New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-23
PROMISED NOVELTIES
AT THE OPERA
By II. f. krchbiel

Art Of Music" recently reviewed IN
these columns, II 10 stated that ne mas
"a completed three-act Indian opera
The Land of Misty Water; libret'o
nv Francis La Flesche and Nellie Rich
mond Eberhardt. Forty-seven actual
Indian melodies form its thematic
basis"
Mr.. Henry F. Gilbert is better known
in our large concert rooms. lie Is an
enthusiastic worker in the field OF foiS-
music, and has done more in the utll-
ization of Afro American melodies and
their spirit in the large forms OF ar
tistic music than any living musician.
lie is a native Of Someryille, Mass,
where he was born in 1868, and Tor
q time he was a pupil Of MacDowell IN
Boston. Folk-music has been his pas
sion from the beginning Of his career
and his discussion Of the subject In
1.-THE Art of Music" is one Of the most
valuable portions Of that work. Speak
ing Of the influences which have been
instrumental in his training as COM
poser. he once wrote: more than the
music Of any individual composer; more
than the music OF any particular
school-the folk-tunes Of the world, OF
all nationalities, races and peoples, have
been to me a never failing source OF
delight, wonder and inspiration. In
them | can hear the spirit OF all great
music. Through them | can feel the
very heartbeat of humanity. Simple
as these folk melodies are in structure
they yet speak to me so poignantly'
and with such a deep sincerity OF ex-
pression, as TO be (for myself, at least
more pregnant with inspirational sug-
gestion than the music of any one
composer"
Mr.. Gilbert has tried his hand at
Indian material also, but his predilec-
tons have gone toward the melodies
made by the black slaves OF our South.
He first wrote NEGRO Episode" for
orchestra. and then, after dallisnce
with racial subjects Of various kinds
French, Irish, Gypsy, he wrote the
COMEDY Overture on Negro Themes"
a "Humoresquc on Negro Minstrel
Tunes" Negro Rhapsody" (Which
had its first performance at festival
Of the Litchfeld County Choral Union)'
and finally the ballet piece which has
been accepted for production, IN chore-
ographic form, at the Metropolitan
Opera House. He has also composed
set Of American Dances in Ragtime
Rhythm" Never having seen The
Dance in the Place Congo" in score, or
heard it, we can only conjecture what
it may be like from the title, which Is
that OF descriptive essay that Mr..
George W. Cable published in THE
Century Magazine" something like
thirty years ago. The Place Congo was
an opera square in New Orleans used
by the negroes for their dances IN
the days when African influences were
much stronger among them than they
are now. The dances eventually be-
came so lawless (probably reverting IN
their indecency to their savage proto-
types) that they were suppressed by
the police, and the Place Congo, OF
which Mr.. Cable gave a vivid descrip-
ton, disappeared. There, no doubt
might have been seen the Bamboula,
the Counjai and the Calinda, discus
sions of which may be found by the
curious in the book "Afro-American
Folksongs," the chapters of which APP
peared serially in The Tribune three or
four summers ago. One OF the most
famous satirical songs Of New Orleans,
which tells of the doings of the col
ored folks at the ball of "Michie Pre-
val" preserves rollicking Calinda
tune and the refrain:
"Danse Calinda,
Boujoum, boujoum."
This, too, is given with a translation
BY Lafcsdio Hearn In the book just
mentioned. We opine that as much
sophistication will be found in the
choreographic spectacle as in Mr.. Gill
bert's music when 1.-THE Dance in the
Place Congo" is given at the opera
house; but the announcement is ex-
tremely interesting. We hope Mr..
Cable will be consulted about the scenic
outfit, the appearance Of the dancers
red and yellow BLACKS" as well as
those of the negroid types. Lafcadio
Hearn's letters to me might also be
studied with profit by the ballet master