the slip of paper from him and copied its contents down in his own book, and shared them with the congregation at the funeral oration he gave. Fr Walter had composed it in two parts: first, a poem, and then prose.
“Something beautiful, something good
All my confusion He understood;
All I had to offer was brokenness and strife
But He made something beautiful of my life.
If there were ever dreams that were lofty and noble
They were my dreams at the start
And the hopes of life; but the hopes
That I harboured down in my heart;
But my dreams turned to ashes
And my castles all crumbled
My future turned to loss;
So I wrapped it all in the rags of my life
And laid it at the cross.
“My thanks go to the Father the Creator, Son the Saviour, and the Holy Spirit the Sanctifier; to Mary my Mother, to all the saints and the angels, especially the Jesuit saints. Thanks to all who have helped me grow in body and soul: my parents loved me so tenderly, my relatives, all the Jesuit superiors, beginning with Bishop Aldo Patroni, my Novice Master, and all others who have helped me grow spiritually and mentally.
There are certain things which gave me satisfaction: the contribution I made to Konkani hymns. There was a dramatic change in Christian liturgy. It took a U-turn. Until that time the liturgical language was Latin. We could use only Latin hymns for Mass, at Offertory, Communion, etc. Every other language was taboo. But now the Church took a U-turn and allowed people to use vernacular hymns. But unfortunately there were no vernacular hymns available for Mass.
I tried my best at writing Konkani hymns based on the music of With Joyful Lips. I was greatly helped by Fr T.A. Lobo SJ who encouraged me to write and publish my compositions in his Paper Jesu Rai. As I was teaching in St Joseph’s Seminary, it was easy for me to teach hymns to the Seminarians. I visited practically all the convents in Mangalore and around. In a short time, almost miraculously people in Mangalore were able to sing hymns for Mass in Konkani”.
His hymns were so popular and his voice so melodious that people called him Dhovi Kogul (the White Nightingale), referring to his ever present white cassock. His contribution to the music field and Konkani musical literature is practically matchless and deserves the highest accolades and recognition. He has been instrumental in spotting and bringing to the fore many talented Konkani singers and helped in popularizing Konkani language and music. He was generous to a fault and worked for no reward or recognition. He freely gave of himself to anyone who sought his help. Many young talents found in him a skilled master to bring out and develop their musical talents. Several Konkani singers of Mangalore have acknowledged their indebtedness to him. The late Mr Wilfy Remimbus was one of them.
Fr Walter was born at Bejai on 8 December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception in 1923, son of Albert and Mary Albuquerque. His musically talented cousins like Fr C.T. Sequeira and his brother John (the choir master of Bejai) helped him learn music at a young age. Already then he began writing songs for dramas and for providing entertainment.
It may surprise many to know that Walter had lost his voice at 14, and could hardly sing for 5 or 6 years. But his deep faith in Mother Mary brought back his voice to him. All his life he nurtured a great devotion to her. On his 80th birthday he said his life’s motto was Mary’s FIAT. At 93 he went to his eternal reward on 7 October, a feast day of Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. “After my graduation”, wrote later Fr Walter in his Down the Memory Lane account, “when I joined the novitiate (10.6.1944), I thought that was the end of my musical career, because in the novitiate we need to say goodbye to all musical instruments, but my novice master, Fr Aldo Maria Patroni, (later Bishop of Calicut) made an exception in my case and allowed me to take the violin inside the novitiate and encouraged me to play the Organ. Under his able guidance I made progress in playing the Organ so that when I went to Shembaganur for Philosophy, I became the official organist for one year and conducted the choir for another year. Here I brought some innovations in the manner of singing: for the first time I introduced Carnatic melodies and tunes for Latin words. The proper of the Mass and some Latin hymns were rendered in Indian music.” He began doing it when pursuing his Theology.
The Hymnal of Mangalore diocese, Bhaktik Gitam, lists 151 hymns - either original compositions of Fr Walter, or those translated by him or those to which he had composed the melody. The list is not exhaustive. “The hymns flowed like a torrent from my pen”, he says. “Initially I wrote hundreds of hymns in Konkani for Mass, for the various seasons of the year, for funeral etc.” He would write the hymns, print them, prepare music editions for them in 3 voices, and teach them in different schools and parishes. It was really a hectic time for him.
But all this did not detract anything from his prayer life. He fully believed that those who sing doubly pray. He was faithful to his daily Eucharist and other spiritual duties. Did Fr Walter have any rest? Did he have any diversion? Yes, but rarely. He was a good cricketer. Occasionally when he joined the co-Tertians or the Seminarians or the Scholastics for a game or a match, people were surprised at the boundaries he hit. While he was in Nagaland, he played badminton like a pro with youngsters even at the age of 70. He enjoyed the game.
One may wonder whether he hadn’t any other priestly ministry as a Jesuit than the music apostolate. Yes, he had, but for short stints: he was Minister of Juniors at the Seminary for a year, Assistant HM at St Aloysius High School, Mangalore, Socius to the Novice Master and Minister of Mount St Joseph for 3 years, and teacher at the Indian High School for 3 years, before coming to Fatima Retreat House.(1967-92)
Fr Walter had an opportunity to participate in an international Liturgical Conference in Europe. When he returned he brought along with him a gismo, the forerunner of the modern-day electronic key-board, something new to his native place as well as to many others. As he planned on returning via Muscat, his music shishyas in the Gulf countries organized a musical evening in his honour on 20 February 1976 at Mina Al Fahal Auditorium, Muscat. It was also a good occasion to give a demo of the new synthesizer he had brought, an instrument unseen and unheard of in the Gulf until then. He accompanied all the songs on it. It was a memorable evening for all those gathered that day, and we can be sure for him too. In his speech, Fr Walter revealed his plans to open a music school in Mangaluru. A box was passed round and the audience generously contributed their mite towards it.
To train young musicians, in 1967 he started at Fatima Retreat House, Mangalore Sangeetalaya, a school of music where vocal music, in both Western and Indian style was taught. Besides vocal music, instruments like the Organ, the Guitar, the Violin, Tabla & Drums were also taught. Sangeetalaya produced a number of cassettes, about a dozen of them.
In 1993, Fr Walter left for Nagaland to be a missionary among the Nagas, a land of dance and music, rhythm and rhyme. There too he continued a similar type of service. Every celebration in the seminary and in the novitiates of sisters in Dimapur, Nagaland and the schools of Southern Angami tribe in Jakhama and Phesama, there was a Walterian touch. He was there for 9 years (1993-2002). Back in Mangalore he resumed his favourite apostolate at St Aloysius College. In the words of the Gospel, we can say of him: he was a man without guile; he went about doing good everywhere. He walked this earth for 93 years, `serenading the Lord with lilting melodies and haunting musical strains’. Now he is continuing his musical extravaganza along with the angels and saints in heaven.
Mr Simon Pais, one of the close disciples of Fr Walter at Sangeetalaya, founded the Saregama Trust in memory of Fr Walter, and to keep his memory alive organized on 8 December, 2019 a mobile-based quiz and a singing competition at St Joseph’s Seminary Centenary Memorial Hall; besides, Mr Pais took immense pains to bring out a souvenir titled Dhovi Kogul in his honour. A Calendar (2019) bearing the picture of Fr Walter was also released. Further, the music classes at Sangeetalaya are resumed now at FRH, since 6.8.2019, by Mr Simon Pais in his master’s memory.
- by Fr Richard Sequeira, SJ
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