New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-07
NATIONAL MUSIC.


AFRO AMERICAN FOLl<SO\GS
study in Racial and Nauonal M,.SlC
nv H. l.. krehOicl Including , ham'
Examples OF Folksonss. WIZ, ~. ,b,
forte Accompaniments Arranged .E az,
Author and bv VI T Burleign' AFtui'
Noes Henry Holden Huss ana Jonn 81
Rroekhoven. Octave. PIP. XII 10. "
Schirmer.
Besides blowing into vigorous flame
the embers Of a controversy now
twenty years old this book Of MT
Krehbiers opens new paths through
the mazes Of a delightful subject that
Of folksong in general and Of the music
created and evolved by the Southern
negroes in particular. And 1t contains
o collection Of folksongs, arranged for
piano and voice, that should prove I'M
commonly attractive to musical read
ers.
THE emhers Of the musical conflict
that followed the first public hearing
Of Antonin Dvorak's symphony Prom
the New World" have been kept rea-
sonably warm ever since that i'm
nortant event Of December. 1893; in
fact. whenever the symphony is played
there is apt TO he turning over or not
ashes and a scattering OF sparks OF ar
sument or scorn. From now forward
they should blaze merrily for some
time 70 come. But before taking up
this considera BILE subject, which IS
after ALL not the theme Of the book,
hut only one Of it's episodes. IT must ne
stated at once that "Afro-Amerlcan
ErolLsongs" sets a new standard OF
studv and investigation in its field.
Mr.. Krehbiel modestly explains IN ms
preface that he has had to he pioneer
in the scientific study of the curiously
alluring music Of the plantations ana
cann meetings. So he has, although
for the actual examples Of music 10 De
studied he has had 10 rely in large
mart upon specimens that had ALREADY
been published, or that were collected
nv others and given to him for hrst
presentation in this book. But in ms
method of comparing and grouping the
material and of using 1t to reach con-
illusions based upon firm musical ioun-
dations Mr.. Krehbiel has had no pre-
decessors. Serious as has been his
nd l.
tatively as he has weighed every FAC
tor carefully avoiding positive state
ments when the evidence was deemed
inconclusive. Mr.. Krehbiel has sue
ceeded in making his book popular as
we'll. II is not for nothing that ne mas
studied through many years the gen.
eral field Of folklore; he has the true
foIklorist's regard for the nature OF MS
subject as something living and breath
ing and very human, rather than the
attitude of one dissecting a nameless
bodv or fitting together dry bones
Whatever heights of scientific attain
rnent he has gained. it is not at the eX-
pense Of being a mere dry as-dust cod
ifer.
Considering the vast popularity or
negro slave songs and their recent AID
DECEASED offspring" the music known
the world over as "ragtime,' 1t Is some
what surprising that the task set him
self by Mr.. Krehbiel should not have
been essayed before this. Above ALL 1t
is a pity. as he forcibly remarks that
the musical harvest that lay ready for
the reapers in the Southern states be-
fore and just after the Civil War was
not more fully gathered. For the max
ing of folksongs. which had been IN
more or less steady progress among tie
plantation negroes ever since their
slavery in America began. ceased auto
matically when the conditions OF their
lives changed after their liberation
Here was people still primitive