Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-11-04

sic, illustrated by voice and piano,
The lecture was given before the
Woman's club at the Handicraft guild
hall and proved highly interesting
and masterful discourse.
"Miss Densmore's lecture formed a
valuable counterpart to the Cadman
lecture recital, but while Mr.. Cadman
was more concerned with the artistic
and poetic possibilities of Indian mu-
sic, Miss Densmore gave the scienti.
tc view of the matter, her work be-
ing not simply the collecting of In
dian airs. but also a study of the in.
tuitive lines Of musical expression.
/, Studies Among Indians.
Miss Densmore has spent much
time among the Indians Of the west,
her work being backed by the bureau
of American ethnology Of the Smith
sOnian Institute and as much as pos
sible made easy, through the assist
ance OF the government agencies on
the various Indian reservations. The
Sioux, Chippewa, Mandan Indians
and many other tribes hav4 been
studied, but with Miss Densmore's
lectures this time was exclusively
concerned wit h the music of the
Chippewas, abunndantly rich mater
ial having been gathered. The
lecturer presented no preconceived
ideas Of primitive mupsic. in each i'll
stance giving illustrations and quota
tons Of the kind that had led her to
01lItinnc hnf nui,, ainn
"From the hundreds of songs gath,
cred and studied Miss Densmore had
found that the Chippewa music most
lyWas conceived in some minor key,
but largely with intervals in the ma
jor'--which, by the way. is character
istic of the primitive music of sever
al other races. OF all intervals that
of the minor third decidedly stands
i'll favor with the Chippewas. In
many songs upon scale fixed BY
Miss Densmole she found the third
tone missing and pushed her research
to the farther point of conclud .ng that
this occurred only in songs sung by
women, chiefly mllabys and the like.
Remarks Of Much Interest.
"Miss Densmore's remarks on the
rhythm Of the songs were of much
interest. She said that Indian music
presents the popularity that the ac.
compartment often is in time faster
than the singing. 1t will for lonv
spaces seem constantly a bit ahead
of the voice, but occasionally coin.
cides in beat with it. This led Miss
Densmore on a fruitful discourse
illustrated by drum beats as inter-
preted by the metronome and to the
opinion that the Indians throughout
composition combine rhythms of A.
Verglng types simultaneously. The il
lnstrations given of rhythms of intrl-
cate and fanciful beats recalled vivid
ly the Finnish horn calls and
lncantations upon which is so often
built the apparently capricious phras-
ing of a Sibelius.
Miss Densmore graphically explain
no" indian songs contain a minimum
OF text which generally occurs in the
middle of the composition, encrusted
in primitive solfeggio work that gives
Or completes the "stimmung." This
text is often of superlative cleverness
IN its cunning terseness and almost in
variably of real poetic beauty. This
trait fully explained through quota.
tons and explanations. reccalclcs the
'kennings' OF complicated cryptic
SMILES OF lcelandic court poetry that
the primitive Egyptian song must
have had this popularity also.
Miss Densmore added to her leo
rnte some pleasant remarks upon her
life of study among the lndiare and
how a Sioux chief once and for all
made her his adopted daughter, Civ
ing her an Indian name. which means
"TWO Killed BuffalOs."