New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-24
NEGRO FOLKSONCS
Shall Their Traditions Be Pre-.
Served?-Work for Music
School Settlement.

cert was given by the Clcf Club at Car
ncgie Hall a fortnight ago. Yesterday, to
enlist further interest in the cause. Il
lecturc-rccital on American Negro Folk
songs" was given by W. X. Burghardt
Du Bots and Henry r Buioigh. The
| former, who is said 20 have made study
81 the subject. discussed some aspects Of
tho Songs formerly sung by the African
slaves in this country. chiefly historical.
! literary and psychological. ending with
some observations concerning the in'iu-
ence Of the music of The American blacks
upon contempordncous art-music. Much
| that the speaker said was opposite though
| IL must have seemed a bit singular to those
| familiar with the literature of the subject
ami the songs themselves that he seemed
| to 90 out or his way 20 avoid tho most
obvious explanation Of the teXtual as
well as musical Characteristics OF the
great bulk OF the really beautiful folk
songs which have come down TO us from
the days of American slavery To hnd
/ their origin IN secular work -songs and
trca, their perferHid but naive iinagefj
I TO a process of sophlstcation designed ia
conceal their original burden OF suffering
4
and longing Is about as far fetched
theory as that which turns some Of or
Mother Goose inclcs into ingeniously
corrupted Saxon or Cymric verses with
profound political significance. These
/ songs are what thcy are because. like all
true folksonss. they arc emotional out
! poUrrgs. and because the religious hi"
o' the plantations. which was not only
tolerated but even encouraged. was the
only lie IN which romantic feeling could
/ lind uutramrclicd utterancc. The "spir-
itasls' Of the Slave are the voices Of
suffering undergone in bondage and hope
Of that dclivcrance which was To come
! with translation To heaven after death.
| The older the song and the more obscure
it, origin the more characteristic ana
beautiful il is
II was therefore a pity that IN Mr. d.
Bois's exposition dud M Bur.eighs IL
Illustrations 80 little attention was PAD
to striking psychological and musical cle-
ments Mr. Du Rois toward ~" close o.
his address alluded 20 the rhythm which
has developed INTO ragtime. and may ~
his opinion. lead 10 higher things. but he
said nothing about the sinsularines o.
scale illustrated Dos many ol these songs
which arc just as likely Is the syncopat'd
RHYTHM called tho Scotch snap To enter
into whatever growth OF ar'-music may
follow the intelligent cultivation "l these
folksongs: and In al OF Mr. Bnrl"leh
Illustrations there Was only one departure
from what FOR the sake Of argument may
be called the universal intcrvallic line.
This was In the familiar hymn. l'oh'
jordan Roll
Mr. Du Bots referred TO the uu~iIlln2-
ness Of the present generation OF blacks
TO sing the songs IN which the JOYS ana
sorrows OF their ancestors found vcn'.
In commenting on the recent concert Of
the Clef club this reviewer intimated one
could do no more AZ the timei that the
manner IN which tie choir sang the tIa''-
uoual music was deserving Of serious dis
crssiou. The point which 30" wanted 70
make was that the beautt aud chectNe-
ness of the music depended upon the
prescrvation Of the manner r SINGING
and also of the musical text Both are
rapidly disappearing. though th' intcSrlt'
OF many melodies has been maintained III
some publications. the most valuable "l
which is still The FIRST. the book entitled
slave Songs Il the United State. com
piled by William Francis Allen. Charles
picRard Ware and Lucy McKim CART
,on. and published .u tins city ~ lsb'.
Later publications. such a. IN" FISK JUDI
lee and Hampton Institute collections al
ready contain 50 many sophisucations
tina, they must be- used more Judiciousi'
than they have been hy the opponents "i
uogro f0lksonr now under discussion. n"
faculty of creation - quickly atrophleh
& IA the field OF foltsons when the psycho-
logical SPRINGS ore closed when the "c-
casion and need OF expression com" To-
am end After tie period OF creation
comes that OF imitation. and II was a
cyievot,s 20 hear the chef club tand MI.
Buricigh alsoi celebrate tn" emancipation
of the slaves in d song C'Frecdom Is IL
name and il Is printed IN the Hampton
collection. which Is compounded OF
phrases from Lily Dale and "Rally
Round the Flag. as II was To have the
Philharmonic Society seek 10 do honor %
President l.iucoln's proclamation by play
inc q rhapsody on vulgar West Indian
dance tune.
Here is A mission. deed. for the MUSE
school settlement for c0lored People. Ley
not only the colored people. but also the
whites who love folk melody learn ana
terpetlate these songs as they Wer" ere
dted and sung The Clef 'lub SANK an
admirable specimen. Rise and Shine. but
neither leadcr nor singers showed appre-
.,a,ioo Of its most striking nclodic ele-
mcnt-the use OF the fat seventh. Tn"
writer has pursued this subject with m
tere., ever since he heard the hrst concert
given bv the Jubilee Singers north oil the
ohio River. forty-two years ago. lie was
ma, , little amazed two or three years ago
20 discover that the Hampton Quartet.
uhose performance was technically ana
nstheticaIly Of almost matchless cAccl-
Ioncc. had entirely overlooked the same
in,eryaluc element in so familiar sons
as "Eoll. Jordan. Roll aud that. like MI.
purleich i'm a few instances yesterday.
,bov robbed other songs Of their charm by
harmonic sophlstication. There are songs
. hich admit Of elaborate harmonizations'
and some submit 10 even the most modern
harmonic garb. but not all. ana intelh-
gcnce and taste are necessary If they are
to he made TO play = part in modern
music OF some arrangements winch We
have heard as well as of some transcript
tions Of Indian melodies, il may Dc said.
80 Mistress Ford said Of falstaf's profess
.ions and performances They do no more
adhere and keep place together than the