The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-02-17

bottles OF Whlskey in their pockets.
For the credit of the members ii gem
eral it may be said the NUMBER of
hablt1al imbibers is not very lage.
F.
SLAVE MUSIC OF THE SOUTH.
This is the subject of lecturegiyen
last Sunday evening in the Brisbl and
Paris Congregational church of Keno
sha County, by the Rev. James bWell.
Secretary of the American Missionary
Association. The subject is eminently
unique, intensely interesting, and the
lecture was eloquently presented.
a large audience, attracted Ey the
novelty of the subject, and the fame of
the speaker, filled the house.
AS an introduction the speaker pre-
lsented some general remarks in regard
to music, the laws of which, he said,
had always existed. Poets had hauti-
fully said there was music n all
things-in the murmuring brook the
signing winds, the vibrating leaYts, the
rushing waterfall, and so on, Tut in
man alone was there song. Wespeak
OF the songs of the birds, but thei, mu-
sic is not song. Song is the expression
OF thought, ever varying. The songs
of birds are the same now as thW sang
thousands of years ago; there has been
no Improvement, no change. Music in
man has two lines of action. musical
tones and the expression of thought
and sentiment. In ancient times the
verse maker and singer were identical.
The blind bard, Homer, who composed
the immortal Iliad, sang his own
verses. In more modern times we
have the poet, the musical composer.
the vocalist and instrumentalist
The slave music of the South i iden-
tical with the early development of
music. The speaker here related an
incident that transpired during the
war. When in Nashville he, with sew
eral others, came in contact with an
old colored aunty, and she was request
ed to sing for them.
DEPRESSING, the speaker said that
some professed to hold the epinion
that negroes were not human beings,
but this incident had proved to him
that they were. When she was asked
to sing she refused; she meantto sing
all the time, but, like a great many
white sisters, she wanted teasing.
This was certainly human. So after
refusing several requests, she said /:
Well | make one up for you." So af-
ter expressions of pleasure from the
company she sang as follows:
OH massa Jesus took my feet
From out de mire and CLAW.
And set me in a rocking chair
10 sing glory all the day.
To sing glory all de day, my Lord,
Sing glory all de day,
AND set me i'll rocking chair,
TO sing glory all de day.
To this colored aunty the highest
ideal OF happiness was to sit in rock
ing chair and sing.
In speaking of how songs come into
existence, he said: Music and song is
born of intense feeling; poets and sing
ers must be enthusiastic if their pro-
auctions are to create enthusiasm in
others. The strongest and deepest
feeling produces the best music and
song. IN the war of the rebellion,
when the government and SsR1;sess1 were
threatened with destruction sgs, ex-
pressiye of the truest patriotism.
leaped into existence and thrilled the
heart OF the nation. Julia Ward
Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic
was instanced as one among the many
which, like the MarselIaise of France,
would always be sung, and as often as
sung would move the heart to love of
country.
So the gospel hymns Nos. /, 2, 3, &C.,
born of the intense feeling existing at
the time of the great revival of some
twenty years ago, would continue to
be sung, and would never fail to deeply
move the religious feelings. And here
the speaker said he wanted to call at
tentiOn to the fact that several of our
most popular revival hymns were ap-
propriated from the slave songs with
out any credit being given for their
origin.
The character of the slave music is
religious. The slave had no patriotic
feelings, he had no country. If the
stars and stripes had any meaning for
him, 1t was that he should be held in
bondage. The sweetest songs have
been born of greatest suffering. The
people who have suffered most have
sung most. The Jews were astriking
instance. Their history had been an
almost unbroken line of suffering.
Not an orchestra in city of import
ance but is largely composed of Jews,
The slaves of the south have been in
tense sufferers.
The speaker here related an incident
of an infidel Shareholder who bought
slave who was noted for his praying.
His new master told him that if he
prayed now he would whip him every
time. The faithful slave kept on pray
ing, and each time the owner followed
with punishment. Once, after his
back, cut and bleeding from the lash,
was bathed with salt and water to has
ten the healing, he gave birth to the
song which has since been sung so Of
ten on every plantation, in every negro
cabin in the South:
" Nobody knows the trouble 1 see, I ord:
Nobody knows but Jesus
In Atlanta a slave owner was about
to sell negro child. The black MOTH
er got on her knees, clasped her mas
ter's feet and prayed him not to sell
her little boy. Oh, master, let him STAY
with his nanny till he gets little
bigger. But he was torn away and
sold. The dusky mothers hair is
white, her limbs tremble, and her ewes
have grown dim watching to see her
little boy again; but he has not come.
Out of the deep sorrows of this OBJ
pressed people have come their sweet
songs.
The slave music Of the South is en-
tirely unique. Nothing like it is pro-
duced in any other part of the world.
1t is purely an American product, and
is the only music we have that is
strictly home production. The music
for which we pay to listen, the opera.
&C., is the product of the masters of
the old world, and this classical music |
is the basis of nearly all our music.
Tie negro everywhere is full of mu-
sic; it is born in him on his native |
SOIL Can't. Speke. in his explorations |