The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-03-29

vNHE purpose TO ind and preserve
the national or folk music of this
couutry-if so it can De called
hy making an exhaustive study of and
research into the sources and character
OF our Indian and negro music, has led
Professor II fillmore and Miss Fletcher
who, however, endeavored TO preserve
The tunes and dances of the Indians iu
their simplest f0rm-and DR.. Dv0rak
D. A. Mcdowell. Arthur Farweu, Hugo
kauu and others TO embody these
themes iu more pretenuOus forms. The
Indians of this continent have as far
iu the past as one can recall-and
T0rquemada tells MS that the Spanish
explorers found the music of the na-
tivas of Peru and Central America and
Mexico of q high order of merit much
iu advance of the Indians of the north
always had their songs and dances.
love and war songs songs of thanks
giving and songs of mourning and also
the chants of the medicine men with
which they meant 90 east out evil and
subdue pain and instrumental music
which, however primitive, had yet its
rhythmic characteristics that are of I'M
terest
NlHEN LLL-lL ALlltllle M CIT tlL aAlAr A'-
ri0us sorts. rattles of gJurd. bone or
wood, and "a small flute and hageolet
upon which were piped tho lays of love
or the shr.I cry of hate and defiance
Some Indians. like the Apaches, had
even a fiddle. But the tunes that were
sung and chauted In both musical and
uncouth voices AN possess a singular
value t0 the student. Nearly an OF
this music is unVrltten. and the feW
specimens of recorded music are Of q
hierugIyph.c character pictures that
are aids Oh memory rather than meant
90 bee the writing of the tune itself. cat
Dim and Scho0lcraft have contributed
specimens of these symbolic drawings
in their reports t0 the government ana
have reproduced them in their books.
Many other writer's have spoken of
these Indian tunes.
There are two classes Of claimants I'D
this matter of American FOLK music.
those who uphold the plantation SONGS
OF the negroes as the real article ana
those who delve into more remote pc
RODS and insist that the Indian music
is the only legitimate source. Ihose
who are most prominent in the latter
class are Farweu and MacdoWeL The
former has written. or rather harmon-
lied iu "a small form typical tunes,
while Mr. Mcdowell has done this also
but has furthermore written am or
chestraI suite iu which his themes are
drawn from indian sources. This. m
dian" suite is 90 be played at the next
symphony concert. and 10 has been
pointed out that the thematc material
has been drawn from the songs and
dances of the lrOquois. tnippeWds.
Iowas. Dakotas and other Indians. But
Mr. MacdoWcu with his 'COnsummate
a.. |... HH## q. HaaHa. 81 Is.
into writings of beauty and attractive
ness.
The power of music to charm and
sway the savage breast is We'll shown
by Catlin in bis Letters and. Notes,
where iu speaking of the songs he
pr0uouuces them "a sort of violent
chant of harsh and Earring gutterals.
of yelps and banks and screams, which
are given out iu perfect time, with
method tbut with harmony iu their
madness The Indian lover calls TO
his adored with "a flute, and Catlin says
that Doe kept the blowing up for days
together until finally the obdurate one
gave iu, literally pIue4 into acqules-
ceuce. The softer side Of the Indian
is shown when with "a primitive drum
Boo hand DE lies down by The fire and
gently tapping 10, murmurs a low
sweet chant of love. one of "the quiet
and tender songs rich in plamtive eX-
precision and melody" Mr. Mcdowell
introduces an Iowa love song into the
suite. and contrasts this tender senti-
ment with sad and martial episodes in
the other movements The entire work
is FUN Of beauty and interest.
A bin prepared by the Illinois Assoc
citation of Music Teachers has been in
trOduced at Springfield. providing for
"a board of examiners TO pass upon the
qualifications of AN teachers iu the
state. The board is 90 consist of five
members. AT least two are to be
pianists, one "a viOlinist and one a. vO-
calisJ The expenses of the commits
sion are 90 Doe met from license fee
OF S3 per annum collected from author
lied teachers of music
A German professor proposes TO
solve the difficulty some people seem
10 have ln choosing a wife by trial hy
music" Everything depends ON the
taste of the subject under study. III
she prefers waltz music. and above an
Strauss Intoxicating strains, she IS GER
t8inly frivolous. If she loves Beethoven
She Is artistic but not practical Does
she prefer Llszt2 Then she IS am
NltlAAar f---.. a. '- ..... -. -'-N-'tl q
would be rather prudIsh. Why an ad-
mirer of Omenbach should De cunning
is not clear. but remembering the
opera of Faust" 10 is easy 90 under
stand that any girl preierriug Gounod
must be romantic and teuder-hearted.
10 ls hard upon Flotow that because
his music is out of fashion a taste
for 30 denotes "a vulgar soul, while
G0ttschalk fares little better pleasing.
according 90 the German professor.
only the superficial Massenet Is sup
posed 90 attract the timid, while desa-
ton 90 Waguers music is 20 distiu
proof of eg0ism. Saint-Saens. how
ever. is a composer the admiration for
whom denotes "a girl of Intelligence
and well-balanched character.-London
Express.
nTha RaInhaM Chasars.n q saLLrLcal