The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-20
FOLK-MELODY.

Much has been written in appreciation
of the primitive yet beautiful poetry of
the folk songs. For many years this de-
partment of folklore has been closely
studied. 1t seems that the melodies to
which many of these songs are sung are
equally worthy of attention. The people
of nation are usually possessed of sew
eral melodies more or less musical, to
which they either chant or declaim their
popular poetry or accompany their &C.
customed work. The origin of these
melodies is as mysterious as that of the
folk-poems. 1t is supposed that one of
the people, of more musical nature
than the others, originates the melody
which, in the course of being sung or
played, is adapted to the general idea.
A distinctive characteristic of folk-mel-
ody is that it is the product of many
minds rather than being the apparent
product of one only. In fact it possess
es nationality rather than individuality.
One of the elements which go to COM
pose melody is rhythm; regular divis-
ion of time. So person performing
any kind of labor which requires regu-
larity of movement has one of the ele-
ments OF song all ready to hand, and,
as to sing is an Unborn tendency. he
soon supplies the other elements of
melody, and there we have folk song.
The work helped to compose the song
and now the song helps to do the work
by inducing the men to strike, or the
women to rock the cradle, in time to the
music. While in the field the primitive
hunter found that to initiate the calls
OF birds was useful acquisition, and
from this sprang class of folk melodies
which initiate birdsong. Almost every
occurrence in the lives of primitive peo-
Piles has called into being its own pecu-
liar music, either bright and joyous or
dark and lugubrious. as the case might
be, but all rejecting the national char
acter with more or less sincerity. Thus
funeral and marriage music, music to
accompany various incantations, melo.
dies supposed to possess medicinal quail.
tiles, prayer melodies. love melodies, and
melodies to which the historical records
of the people we're chanted, so that by
remembering. the melody one could call
to mind the words. This method was
also used to assist in remem boring the
laws. An interesting modern example
of the tendency of the people to meIodize
is to be seen in the street cries of our
large cities. Some of them are very
characteristic.
There are more folk-melodies to be
found in major than in minor. A per-
feet folk-melody usually contains some
thing which is characteristic of the
people from which it springs and char
acteristic of them only; but what this
something is, is very difficult to define.
Evidently national characteristics do
not spring altogether from the kind of
scale in which a melody is composed.
The melody, There is Happy Land"
is composed in the Chinese scale, but it
does not sounds Chinese. Nor do they
lie altogether in the rhythm. The
Scotch and the Hungarians frequently
use the same rhythm, but their respec-
tive folk-melodies give one an entirely
different impression. Nationality in art
is much discussed point. Both sides
have many able and learned adherents.
But we may safely conclude that nation.
al flavor in music is an indisputable
TACT. We do not care to how many
other causes the difference in their
music can be assigned, the difference in
the nationality of men certainly plays
no small part in causing an ultimate
Inference in their music. The foun tain
head of nationality in music is to be
found in the folk melodies. The folk.
melodies are very near to the people;
they spring from the heart of the ma.
lion; and thus contain the musical es.
'ence of nationality. Many musical
composers have appreciated this fact,
and in their endeavors to give national
1avor and meaning to their music have
searched out and studied the national
musical spirit, as evinced in their ma.
ions folk-melodies. and have taken this
beautiful wild flower to their hearts,
md loved it, developed it. and wrought
'ver it until noble symphony was pro-
luced. which is as much national pro-
luct as the folk-melody, although it re-
Iuired the thought. energy. and tech
Iique, SO to speak. of the cultivated
musician to give it form and being
I. f. Gilbert. in Music.