New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-03-30
THE GENESIS OF THE BANJO
is IT NATIVE 70 AFRICA OR AMERICAN

L
"Tell me about tho genesis Of the banio.p
the reporter bad suggested 10 tho An1uary and ths
Of romantic learning had smiled and said he would
rather talk about its exodus" However, that I. ont
OF the question Just now" he added "or what with tho
negro MINISTRIES and an Unconventional act OF yoang
in society this relic OF barbarian strangely
kept alive. Miss Clara Louise Kellogg Is largely re-
sponsibo for ia present popularity, fancy For nysef
prefer the guitar musical instrument Of higher
type, but don't blame. people for liking the banjo
After all It has charm that is ique and in an anti.
quaran way 1t Is an extremely Interesting object You
see here lies IT'S quainness-t'sa clear OF arrested
development, sort Of link between the Instruments Of
latterday civilization and those Of aboriginal antiquity
In having sounding body that Is nothing than
piece OF parchment strained a hoOp-a decidedly
primitive arrangement You might gucss-its simply
barbsrtc but in having neck with hnger-board II
shows fine knowledge OF acOnscs-pcrhaps not better
than the Greeks possessed but at least better than they
applied in their musical Instruments Then to mudds
the matter 1t has ret and IN that respect Il
either goes back into prehistoric darkness further than
OF the oldest monuments OF the TX. ptan- or It
tells OF that deIcacy Of the musical sense Mat prompted
the removal Of fres from instruments Of tho vio family
hundred and nifty years ago, or Whereabouts DO YOU
follow me a.
/ fear not; please expounf."
4" Well, I'll try make IL l44n even 10 that which goa
pleased call your intellect a. to the origin Of tho
banjo my friend the Etuologi.t, VITO has Theory bes
retire garrett day, write 1t ont aud upset all
orr present notons insists that it shows union Of in
ventlons Of the black and red race; rs body Is negro.
for IS plainly derived from the drum and the drum IS
peculiar to tribes with predominant infusion OF black
blood. But being a striDged instrument II j. also
Cymric for to the Cymri belongs the invention OF tho
harp. IL going little too far back In antiquity
TO DE at all clear or certain The banjo IS called
American instrument in Europe and here for want of
evidence to the contrary give II an African origin
You know IL, parts a hoop covered with membrane at
a high tension neck and fngeTbOaId without trets:
head with keys FOX tuning and strings WHICH vary IN
number. bat. one. OF which called the chanteche or
melody T. shorter than the others and On th'
bass side Of the keyboard u bc tTanRcd by tho
thumb Now let take up these elements and see bow
far back We can trace them. The sounding body you
perceive while pretty far advanced as percussion IN
struInent, Is documentary to degree a. rc%onst"r
The sayages of Africa to-day dried caaha5hcs to IN
crease tho resonance Of rude Instruments With
better effect than that derived from The body OF BANJO
Some witty writer long ago described the sound OF
halp,ehoId as scratch with sound al the end OF IT,.
the sound banjo thump With note II the beginning
of it, OF all musical instruments not purely IhythAi'''
the banjo least Of all melody instrument though IL ~
well provided the matter OF strings ana hngeT-Dodrd
A. Necessary consequence it almost a. deficient asa
harmony instruments its :cho.da are very eyanesoont.
II. strong point Is power marx rhythm aud tids
fancy is the reason Of its popularity among the negroes
tor Of the three elements Of music rhythm makes the
first appeal TheIe Is something African Ia Inc tea oi
using a membrane In forming sounding-body. Tho
TX bgt ,rp0ng the savases Of Africa tic preference
seems still to be either skin strained over boN, or u
hollow 1ourd. The M-pang"et Gambia trloS OF tns
Cisboon country, unsteady ~ d'aucc OF most 81 uo
tribes Of West Africa make ne sounding box OF theF
-,tIingcd harp By stretching skin over box
dne on! r b.yr a threc-stIDged banjo and a two
stTnged fiddle with rcsoators OF snake skin stretched
over frame. The possible antiquity o. such an arrange
ment leave you to imagine ., ~, J., ,,o .,,., 80,
bc4r 1Upl has al-D -,
am inclined think thar there Is SUI preserved ia
f, g The first form OF strnged musical instrument
Strol tribes have it, Ii Is nothing else than hunting
how with its cord drawn toward the wood near tue i-
die bv bit OF fibre. and calabaSh with an open mouth
fastened opposite. In tho Angola country ul' lnstru-
meat is 90 He'd Nkungo. The player nous uG.iS5M IN
his left arm the calabasb resting on his hip While he
Tangs the string with bit OF wood the pkron OF the
Greeks he varies the pitch OF tue tones Dy 'phng tse
fingers Of his left hand along me strDg. Qai,e SUE
dued. you think ell wouldn't be as anhOy ink IA
EdGrcn I q" ard YOU get tyre and harp; pound them
with sticks and you have a du!cimerj apply the key
nee 1S9t. Of /? RRS.MSb iec t anu gu 0 ~ '0
The banjo has not only strings but iiHeer-boarf
No,g that ii an original invention, preslpp0ses Ia
savage as good practical knowledge % acoustics ~
Pythagoras had ard one OF me slhsr oto oIs 10 te
dence bny The Egyptians did aud II ! one OF the
rf of their early advancement in music They called
II nome and played Oh IT win p.ectrlLn II han Iwo
nay bits camel gut tied around me meek ~ the sti-
ment. aud the man who l.st ned eln mere kt" NC
first law Of the division OF string ana me relation on
pitch to the vibrating segment Whicn ueoas tauEnt
With the monochord but WY hsh t.s Ot!I Ie,S 10
ments of the vio family had them and lost them sup.
pose because thGy lhleISle" W.n tcra,
Now frets enable You TO play chords perfectly In re
a. man string, ~ You please al The place. without
trying the impossible thing OF getting all your Fingers
S1 STRAIGHT line the ingeT-bOard But you can
only have tMentS a vi he sadly out of time wheren,
yritbo,t frets YOU divide the string accurately as high
a. 5Vu b cI however that his consideration promfSd
NJ frrLS III
come from desire OF the musicians 10 Use Sa'r IN
trror man we have in Occidental music. Our
nor tnntd IN recognize small distinctions IN pitch that
are characteristic 81 the oriental peope, Ior Instance
and friends o mine in the South eU me that they can't
r,e down some OF that tho negroes sing be
cause thew haven't notes FOR Inc sounds a eohuhon
mistake j. to suppose mat our d"tolc SGae Is ne sca'
NJ eli music matter OF fact It Is only aconvennon
weII-grounded in nature It Is true anu necessary 10
our theory OF harmony, but sittt M Only CONVENTION
4 dozen tribes In Africa may have dozen scales In
which they sing ther music ana u we Cahlo eaMo FROM
the omission OF the frcts may have been qua
either TO want o. , c hearing Of Which we poTnary
have no conception hut which Is analogous 10 tha Oh ts
Iroots i'm the DAYS befole fschy us when IN The So
called cnharmOnic modes quarter ana hita tones were
DO YOU think the banjo originally an African inyen-
tl@n i,, that orr negroes cot it in Africa but f.,
snss amd fnger-ooard tell Of advanced civilization.
think thar the instrument from which me palo e&s Icon
developed In AsSa IN tsc hands Of saTaee. Tho in
anence OF the Arabs has penetrated All Africa shd inc
Arabs have been TN the c4g rf With having tie
0Sar family into Europe. our V'oius were deFeopel
S 81 tboIr hoEed guitars rebecs friend ol hlho ia
ON o ~ r'onrs rrn-1 whom I lately had letter on the
started by joel Chandler Harris about .oe
~, snVs that a Ce IMAM who lived In New-OIesns
49,, reors ago told him that the negroes OF tnh 'lo IN
Tnnsna used in addition 10 bandc!appne -i "a ~
ming 10 accompany themselves uI9h ho% or I'm
s ~, A. of OF n g-boY, Goari csat ~ cNcu
an Gid lin vessel They OeSsed '1e ~, 10y e.it
trhr. ot negroes IN AHlcs nave ii"'' '' ' "
made Of cigar boxes , any iIyh, On the auhiect ~
i'"ern The natives OF SeDexsiBDia have an IN
neiS Nv he enitar sind which they call bdaid; mats
fnF
49, raof in pandora, Old, lute shaped either Win
VIZ strings that were Plucked Win pectu'A o ~.
it vaI,r.ef in the choice. AT any rate TIE bneo,
80 r. hnon' A. has been developed in this county.