New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-20
FoLK-MUSIC. IN CHICAGO.
".
SONGS AND DANCES OF THE DAHoMANS-
REVELATIONS IN DRUMNING-AFRICAN RELi's
In AMERICAN SLAVE MUSIC.

REVELATIONS IN NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. RELles
IN AMERICAN SLAVE MUSIC.
Tho music which may be heard In the Dahomey
village In the Midway Plaisance bears out the s'.e
ment so often made by travellers concerhIhs '
musical disposition OF the African races
lage IL near the extreme western end Oh .he w
ance From the moment one enters upon ''' -.
ing avenue OF frauds and fakirs his ears are KEEP,
filed with the din OF Oriental music Rlsh' anu
left. in front Of every bazaar and playhouse on
men and women In strange garb. blowing upo"
clarinets Of dabocal shriness and pounu'hs uPo -,
drums Strange that there should be 80 h'"e "
all this music interest the investigator Oh
inexplicable indeed, when 1t is remembered ina
these musicians belong to peoples whose cViiiHa''o
ts many centuries old, ard boasts a musicai sys-
tenn which has been carefully worked out by iearhe
men OF the West as we'll az the East VI eou' 'e y
IL not fair to Judge Of Arabian or TURKISH i"o'N
what one hears In the Plaisance. IL ~ o"' VIZ
popular form Of the art that Is on eHhipi'oi'' az"
This may bear the same relationship TO the rei'e'
form az Daddy Won't Buy Me a Bow-wow' 70
peatboven svmphony Still, the distinction whch
exists between this music ana that WHICH may "
heard at the Dahomey village ~ III suo'ee. ~
comment and enforces at the outset u Ieeoen
OF the tremendous role which natural adap.aohi'!
plays in this most elusive OF all arts Inc go
is musical by nature and in the rudest Inaniies'a
,,ons ~ tho nuscol activity which he puts forth
tho Occidental student perceives nearness 10 MS
ovn art which he cannot ind In the music OF 'he
civilized peoples whose scentiiic anu ae'' nv
tons differ from his own
Let me point out some or these oonu' "a
nathv before discussing more nearly the music Vi
tho Dahomans In the entire Plaisance' SO io"s
&c ono avoids German and Hungarian bands ana
tho lava village TO which hope TO recur ia'e,'
not n chord Iof harmony can be heard ui'i' '"e
Dahomev village Is reached. Nor can ono -.
what I should like to call natural siheihs' VIC"
is singing which seems to have its source III ~ '.
tional feeling and Is calculated to AWAKEN si''i'"i
feeling in the listener The singing OF the ChiheSe,
1onanese and Javanese is as rigidy conventional
in the matter of vocal emission and absence ol
dynamic meditation their posturing anu Pa"'
mime on the stage. II 1t has expression at all -
IS through elements OF association "niCi' a.
mysteries to the European The negroes vi IA
honey on the contrary. sing with a spontaneous
and natural emission of the voice. Whie the cN"~e
peoples that / have mentioned use registers tha'
make the artificial and unfeeng falsetto heces-
sary the Dahomans, a rule. sing IN the resiSlei
and with the voice that are native 10 our nlus'0'
Yet the Dahomans savages. They nave oee'
In constant contact with white traders TOT d CEN
fury or more. 1t Is true but that iact uoeS "''
seem to have modified their manners ana customs
N n vory great extern, They find the same delight
in singing dancing and cutting of heads now that
they did when Forbes visited them forty-iour
vears oro Indeed a bit OF pantomimic action
which | saw several times repeated at the Fair
testified in a manner almost too graphic 10 pe
amusing TO the love Of decaptation which has heen
40 much commented on by travellers. In the matter
OF instruments they are also far behind the Asatic
poonles that I have mentioned. A single harp,
fairly representative OF the best that Africa mas
produced, n unique flute. horn OF the most prlHi-
tive type a rattle. and an orchestra OF drums anu
iron bells are all the instruments in the village
Flute horn and harp are individual instruments
having nothing 10 do with the concerted music
The first and last played. 1t seems emery LOT
the personal delectation Of the performers The
horn is employed in giving horrihc signals by
warrior who struts UP and down on the roofs OF
the front row OF huts 1t Is the most primitive In
str,Iment In the group. nothing more than tusk
with an oval embouchure In the side near the
closed apex. Such trumpets. made OF brass
were used by the ancient Cets. They have been
found In the boys of ireland and elsewhere. And
the parade and tumult Of the army Of the Celts
terrified the Romans For there among
H. IN an infinite number of horns and trumpets.
WI H. with the shouts Of the whole army In con-
cert made "A clamor 40 terrible and so loud that
every surrounding echo was awakened ana all the
adjacent country seemed TO join in the horrible
din" (Poly Lib. H. Save that the Dahoman
trumpet which is found all over Africa. is made OF
ivory instead Of brass it is practically Identical
with the stuic' or stock OF the ancient Irish.
which was used the of the round towers
to assemble congregations. proclaim new-moons.
etc.
The Dahoman horn. or trumpet. as has been said,
is sounded by blowing into or across. an embou-
churc on the side. In this IL recalls what was I'M
doubtcdly the earliest form OF nue instruments.
The Dahoman flute is another. had never seen
one like II or even read description of one. The
rough drawing herewith will save many details Of
description