Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-05


tCum a rop-strop-bnttle, Mlstnh KimbleD
Make a nlgger's lips go hlppity Hop.
Cum rop-strop-bottle. Mistah Kimblel
And after each verse the chorus:
Keemo. kmo, kilgo. kayro.
FleerOo. filro, flayoray.
Rop-strop. periwinkle, little yaller booger-
Cum rop-strop-bottle, Mstah kimblel
1t is not pretty and certainly not in
teresting except to a depraved musical
taste, but there is Jingle, sort of
song and dance movement. in the air
that happily expresses the JOY of doing
nothing. Sung to the loud twanging OF
a banjo, II represents the outre melody,
the trne scope OF the much lauded Afri-
can musical intuition which In truth
never existed. Neither Stanley nor Liv-
ingstone nor any other explorer of the
dark continent was ever chcered or
amused with melodious acclaims from
the savages simply because the talent
is not native one with the race
Their religious hymns are usually in
dcative of their best efforts. For in
stance,
MethodIs'. Methods is my 'llgion,
Methods till die.
I've been baptized In de Methods faith
And live on de Methods side,
with the chorus,
Amt dem hard trials. -
Great tribuatlons
Amt dem hard times?
I'm gwine TO leave dis worlf
variation of the last line being,
I'm Methods till die"
The vocal frenzy of a party focusing
in bass. baritone, tenor and soprano on
that word "tribulations' is one of the
weirdest effects, for their voices collec-
lively sound as clear as bells and the
combination is intensely harmonious.
Many of their choruses are the uni
son of refrains from songs arranged by
some white composer OF the north or
south. The writer of this article 20
years ago, deliberately and with "mal-
ice aforethought," combined two--eaoh
in different keys-and has since heard
them hundreds of times sung by ne
groes strolling about the lanes and
streets of southern towns and cities
after nightfall. They are:
Adleu, ndieu. my fren's, Adieu, adIeul
] KIN no longer stay wild yo', wild yo'
But III hang my harp on a willow tree
An Did dis worf 80 well wild theel
and
Fare yo' WE'LL mus leave yo'.
DO not let my pnrtin grieve yo
Fare 20 Well mus leave yo'.
W NGI3
with the last stanza repeated. and
sometimes an almost endless repetition
of the phrases. Frequently n spoken
line, which is their own Improvisation,
Will add to the quaintness OF the chant.
but the present song of the minstrel
stage and concert hall, whether pretty,
refined. humorous. pathetic, stupid or
vulgar Gas 1t occasionally isl. is n delu-
sion when supposed to represent any
original musical proclivity of the negro
OF the south
He can sing, though individually or
slngly his voice is rarely ever pleasing.
He can play the banjo and dance a dou-
BILE shuttle or q Jig like an expert, but
he is Just as good at repeating the fam
ed alliterative verse;
Did you ever see possum in
pawpaw patch. a-pickin up rawpaws
an a-puttin 'em In his pocket I, make a
pawpaw pie for his papa?" which to
him is often a source OF perfect content.
The race would rather sing. play and
dance-as would many white people
than burden themselves with work
Their sentiments are fully illustrated
in the words of slave of the ancien
regime who. with a six inch grin on his
face. said; "Massa, de hes days ob do
old nisger's life am done gone, but
when / think oh de good ole times we
had befo de wah, desc bones oh mine
gifts young an ! wants TO git right IN
and hit de Jig step agen like used ter
do" ALBERT L. SOUTHWICK,