The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-11-19

"nl(e MUSICIANS ana tilC NiNAAN
York musical press present, ana
there was no one in that audience
there was a stir when the rches
ira started to play the
rhythms of Cooks Swing Along
followed by a storm of applause;
theref was no noe IN that audience
that did not feel tina for once he had
heard the real thing" the uHue
southern negro idiom. worked out
with clever mu~sicianship and GENIAL
ver4e into a truly artistic manifesto
ton.
This pleasurcable surprise vas
equalled, if not surpassed, when the
second part Of the program Dug
another composition of Will Marion
Cook: The Rain Song To TINS
delightfully."- quaint and naive dialect
poem the composer has found a mel
ody Well-nigh perfect in its ldiomatlc
charm and in its close adaptation 10
the vocal infections OF the colored
dialect. The music form given to II
calling for six solo singers to rise
from the middle of the orchestra ana
say their little verse IN turn with tne
fun chorus r~eSpOnding) was as happy
in its effect as it was natural and
appropriate. This is music very close
to nature indeed in it's u
there is much Of art in the way IN
which the climaxes are built up. and
there is also a particular facial 1eel-
ing for strong, full harmony. Cook,
besides havin~ the advantage or
European training as a violinist under
no less a master than
knows the musical traditions Of his
race thoroughly, and fortunately he
is not ashamed Of them. On the con-
trary, they give to his work a deep
! rooted strength and the power Of con-
yiction- as ii he were the spokesman
for all his brethren.
Cooks work at it's best means no
less than finding the proper musical
cOrrelative to the negro idiom, n
thus winning a new territory to music.
n comparison with another mai 8
work who has done a similar service
to his nation becomes obvious when
we look at Cooks masterpiece, his
"EXhOrtatiOn'-the sermon OF a ne
gro deacon to his audience Of dar-
keys. Those who are familiar with
the peasant songs, the operas and the
humorous character songs Cike The
Sominarist") Of the great Russian,
M~oussorgsky, will realize the striking
parallel that exists between h Rus
sian composer and the negro, although
on such different grounds. What
MousSorgsky has done for Russia in
Faithfully noting down the idiOns of
they Russian peasant orphans, lay
priests, mothers and children-has
Deen IN n way by COOK
for his colored people. The effective
characterization Of the darkey
preacher his la e~loQuence, his
tempestons moods, his jolly COMPARE
sons) and the chorus Of convinced
devOtees it is all humorous, delight
full, nelodiGus and genial, while the
great Amen" with it's racial slurs
and infections, is an Inspiration in
deed.
"Besides his larger works, Cool
has written many songs in more pop
ular vein. some Of which are fasci
mating with their grooming lit, an(
are always distinguished from OtAel
popular song writings by rich ant
mellow harmony quite his own. Blu
it is to the development Of his serious
work along h lines of the 'Rai1
Song and the 'Exhortation' hat ",
, look forward, since herewith he viii
not only perform a lasting service tt
his race, but intrinsically enrich tn
entire musical world"
> In England Coleridge-Taylor wa
l regarded as an important factor il
8 British musical life: his fame crossed
1 to America, n he was invited t.
come here to conduct some OF hi
t own works.