The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-17
NO GREAT WAR SONGS COMING
SOusa Declares Conflict with Spain
VIII Not Produce Them.


Chicago Evening News
There will be no war songs of merit in
memory OF the history that is just now
making, say the musicians They declare
there win be no battle melodies no bal
lads, not march that even in a compar-
able degree will do for the present war
what Dixie" Tramp, Tramp, Tramp the
Boys Are Marching and Marching
of the rebellion. These men of melody say
the feelings of the soul must be 9gitated to
Star-spangled Banner" or any like chant
can be produced. And this feeling, they
add, is as yet absent from the heart of
the Nation.
In brief, that is the opinion of the 1900
band men in Chicago They don't think
much of the war with Spain. Most of them
are convinced the conflict will soon end, as
one of them expressed it, and while all of
them are patriotic and willing to go to the
front as soon as called, their cherished be-
lief is in harmony with the views of the
great leader, John Philip Sousa. Americas
popular composer has wagered a suit of
clothes that the war will be over in two
months
No man is more absorbed in the develop
ments of the hour than Mr.. Sousa- He
doesn't like governmental Spain It's rule
bore harshly on his grandfather early in the
present century, and the Sousa family, hav-
ing lived one generation on the soil of the
Dons was forced on account of political
reasons to embark for America. Spain
loss gave America a great composer, and
now the most popular march writer in the
Spanish territory when sixteen years old, is
firmly persuaded that country is not able
to put up any fight worth the name.
NO, said the musician, the SpaniardS
won't fight when the time comes; they'll
fuke. OF course they will fire shell now
and then, but they won't do any hard fight
ing. and because they are that kind of peo-
pie and for the reason that there is nothing
great in the event-great In the large sense,
1 meant think there will be no chance for
any new composer of war songs. You see
before you a great song. You must have
great feeling to bring it out.
Now, there is little If any feeling to speak
of in this war; none at all like there was
during the war of the rebellion. I have
studied this subject of popular feeling as
it is addressed by music and all our war
songs are or two types-either the extremely
pathetic or the extremely warlike
Take a pathetic instance-'When this
cruel war is overland it goes straight to
the saddest chambers of the heart And
what can be more warlike than Marching
through Georgia or Tramp. Tramp? The
civil war came from Stephen Fosters negro
melodies This material was worked over in
such spirit as to fit it with the American
feeling. In this respect we are peculiar
people. America, perhaps, is the only coun-
try in the world that has nothing to apollo
gize for We have never been whipped, we
have never been worsted, nor put into a
humiliating attitude such as has happened
in the history of every other nation and that
spirit among our people. 1t is a spiritual
quality and blended in with it is the keenest
sense of comedy, q. fine appreciation of the
absurd in the daintiest shades, so that in all
popular American music of the first quality
you will observe a sly humor, just a wfim-
steal grin on the quiet.
II think l may say, without being egotis-
tic my music is accepted as typically Amer
ican-I have been told so often enough.
Well, | studied for years the Washington
street boy, watched him swagger, went to
the baseball parks. caught the spirit of the
crowd there and got to be so STEPPED with
the feeling of the average crowd that I
could sit down and write off the kind of
music they wanted. Here again there is
something queer about the average crowd
that composer, especially a march COM
poser, must underStand-you must have q
strongly marked rhythm; rhythm keeps
the legs going right and the rhythm was
to be pounded out on the big drum The rea-
son son for this Is that while the .nusical can
keep time easily enough the unmusical
march to the words and here it is where
the band leader can he of the greatest serv-
ice to the commander in time of stress
Why, when 1 was a the head of the Marine
Band at Washington / used to play a trick
to get the men back early off parade. On
the way out I'd play anything L CHANGED on,
but coming home, when the men were tired
I'd play something they were all familiar
with, The Girl 1 Left Behind Me- or any
thing like that, and you could see them lift
their feet lively and step out quick, forget
ting all about their fatigue
Again the band master that knows his
business can put his troops in good humor
and squelch discomfort. Once my troops
were in rainstorm for half an hour
When they were soaking through | had the
band play Wait Till the Clouds Roll BY
Another time we were in a big procession
in Washington and every fifty feet we had
to stop. 1t was botheration, vexation and
everything else, and the crowd was losing
its temper when i gave the wink to my
men and we struck up Oh Dear, What Can
the Matter Be-. Every one started to laugh
and after that all were in good humor.
Dealers in band supplies say there is a
boom in the musical instrument trade
Militia companies are being equipped ali
over the country.