The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-25


sion, and particularly their stringed
ones, betoken this. AS was mentioned
In this writing, the presence of the lat
ter, In various conditions of advance
ment, among the tribes of Africa, bears
out the idea of natural musical bent
and of its relative progress in their own
country.
The slaves of the United States were
thrown among the whites and their
superior knowledge of music an In
born love thereof induced in the negroes
an imitation of what they heard and
fancied; these crude reproductions be-
ing freighted with weird and character
istic peculiarties of time, melody, die
ton, and rendition. An appreciation
of the eccentricity, the comicality, the
pathos of these expositions on the part
of the negroes, led those who were their
masters and daily brought into con-
tact with them to idealize and sing or
play a unsteady acceptable version of
the negro conceptions and limitations.
This was done to greater extent by
those in the "show business" who trav-
eled among the darkies in their profess
sional journeys through the slave states
and along the Mississippi river, and
saw large pecuniary benefits in store
for themselves by presenting to the
public a delineation of negro character,
songs and music; an embellished mix
ture of the negro's African and acquir-
ed ideas of their own. This was the
case no doubt, with Stephen C. Foster,
| who, by his pathetic genius and pow
ers of appreciation, immortalized him
self in giving to the world his musical
poem, way Down Upon the Suwanee
River" Hard Times Come Again No
| More, and other kindred melodies.
In turn again the colored population
| of the United States initiated their
imitators, as is attested by the nature
of both the religious and secular music
affected by the negroes of this coun-
| try up to the present time.
Many of the negro melodies carry
| traces and themes of Scotch, Irish,
| Spanish, and other airs, and theories
| have been advanced in explanation of
how these influences were brought to
bear directly upon the negro, which
| no doubt are to some extent true. A
| solution of the matter seems to lie in
| the fiddle tunes used by the white
| bands of negro Ministries. In old times
many of those musically inclined and
who were associated with these COM
| panies had learned directly or indirect
ly, among the dance houses and places
of resort of New York and other sea-
board cities, great variety of jigs,
reels, hornpipes, and the like, many of
which were imported direct by the sail
ors of all nations or were made up
here of fragments of airs caught from
them.
These fiddle tunes were more or less
incorporated in the music used by the
negro Ministries and the popular songs
of the day. Mayhap some of our fan
cied ditties of to-day are born of them
Each orchestra leader was proud OF
the possession of collection of these
fiddle tunes and charity guarded his
treasures. "Frank" Converse once
owned a compilation of this sort; il
was in manuscript, and it's pages were
yellow with age, ard its ink dim; many
of the pieces had come from foreign
parts. This collection he exchanged
with Dan" Emmett for one the latter
had made in his fiddle day, and Con
verse subsequently passed this over tc
| George" Goes, who IS afterward sale
to have published some Of the airs Il
contained.
tom" McNally, "zeke" Backus
Charlie" Abbot, Bob" Shattuck, ED
die" Fox, Phil" Isaacs, "Dick" Hooley
John B. Donniker and Dave" Brahan
had tunes of this ilk at their fingers
ends, and played them in fashion
that was irresistible. These airs were
utilized in the minstrel business, ant
that is one way the tunes of othel
nations crept into music associated will
the negro John Clemons a fiddle
player of Troy, N. Y, was responsible
for "Oh, Hush" the earliest of negro
operas, and composition replete will
pretty, catchy melodies that have beer
handed down, in one shape or another
to the present generation by the min
strels.
Nowadays very marked change hat
come over the nature of the banjo mu
| sic played by professionals and ANA
tours; the old way of striking is rapid
ly falling into desuetude, while the "gui
tar style has made great strides int,
general favor among the present genera
ton of players, in consequence of it
being specially adapted to the success
full rendering of the new musical roper
toire. Wonderful execution is display
ed, and, when the selections are happ.
ones and we'll adapted to the instru
ment, the results are exceedingly graft
flying.
Among the banjosts is E. M Hall, al
adept in both styles of playing, who i
still on the stage doing public servic
|, | the United States and in England ha
been very marked.
The Dore brothers are in the from
rank of modern players and figure be
fore enthusiastic audiences in concerts
1.-THE Dore Trio" composed of Georg
S. Dore, w. B. Farmer, and William c
Dore, is about making an extende
. | concert tour of the west and Califor
mia.
A star of the first magnitude in tt
banjo armament is George W. Gregory
, not only as a wonderful executant an
soloist, but as thorough musician an
, teacher. He comes of musical parents
and in his cowboy days in New Mexic
made a complete study of thoroug
| bass. His arrangements of banjo mu
| sic are artistic, among which may b
mentioned LISTS Rhapsodie Hongrois
} No. 2, Moszkowski's Boleras and Span
;.t nooo opd tho rorI1Iar ct n MT