The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-03-28
oeign to raise hands in worship or in

Deign to raise hands in worship or in
prayer"
These poems which l have brought
to your attention are very familiar and
dear to the people and yet they are not
sung freely in the home. A Hindu gem
tleman might in an ecstasy of devotion
sing one of them to himself, but he
would avoid all publicity in the act.
If sung in public it would be, as a rule,
by professional singer, who Is very
popular, although not always highly
respected member of Hindu society.
A singer of great repute is in demand,
not only for temple festivals, but for
all manner of social occasions II
such an one concludes to make pill
grimage he can go from one end of his
country to the other, finding the best
of entertainment and the heartiest of
greetings everywhere. Each evening
the villagers gather to hear him. He
will probably begin with an invocation
to his patron deity then sing a few
songs with simple choruses or refrains,
in which all will join, and then respond
to suggestions, rendering with equal
appropriateness a most devotional Sc
lection or a popular song so vile as to
be beyond our average comprehension.
He can do this without disturbing
the intended effect of either class of
songs, because he follows rigid rules
which define the exact method in
which song of a certain class shall
be sung.
To a westerner, after the novelty
! has worn off, his performance seems
monotonous We acquire a liking for
it in time, just as we learn to like the
curious prints and the rice and curry
of the Orient. His melody is often,
though not always, in a minor key; he
: is fond of brief intervals between
notes; the Hindu scale is nominally
: like our own, but in reality uses many
more notes. The musicians there as
sert that only the violin, guitar, flage-
olet or human voice can properly rem
der native melody
The professional sings in high fall
, setto, accompanied by stringed instru-
ments or by cymbals or by a drum, the
sole aim in each case being to mark
the intricate time. The Hindu drum
is an instrument which merits respect
: full treatment. I once read a Tamil
poem an amusing catalogue Of the fem
mime charms which captivated great
warrior who surprised lovely maiden
!! Her decorous flight was thus described
'As the stately swan she glided,
Her ewes were like two stars:
Her well shaped ankles twinkled mer.
a rily
; AS she ambled like the elephant of the
I forest.
| Her waist was like a drum"
The poet meant to indicate by his las
expression that she had perfect ply
sique, her waist resembling the grace
full and delicate instrument shaped like
an hour-glass, never played will
drumsticks, but always by the fingers
and capable Of furnishing in the hand
Of an expert player far from disa
!. greeable accompaniment to the weirt
y songs of the Hindus.
The most amusing example of tn
professional singer to me was the Pm
dadom, as they used to call him in Bat
= ticotta, where I lived. He was at
: taohed to temple near by and sen
around regularly to receive offerings o
food from good Hindus for the supper
of the temple staff. He had a recog
nized beat and a reasonable assuranc
y of attention and respect. All Hindu
would regard 1t as religiously meritorl
e GUS to give to him, but it is etiquett
to first go through various prelimina
ries. He announces his coming b
beating his drum in very peculia
IS way. AS he enters the gate we
disposed housewife never fails to gree
n him in kindly, semi-affectionat
fashion:
20 Pandaram, what sort of foo
would you like?"
ID To which he invariably replies:
Friend woman, what sort have yo
got to give to me?"
Then comes in the possibility of indi
vidual cleverness In repartee. She per
er petrates a Hindu joke.
20 Pandaram, would you take tn
1t flesh of deers or rabbits?" quite unat
tainable, but also forbidden.)
He replies, perhaps, matching he
T, jest:
ID Friend woman, above all things
would like some peacock" Equal
,e absurd suggestion.
Once more she tries him:
90 Pandaram, would you be afraid I
eat wild beast?'
20 | bTlHS OH your ilOIS UF llBeTS--lLS d
- one to me-" And so finally she give
~ him the offerings he has been waitin
\ for.
In vivid contrast stands another re
collection when one calls upon an age
u man who has been singer of niue
ie note; he would feel offended If M
ie asked to give a specimen of his skill
40 But he would no longer sing ordinar
| songs. He chooses the Thevadam, tn
most sacred song in southern India,
y melody which no boy or young ma
- would think of singing. I cannot pre-
~ tend to reproduce it properly, but b,
:, cause of it's intrinsic interest I wi
~ make the attempt. The general franz
=. work of such a melody as this is fixe'
~ but it affords large opportunity for il
dividuaI treatment The words ha,
no unusual merit and are liable to cor
:. slant change. Those that shall sir
~, are as follows:
no The heavenly being who are create
no than the heavens
r. Rejoice to chant the Vedas,
While the heavenly singers compo:
and sing their songs.
nm Such songs as these interesting
MS they are, merely serve to introduce l
I to the real folk-song literature-tl