New-York tribune., 1913-09-07
THE SONG OF LITTLE LoLoTTE.


This union Of elements is found blended
with the French patois in the songs Gre
ated by the creole negroes in Louisiana
and the West Indies. Hearn came across
an echo Of tho most famous Of all creole
Iovesongs in St Pierre and in his fantastic
name. gave il habitation and name
Describing the plague OF smallpox m
chapter Of Two Years in the French
West Inoies." he tells OF hearing a song
coming up through the night sung by
voice which had that peculiar metallic
tin,bre that reveals the young negress."
Always it is one melancholy chant
Pauv ii Lee.
Pauv' Ii Les,
4. gagnin doule. doule doule,-
Le Caenin doule
Tout pdtout'
want 10 know who little Lel6 was
! and why she had pains AL over
however artless ana chhdlSn lH're
creole SONGS seem. they arc invariaoiy
originated BY some real incident. And ~
last somebody tells me that poor l!tte
Lele had the reputation Of being tne
most ,inlucky girl i'm St Pierre whatever
she tried 10 do resulted only IN misloi,
tune when il was morning she W.sheo
IL were evening, that she might sleep
and forget, but when the nlSnt came she
Bile she had had during tho day, 30 tAat
she wished II were morning
Perhaps "Pov' pitt Lolotte' "a portion
Of whose mel, served Gottschalk. a
New orleans creole of pure blood. for ore
of his pianoforte pieces came from the
West Indies originally. but IL Is known
| throughout creoleland now. II fell under
the notice Of Nphonse Daudet and TIER
| sot saws he put il i'm the mouth OF one
| N his characters in a novel out ot sew
eral versions which have collected
| have put tho song together words ana
melody. in the form in which Mr.. Sur
| leigh has arranged ii. II is worth noting
that the coda Of the melody was found
| only i'm the transcript made from the sing
ing of the slaves on the Good Hope plan
tation. in 81. Charles Parish. La, ana
| that this coda presents a striking use ot
the rhythmicsl snap which | have dis
cussed in connection with the "spirituas'
but which is not found in any ono o'
them with so much emotional effect IS
here. In his essay in 1.-THE Century Maya
zine" on creole songs Mr.. Gable wrote;
one Of the best Of these creole love
songs is the tender lament Of ore
who sees the girl OF his hearts choice
the victim Of chagrn in behOldins Ie-
male rival wearing those vestmcnts ot ei-
ira quality that could only be the faNors
which both women had courted from tne
hand OF some proud master whence alone
such favors could come ''Calalou. saSs
tho song. has an embroidered pcttlcoat
and Lolottc or Zizi." as IL Is often sung,
has a heartache." Calalou, here. ] tahs
to he a derisive nickname. Originally "
! is the term for West Indian dlSh'
noted ragout IL must be intended 70 ap.
| PLY here 10 the quadroon women VIC
! swarmed into New Orleans in lW' =,
refugees from cuba. Guadalupe ana
other islands where the war against Nd,
poleon exposed them 10 Spanish arn
British aggression. Ii was with thN
! great influx of persons neither savage
nor enlightened. neither white nor olacN
neither slave nor truly free. that tne
| famous quadroon caste arose and nou'
| ished II Calalou. m tho verse. was ono
OF these quadroon fair ones the song
| its own explanation.