The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-12-07
Russian Children
and Their Songs


guage is so difficult, the customs
so strange. the laws so rigid, that
it Is with kind of mysterious awe
that we approach the borders OF
this great land OF art and music.
Music in Russia is SO wonderful
ly new; but like a youthful giant.
it has had the power to stretch It.
self beyond the Steppes-which are
the immense wind-swept plains in
Russia-and to penetrate into ev-
cry country where good music is
played. and all this in something
over fifty years, which is a very
short time when we consider other
countries.
Perhaps no other nation is so
rich in folk music as Russ. and
this has been the founta from
which has welled nat = Il art
You will find threads of = lk-songs
in all modern Russian music; the
composers cannot escape this nat
ional stamp. nor do they wish to.
Even schools of music have been
formed to perpetuate these national
songs.
Music forms a necessary part OF
every Russian aristocrat's educa-
ton. and the churches of Russia
have wonderful music (of this the
great choirs of boys form most
important part) but this music Is
very different from that Of the
Russian peasants.
For long time the church per-
secuted the music of the peasants;
1t did not allow them to sing and
often took their crude, queer in
struments away from them. But
wandering singers kept this nat
ural music alive and SO saved an
other treasure for the world. MI
sic Is as much part OF every
little Russian child's life as his
hands and feet, and life without Il
is unthinkable
The heavy bondage of the people
and the lack OF joy and freedom in
their lives has put a melancholy
note in almost all of their music.
which helps to make it different
from the music Of other countries.
A folk song is one that doesn't
seem to have been composed by
any one man. but is made up by
all the people, Just sort of "spon-
taneous-like." The folk music OF
Russia Is said to be the oldest in
Europe. Each trade has It's own
song. which is sung In q strange
/ rhythm; and this rhythm changes
each time with the spirit OF the
song. For instance. let us think
Of the song which the Russian
boatmen .i,g.
/; The boatmen. or bargemen. rs
they are called in Russia (taken
from the name OF a special kind of
boat they use) drag the boats up
, and down the river by ropes over
their shoulders like human beasts
| Of burden. This is just like the
mules and horses OF America. used
to pull the canal boats-only here
1t is done on the large rivers. even
the Volga. As they trudge ahead.
they sing peculiar song which
they vary with marked accents
which show the tugging on the
ropes from time to time.
| The children OF Russia are for.
/ tunate enough to have music all
around them from their earliest
baby days. The nurse OF Rus
sian child has a special song to
awaken him and another one to
lull him to sleep. And IL he does
not happen to be so hungry that
he hangs around the dining room
long before time for dinner. there
is special song to call him to
dinner. When he Is sick. his moth.
1 er sings to him. part prayer and
part lullaby. which may do him
more good thar the Doctors drugs.
There is sons Tor every disease.
even measles.
TschaikOwsky fwhose name does
not sound at all like musicl. a IA
nous Russian composer. has used
In one of his most delightful little
dances. part OF song that is sung
by the Caucausian women to child.
rem affected with measles.
i Poor Russia. so broken-down now
Is Just on the threshold OF her pos
sibilities in every form OF art. es