Moved By The Love Of Music

Whether she's playing the organ for Mass at St. Joseph Parish on Common Street or guiding a child through a piano lesson, Dorothy Bowe is always aware of her love for music.

"It's there whether you're happy or sad," she said. "I like the way I feel when I'm creating music."

Bowe has been playing the piano for most of her life and feels so accustomed to the instrument that nothing phases her when she sits down at it. Playing the organ, however, involves so much more physically and demands much more attention, she said.

It requires the same set of skills as playing the piano but also using one's feet to play notes along with the hands, Bowe explained.

"When you hit a key on the piano, it plays at that pitch," she said. "Before you hit an organ key, you have to set up a combination of stops, a set of pipes connected to the keys, which control different sounds."

Consequently, Bowe said, an organist must think carefully about a piece of music before playing it.

"(When playing for a church service) you have to think about the style, how many people are in the congregation and if they will be singing," she said.

"If they are singing, the music needs to be louder or have a different tonal quality," she said.

As the assistant director of music at St. Joseph, Bowe plays the organ for the first, third and ­– when there is one – fifth weekend of the month. That means she plays for the Saturday vigil and two or three services on Sunday.

In addition, either Bowe or St. Joseph music director, Charles Connor, play the organ for funeral services which she did recently during the Mass of Christian Burial for Walter McLaughlin Jr. and in early May for nine-year-old Nicholas Marrama. Such occasions can be difficult for the singers who are facing the congregation but not as painful for the organist, Bowe said.

"I've done this so many times," she said, pointing out that her back is turned to the mourners at funeral services. Death is hard for her, Bowe admits, but said she finds funerals easier to face than wakes.

"A funeral has set rites whereas a wake is emptiness waiting to be filled," she said.

The organ is a beautiful instrument, Bowe said.

"Each one is different and built for the space it's in," she said.

Certain music is written for piano and organ and others pieces can be played on both instruments. Hymns, for example, are usually written only for the organ and flowing melodies and moving notes are more suired to the piano, Bowe said.

"You can take the same piece of music and play it diffrerently on the organ than you would on the piano," she said.

Bowe began playing the organ for St. Joseph's in 2002 when  Connor expressed interest in sharing the job. It took a lot of work to master the instrument, Bowe said, and to this day she still makes mistakes.

"It's a lot more nerve-wracking to play the organ and the mistakes are more obvious," she said. Bowe practices often, particularly when she has a service coming up.

For church services, Bowe chooses the music she will play by looking at what will compliment the readings. The one regret she said she has is that she can't always get more people to sing when she is playing.

"I'm not there to perform but rather to lead the congregation," Bowe said.

"When I choose the music, I often try to pick pieces that are fitting to the service but also ones that will appeal to people."

In addition to playing the organ for St. Joseph, Bowe gives piano lessons to children in her home and at the Burbank After School program.

She said she loves teaching because it provides an opportujnity to get to know the children and make them feel good about themselves.

"I'm not aiming for perfection with the students," Bowe said. "What I am trying to do is instill in them a love of music."

Bowe and her husband, John, have been living in Belmont since 1996 and worship at St. Joseph. They have a son and daughter, 12 and 15 respectively, both of whom play the piano.

She said she loves the community, particularly for its walkability and access.

"You can get into Cambridge and Boston without a car," Bowe said.