New-York tribune., 1918-03-31

work by the colored people themselves.
especially by Robert Motion, principal
Of Tuskegee Institute.
Hampton Helped Greatly
The collection was undertaken for
Hampton Institute, in Virginia, which
will receive all the royalties for the
benefit of negro education. Hampton,
indeed, supplied many of the facilities
for the work, not alone by providing
hospitality and Laboratory space" to
the worker, but by preserving many of
the songs through its own efforts. Miss
Cora NJ. Folsom. for thirty years
worker at the school, some time ago
noted down the words of many of the
work songs which came from the old
plantations, the traces of which might
otherwise have been lost. Further,
Miss Curtis's work has been made
easier because Hampton has made it a
cardinal principle not to educate out
Of it's pupils the culture of their race,
but to foster and encourage its devel-
opment.
Miss Curtis's work contributes much
toward clearing up certain disputed
matters in reference to negro folk
music, matters which have been in
doubt largely because of the inaccuracy
of so much of the work hitherto done.
The peculiar syncopaton of negro mu
sic, familiarly known as ragtime, she
finds to be no invention made on this
continent, much less an imitation from
the syncopation of the whites, as some
have maintained. 1t comes from Africa
The relationship between the syncopa-
ton of the American and the African
negroes she is convinced is nothing
casual or accidental. 1t is the relation
ship of father and son. Similarly, the
negros fondness for singing his songs
in the form of verse and refrain comes
-4raieht from Africa. The "header'
who is paid extra for singing the lead
=. American levee gangs has his coun-
tarpart in the leader of the work songs
among the African tribes.
Again. Miss Curtis's work will do
something to dissipate the still preva-
lent misconception that the negro S
folksong is almost wholly religious
! Two of the four books of songs which
are soon to appear are devoted to work
and play songs, preserved from old
slave days ard carrying the memory OF
: the harsh conditions under which they
"CAS iHFCAICO. ltC NOLlCU tlluC we lie
gro's lyric imagination flowed wholly
into the religious mould probably re.
suits from the fact that the camp meet
+. ing was one Of the most picturesque Of
) his institutions, and that the men ane
women who did the earliest collecting
OF his music were more interested ir
his spiritual than in his aesthetic vel
fare. 1t is also true that his work ant
| play songs are usually more fragmen
tary, less highly developed and of les
absolute musical value than his spir
ituals. But that his musical invention
baked at the common experiences o
his daily life is wholly untrue. Mis-
Curtis was able to pick up a number o
S fine secular songs easily. She is con
| vinced that the South is still full o
, them, and devoutly hopes that negr
musicians will make it their busines
to collect them on an extensive scale
4 She is inclined to regard her presen
J work as only preliminary to NOR
extensive and detailed survey of tn
field, which she hopes will be under
e taken by negro musicians. For tn
:. field is large and the workers are few
6 The result of her researches will b
embodied in book, Songs from tn
: Dark Continent" to be published i
d the fall by Doubleday, Page & Co
), which will deal wholly with nativ
African music. This is distinct fror
$ the volumes of American negro song
g which Schirmer is publishing.