The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-27

negroes and handed down rom iatheT 10 sun
Sometimes the notes change slightly from
generation to generation and always the words
undergo some additions or elisions. hut the
melodies, and the stanzas going with them.
remain substantially the same. Their" are, too.
songs of the sugar mills, given in mighty unison
by 200 powerful male and female voices. songs
Of the woodchoppers who are getting out the
firewood with which the crop of cane Will be
boiled and songs of the cotton gins.
One of the best known OF the sugar planta-
ton dittias Is "Swing-a dat Shinin' S'ode
fswordl. in allusion 10 the great knives or
machetes with which the rank sugar cane Is
chopped down. The air IL certainly not less
than $50 years old. the words having been
first mixed African and French patoiN, then
French and then English. A favorit" camp
meeting rally HYMN ia "RoCk-a nah soul in de
buzzum o nah Jesus. and II never falls Of cleo
trical effect. Another popular song among the
negroes Of northern Louisiana and eastern
Texas Is "De Black Bible of which the first
stan2a follows
or Saytin p come a down a rradin'
Wild is black Bibul un'er is arm.
"Ah pray yo'. kin Saveyer. gimme ies,ice heah to-day
Fer some o. desea peepul is mine,
Dry Is er light a -shinin' IN de- Heah'n Thrice
Et Hight dar, a shinin' fer 20,
A negro who got the idea through his skull
that, because of special merit. he would be al
lowed TO assist Gabriel on Resurrection morn,
is responsible for the p~laintive minor-chorded
dltty that has nothing triumphant in II, Ans
gwine after NAH busle" and another. who de-
sired TO shake hs heels all day as we'll as all
night. gave 10 his race the rafting hoe-down,
&c TN.,,kl, "a, 40. nupIrpttp'a o VInu long
ago these men worked and sang and then went
10 their rest in the little gravey ard a, the back
Of the plants<on. planted in ugly china trees
because the beautiful native woods the hick-
ories. walnuts. oaks and ashes are too ommon
no man can say. Neither of these melodies con-
tainS ~syncopation
II l. IL hymns Of one sort or another that
unas.i,ted negro musical producton has been
most fccund. for the reason that the negro
slave. except IN rare Instances. realized his con-
dition of slavery and having no hope Of free
dom in this life. locke for il in the life beyond.
Doubtless slavery is also responsible for the
performance OF the minor in So many Of their
compositions. In VIII H.. Thonpson's beauti-
il poem. Against the Stream. is "A line The
slaves voice moaned in the fields Of cotton, "
and the word "moaned" exactly describes much
Of the singing OF the workers in the close rows.
when a more than torrid sun beat down upon
,han, and tho davis toll must be done. whether
weak mr. strong or sick or well the tollrr.
rtasa h,lr-vails bnve lived during the time
~ e,,arc,natuon and they arc now sung with
r,,cb failing nv hundreds of Young blacks
,bo bova rever done "A hard DAYS work in
their lives and never will.
Va rayro could have cop,nosed "Nassa's in
do co,, col, G-oun. fine and melancholy as N
and no negro could have ever dreamed OF
,bo ,,olodv or "suv,nes River " which l. also
,,,lanoholy h,t ia distinctly white mans music
7, "a mt tho ornatn,ess or CORRECTNESS, OF
,,osa vbich n,,s them hevond making nv
Tho bI,ok II il their inner uuali,y which ia
ma, no,ro \, ali On tho other hand "Ah been
,,Lrir, an do leveo " q we'll known Nississippi
ohor,,s yhile i, ia moro ornate Than either OF
,ho rotor so,gs is In tho main Of African
,roo,ior Again "Cuuh nm climb nm 10 dc
sLr " a commemorative holleluiob HYMN in its
u,idress and savage exul,ation recks Of the
So, -, .u,o,orol ,r,io.
There ,s nothing in tho world eycep, a negro
rootirg ,ba, 10 like , negro camp-moet-
inc Il is no, the sermon though thai Is ant
=. s,ro,oo enough nbioh dissror,Iotes IL
,ro,, tho c,u,-raatipps or rho mo vTtes :
T., !. 40, ,ha environment becoueo tho oner-
81. ,ro,z,od roli c,ous roe,jngs nj both rsoes
400 ho,di IN tho ,iro- woods neart IN n c,ear cresk
!, =, 40, h,s,sr;co, ova,,o,ion for thu, ia conn
80, 80 uhi,as .rd h,ocps ,npe II is tho r,usic
ard ,ba 70, IN which tbe music is Sung and
,ha digor;pg Qualities ~, tho vo;ces Anv
sartharror ~ INV distance within ear-sbo, will
,,, ,.o,, =, oroo uho,hor Il he . negro or , vhits
,ha, ;s singing and the greater the number
90 ,.oioas ,bo uoro uorL.d hocon,os tho dis
,,rc,,or
Az negro Communicating the HYMNS are not
-I,nsd ont " Often the itinerant preacher
can MOI read ana ReIH MS 'ek' from n blDie
held upside down. Moreover. IN" WORDS OF all
the hymns have been familiar To the meters
since infancy. The leading is almost always
done by n woman, who will have n singularly
high and clear soprano, which scars. like a
bird. above the dark branches OF the pines.
Near 10 her VIII SIT OF stand u oeep-o"som"o
i'rnaie WIZ" d o'",ioi'"' '"inu II" N''do"'
ana tne harmony =" '"en' WIZ " I''''c. ~
nan dozen ''horS are wen y" 'ne lron' ann nA'
a Scor" "i DRESSES a"H '" nlaN' 'nN o"nI,osS
are inc mH'nRnaru " ,"e preaoner ana ""
hrp"nns "P"" '"'" '" w NV "N' '"'""''
nan OF INC Worh'
'n'' W." !" l"9S'"H ~ '"'"o""n WIVES
~ an 'eSNu"rs' d" " '"'.' '"N'"' '" S'W'
desree' "n" wv ''r'' WV" 'n'N NJ" !" '"ori''
VIVID ''r'n'S Ii''nH ~" '''''ns 'nr'' sn"u""S
on 'he r'eo"'eN' u '""'N''Io"p'' wv S""'n'fn
h'a'k "hen re'e"us ~ al J : "e"plN 80 dun
mere i not u hn"" w" ruu''' ,""rdrn hymns