The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-02
NOTED NEGRO SINGERS.
GREAT PROGRESS MADE BY TIE
COLORED RACE IN MUSIC.

Negro Troupe.
From the Net0 York advertiser.
It IS only natural that in the general
progress and culture of this country the
negro should have his legitimate share. In
Il few prominent instances attention has
been called to the negro in politics and in
law, but his achievements IN music have
been overlooked. Everybody knows that in
certain lines Of uncultured harmony the
negro is unexcelled, but the proficiency of
several Of the race in the science Of the most
| divine OF arts is matter Of news to the
! general public.
1t is a fact that can easily be proved thst
there are many negroes in this city who can
sing and play some of the most difficult
music at sight. In the London Conserve
tory of Music there is a young Cleveland
mulattO who is teaching white men to sing
correctly, while in the New York Conserva-
tory of Music there is a young coffee-colored
| protege of Mrs. Jeanette NJ. Thurber
whose mellow BARITONE promises q success
! full musical future for him. There arrived
| in this city a few days since negro violinist
! whose talent was of so marked character
! that he attracted the attention Of Joseph
! Joachim, the great Berlin virtuoso. and
| was under his instruction for year and
! half. The success of Sissieretta Jones, better
known as the BLACK Patti, 4" is too we'll
known to call for further comment, and
numerous other instances Of marked musical
| talent might be mentioned.
The stigma of slavery which has rested
upon the negro during his residence on this
! continent has placed him in position where
| 1t was extremely difficult TO regard him
! seriously. Even in the northern states,
where equality is supposed to exist in its
widest application, the negro has been re-
! Rarded much in the light of Artemus Wards
"emoosin cussn The coarser elements Of
his character have been burlesqued upon
the stage, and popular prejudice has rele-
| gated him to the lowest position in the
social scale. Still, considered muHcally it
cannot be denied that in certain lines of
| emotional melody aud harmony the negro
| stands uuexcelled
In his plantation melodies he has charmed
| continents but no one up to the present
| time has ever considered him az IA scientific
| interpreter of a musical score. From ." Una
| Gle Ned" to "Schuberts Serenade' is a very
wide step indeed but few negroes have
| crossed this Rubicon, and some have risen
| from hoe down on the fiddle to a Paganini
composition on the violin, with all the aero
| battles thrown in.
To all admirers OF endeavor in any line Of
achievement these facts will commend
under most discouragfng circumstances.
| The facts from which che above generaliza>
| ttons we're made are CLEANED from su inter-
view with WIN M. Cook, probably the most
cultured negro violinist on this continent.
MIR. Cook was found at the Touissant
POuverture Club, in Thirty-second street
de Is here in the interest of what he calls
The Worlds Fair Opera Company, an or
Ranization which will produce an opera en-
titled Uncle Toms Cabin in Chicago in
August. He says he will require $25, 900 to
! put his opera on the stage III proper shape,
and he proposes to give series Of concerts
| throughout the country, assisted by several
of the prominent singers of his race, begin
ming at Carnegie hall Tomorrow night.
| Mr.. Cook Is handsome young mulatto
| OF about % years. He was born in Wash
| ington. ID. c., and his preliminary musical
| education was obtained there Afterward
| he was sent to Berlin, where he graduated
| on the violin under the instruction of Joseph
| Joachim. He returned to this country
about one year ago, and has been engaged
| upon his opera ever since. The instrument
| Cooks plays upon was the property of his
| grandfather when a slave. The latter
| earned money enough with it while playing
at dances and parties to purchase wife for
| himself. Mr.. Cook says be has played upon
violins made by Stradivarius and Amati of
| late, but for none of them would he ex-
| change the old instrument hallowed by
such tender memories.
Some interesting facts were CLEANED from
/ Mr.. Cook regarding this wonderful violinist,
| Joachim. He Is about 60 years is large
and aristocratic looking. He wears his hair
! long aud speads English like a native. He
is simple and unaffected as a child. He does
not charge his pupils anything for tuition,
! and never has more than sixteen at a time
and those the most talented.
why" said Mr.. Cook growing animated
| as his recollection of Joachim was stirred.
| las great master and thorough violinist
| presume be has no equal in the world. To
hear him play one Of the greatest violin
solos, by Bach, is like listening to an orohes-
| ira He has a collection of violins given to
him by a wealthy lady. The collection in
cludes two Stradivari, two Amatis and sew
erAl made by Guarneri The collection is
probably worth $4,000 He makes con-
| cert tour about two months in the year and
plays once in Berlin. No hall is large
enough to hold the people who go to hear
| him.
Whom do you consider the greatest
soloist as a singer in your race to-dayP
THAT is quite a difficult question to an
swer," said MIR. Cook, "as, contrary 20
popular Information among the whites,
there are number of very capable artists.
| But in point of culture perhaps the lyric
tenor, Harry Williams, takes the lead. be
was born iu Cleveland twenty-seven years
! ago. For a number of years he was a
waiter in an ice cream saloon, when he at
traoted the attention of Prof Underner, a
musical instructor, who took great inter
est in him and gave him his preliminary
education as singer. He showed
such remarkable talent that a bene-
fit was given for him In
Cleveland, which netted $4,000. With
the money he studied for three years in
Paris and then went to Milan for one year.
lie has sung in "La Scala" more than once
and has participated 10 the celebrated
Denza concerts. Denza even wrote a solo
for him. When his musical education was
completed he returned to Cleveland, but
found popular prejudice against his color
too great. and so he returned to Europe and
accepted position vocal instructor in the
! London Conservatory Of Music my
race" continued Mr.. Cook, "owes a great
! debt of gratitude 10 Mrs Jones, the Black
Patti for her signal work in breaking
down the walls of prejudice against the
negro in his efforts 70 rise above the
mediocre in music and attain to classic
grounds. The conditions, especially in this
city and vicinity, are very different from
! what they were one year ago, even regard
| ing the respect in which our humble efforts
! TO rise in musical estimation are received.
] She is, perhaps, the greatest dramatic
| soprano we have, with Miss Sally Warning
! OF Washington a close second.