New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-13

Are the Songs Amer.
can?-Clrcumstances
Of Their Creation
and the Abo-
rigiinal Ele-
ment.

lis evidently Buffalo yarIously known
as Charleston or Baltimore Gals" But
who made the tune Of the gals" OF Buf.
falo, Charleston and Baltimore? The mel.
odies which were the more direct progen.
itors OF the songs which Christys Min.
strels and other minstrel companies car.
ried all over the land were attributed 10
the Southern negroes; songs like Coal.
black Rose" ZIP Coon and "Ole Viz.
ginny Nebber Tire" have always been
accepted as the creations 81 the blacks
though | do not not know whether or not
they really are. Concerning them I am
skeptical g. say the least n only for the
reason that we have no evidence on the
subject. So-called negro songs are more
than century old In the music rooms OF
America A song descriptive Of the bat.
tie OF Plattsburg was sung IN a drama 10
words supposedly In negro dialect. as long
ago as 1915 Jump jim crow was
caught by Thomas -. CDaddy) Rice
from the singing and dancing Of an old.
deformed and decrepit negro slave IN
I Louisville eighty-hye years ago On the
best evidence obtainable on the subject Is
10 be believed, and this was the starting
point OF negro minstrelsy Of the Chrsty
type. Dandy Jim OF Caroline may also
| have had negro origin; ! DO not know.
/ and the question Is inconsequental here
! for the reason that the Afro.Amerlcan
folksongs which I am trying 20 study owe
absolutely nothing 10 the songs which the
| stage impersonators OF the negro slave
made popular In the United States and
England. They belong 70 an entirely dif.
| fcrent order OF creations. For one thing
they are predominantly religious songs:
Il Is a singular fact that very few sec.
ular songs-those which are referred 70
as reel tunes" fiddle songs" corn
songs" and devil songs for which the
slaves generally expressed a deep abhor-
renee, though many Of them. no doubt
were used 70 stimulate them while al
work In the felds-haye been preserved
while shout songs and other spirit.
chils' spirituals-"ballets they were
called at a later day have been kept alive
by the hundreds. The explanation u The
phenomenon is psychological.
There are a few other resemblance
which may be looked into. WHO - on
the Lords side?' C'Slaye songs" 40 ~
may have suggested the notion Of mill.
tary calls" To Or. Wallaschok In Bright
Mansions Above" CNo Is o. the Fisk Ju.
blec collection contains phrase which
may have been inspired by 9TH, Wearing
OF the Green 4 palpaLlo likeness 10
"camptown Races exists bon Lord. Re.
member Nc" no I'm slave Sougs1
stephen q. Foster wrote "CamptOgn
! Races In 1870. the hook called Slave
Songs OF the United States" WAS pub.
lished In 1851. but the songs wer, collected
several years before. have uo desire 20
rob Foster 81 the credit OF hayng writ
ten the melody OF his song. be would have
felt justified had be- taken Il from the
! lips OF slave bat 4 Is more than likely
that he invented Il and that it was b0r.
rowed IN part for hymn by the negroes.
The "spirituals' are much sophisticated
with worldly sentiment and phrase.
There are surprisingly few references 20
the seryitlde Of the blacks In their folk
SONGS which can be- traced 10 anto-hs.lun
days The text Of Mother is Massa
Gwiue 10 Sell rs Tomorrow would
seem 10 be one ~ these but Il IS not IN
the earliest collection and may he Of
later date In spite OF lis sentiment
print three interesting examples which
celebrate the deliyerance from slavery OF
which two Many Thousands Gone
d'isk Jubilee Collection 30. 20 md Many
Thousands Go" Cslsyo Songs so. ~
Continued on eighth pace.