Evening star., 1898-10-21
PORTO RICAN MUSIC.
The National Instrument is a Queer
One, but Popular.

One, but Popular.
From the Kansas City Star.
Like all other Spanish-speaking peoples,
the Porto Ricans are fond of music. Every
cafe has its orchestra, for a cafe could
hardly do business without one. Every
main street during the latter part of the
Gay has it's little itinerant band of guitar
and violin players and the warm nights
| are made pleasant to the strollers along
the streets by the sound of stringed in
strun.e ents which floats from behind the
latticed, vine-clad screen of private resi-
dences.
Nearly all of the airs pitched in a
minor key which, even when intended to
be joyous contains plant to the Anglo
Saxon fond of Sousa's robust music. To
ona who has travelled in Spanish lands the
music of Porto Rico at first seems very
familiar but the is not long in dis
covering something novel in the accom-
paninlent to the melody.
1t sounds at first like the rhytnmical shuf-
fe of feet upon a sandad floor, AMI one
might suppose SOM expert clog dancer
was nimhly stepping to the music made by
the violins and guitars. The motion is
almost too quick. too complicated for this
however, and it is the deftness of fingers
ard not of feet which produces it.
1t comes from the only musical instrI-
ment native tc the West Indies, the ''gui-
ra," which word is pronounced ''huir-r-r-a"
with sou ron anu t"lSl 10 lHS Tongue
only possible to the rative. The ''guira'' is
a gourd varying in size in different instru-
| ments. On the inverse curve of the gourd
| are cut holes like these in the back of
violin. On the other side of the gourd op-
pcsite the holes is a series of deep
scratches. The player balances the gourd
in his left hand. holding it lightly that
| none of the resonance may be lost.
With the right hand he rapidly rubs this
roushened side of the gourd with two
tined steel fork. In the hands of a novice
this produces nothing but harsh, dis
agreeable noise. In the hands of a native
"guira' player a wonderful rhythmic sound
comes from this dried vegetable shell, a
sound which, in its place in the orchestra,
becomes music, and most certainly gives
| splerd did time and considerable volume to
the performance.
The players hand moves with lightning
rapidity. The steel fork at times makes
| long sweeps the whole length of the gourd
and then again vibrates with Incredible
swiftness but inch two of its
surface. There seems to be a perfect meth
| cd in it's playing. though no musical record
| is before the player and 1t seems. to be a
! matter merely of his fancy and his ear as
to how his part shall harmoniZe with the
tmeledy of the stringed Instruments.
| The guira is found in all the West Indies,
| but seems specially popular in Porto Rico.
| The players generally make their own in
| strumants and apparently become attached
| to them, for as poor as these strolling play
| ers are. they will hardly part with their
guiras, even when offered ten times their
| real value. They distinctly a Porto
Rican curio, and, strange as it may seem,
Porto Rico is probably more destitute of
| tourists loot than any foreign country
| known to the travelling American The
| tourist who can secure a guira may con-
gratulate himself, for it will be hard to get
| and is the very thing which can be carried
| away from the island a souvenir which
| is distinctly native and peculiar.