The San Francisco call., 1908-04-20

Nm never become the foundation OF
wv an American school OF compost
ton and will remain forever
as foreign as the music of the Chinese,
or the music of the negro. it is highly
important that there be preserved to
US. in permanent record. examples Of
the songs of the tribes whose lands
we occupy and whose heritage we have
usurped The Indians music Is dying
out more rapidly than is the redman
himself. Only a few members, and
they very old. of each of the tribes
retain the memory of the uncouth melo-
dies which were formerly prominent
features of the aborigines' religious and
war ceremonies.
In the east Arthur Farwen and asso-
ciates have been collecting the music
of the Indians and a goodly school OF
composers is making use of the ma
teria1. Indeed Edward MacDowells
"An Indian Lodge" familiar to his ad-
mirers. is an illustration OF what occi-
dental methods, plus genius. may do
with the rough and harsh music Of
the Indian. MacDowen is far nearer
the American idiom in AN Indian
Lodge" than he is in his Uncle Remus"
music MacDowe1 was only one OF
those who preached the value of Indian
music to composers looking for new
locale.
In the west the work Of collecting
the melodies of the Indian is being sys-
tenaticaIly attended to by the Univer-
sity of California, which is doing
service of extraordinary worth Pro-
fessor A. L. Kroeber of the department
of anthropology has, for more than two
years. spent most of his time among
the Indians with phonograph and rec
ords, taking down, or, more correctly,
taking in their songs and instrumental
music. for the Indians had evolved 1ar
enough in their musical development
TO have an authentic scheme of alb
stract instrumental music
To the almost impossible task OF
notating this music thus secured on
Photographic records, William +.
Kratschmer, one of the local colony OF
composers, has been devoting himselfs
and his work, as it is completed. is-De-
ing filed in the archives of the uni
versity.
Space limitations preclude the posst-
bllity of extended comment on his
songs, to which duty hope some time
to devote more space. 1t will suffice
for the present to call attention 10
this work which is the more import
ant because of it's immediate need
Professor Kroeber says that perhaps
music of the California Indian would
have been obliterated. The younger
generations, like those of other races.
show less interest than their fathers in
the affairs of their traditions, and both
er themselves but little about the cere-
monies of more prosperous and 1reer
days. Only the old gray haired tribes
men know anything about these things.
and it is from them that Kroeber gets
his songs and minute descriptions of
ceremonies, feasts and war dances.
Their vocal music covers every reach
of their experiences. Though the
words, like the music, are uncouth
they do not lack a certain stotcal
dignity. The words are reiterated like
the text of an old fashioned anthem,
and the phrases are set to definite mel
odies, which are repeated ad libitunl.
according TO the progress of the cere-
mony. Always a set Of words is ac-
companied by certain melodic phrase
which is monotonously repeated at the
whim of the musician or as often as is
necessary to supply the dance or the
ceremony with It's musical accompani-
ment. AT certain stages in the repeti-
ton of these phrases comes definite
climax, showing an awakening sense
of form and contrast; these are fire.
quently of real musical interest and
worth, the voice carrying dynamic col
or and melody.
That 1t is difficult to get the music
into our system of notes may be
imagined when 1T is stated that some
of the songs change rhythm and tempt
Is or 20 times In the course OF a short
song, and at times the melody degen-
crates into incoherent howlings. In
the matter of rhythm. Indian music is
far superior to Chinese or Japanese
music. which recognizes but one form
of rhythm. /. e., common, or A time.
The Indian goes in for 5-4, IA and
such difficult figurations of notes. Their
scale, according to the examplars 1
saw, is extensive. though there is not
the first glimmering of harmonic
sense.
Among the most curious OF their
songs, sung II the Yurok tribe, is a
'sDeerskin Dance Song" 1t is a duet
and illustrates the dehniteness with
which the Indian has developed his
sense of pitch, perfect fifth being
taken by one of the voices and held