New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-10
MUSICAL COMMENT
DR. FRIEDLAENDER AND FOLK.
SONG.
what a German Professor Says About
foster--Slave Music and Indian
Miss Densmore's Book.

Nihc TOO tardy 10 be considered part or
inc controversy touching the correct deti-
nluon of the term which the seIf-const-
'"ted Schumann OF The Evening Post
invited not long ago by hi. structures on
NINE. Semhrich's programme of folksongs,
out yet interesting and instructive comes a
note by DR.. Max Friedlaender In the last
bulletin of the Boston Music Company. DR.
friedlaender. a member of the faculty OF
the Royal University in Berlin. spent last
winter at Harvard in the capacity of ex-
change professor. He has distinguished
himself i'm several branches OF musical re-
search and has been recognized as an su-
thority especially on the subject OF song
literature. The essay was written 10 in
troduce dozen volumes OF songs repre-
sentative of different peoples published by
the Boston Music Company and c. Schir-
mer. Not all Of these collectioss meet the
requirements set by DR.. Friedlaenders
definition, but that is nothing to the pres
ent purpose. which has primarily TO do with
one of the volumes and a statement which
is point-blank refutation Of The Even
Ing Posts" assertion that Stephen c. Fos-
ter's ballads are entitled 10 De called folk
songs.
DIR. Friedlaender IS specific. When
I use the words folksongs, he says,
NO doubt some of my readers will i'm
mediately hear drumming in their ears
My Country, It's Of Thee or The Star
Spangled Banner or If they happen 20 De
familiar with German. songs, they may
hear strains of Die Wacht am Rhein and
Die Lorelef or 'Tannenbd baum the mel
odv which the South took FOR it's famous
war song. Maryland. My Maryland ,.
Neither OF these examples. however, is a
specimen OF the true folksOng, nor are such
songs as Home. Sweet Home. the words
OF which were written by Howard Paine
and the melody by n. r. Bishop. OF this
character; nor the so-called original negro
songs as composed by stephen Foster:
Way Down Iron the Suwanee River.
Nsssa's in the Coz, COR Ground and My
old Kentucky Home are lovely poems set
20 characteristic melodies by Foster him
self, but they are not true 'folksongs. This
KIND Of song, both American and German,
as indeed any tune which flies from mouth
70 mouth. might be called a fOlksong, but
there is a distinct difference between those
which I have mentioned and the fclksong
IN its proper significance. The difference Is
this: First, the songs referred 10 come eX-
clusively from the higher. strata of mu,,
steal development: second. they are ali
more or less consciously artistic creations
and third. the authors both OF the words
and the music can be identified. To distin-
guish this kind OF music from the genuine
folksong, we In Germany speak Of them
as 'volkstiimiche' rather than as 'Volks-
lieder that is. We call them popular or
national songs instead OF foksongs"
In the predatory note 10 Nine. Sembrichs
programme the case was put more senten-
tiously: "Folksongs are not simply
songs that are popular IN the countries
whence they enlanate, but songs which are
created by the people who sing them.
Folk music, whether it takes the form OF
dance or song. or. as is generally the case.
OF dance and song combined. is that body
Of music which has grown up among the
peoples Of the world as a spontaneous ut
terance without the influence OF conscious
art" They are therefore correctly de-
scrlbed as the fruit Of the creative capac-
itv of people instead Of the product OF a
single creator"