New-York tribune., 1920-01-19
Folksongs Feature
Recital by Hamlin
At Aeolian Hall
Nine. Sembrich Is Present
and Hears Example She
Set Dozen Years AGO
Artistically y Carried Out
By II. E. Krehbiel

oy i. L.. M ICnOlCl
Nine. Sembrich was among the in
terested and delighted auditors who
heard Mr.. George Hamlin's song re.
cital in Aeolian Hall yesterday after
noon, and the circum stances, combined d
with the feature Of the program which
found the quickest and most Joyous
response, invites to few reflections.
1t must be all of twelve or fifteen
years ago that the artist who must
remain our supreme exemplar in the
feld Of lyric song (meaning that of
ne German lied and it's analogue the
french me.odie) ventured to put a
'roup Of folksongs upon one of her
rograms 1t was wide departure
rom concert room traditions and a
omewhat daring experiment. But it
vas success full, extraordinarily sue
cessful, indeed, and thereafter she ex-
plored the 70. ksong lteratures of a
score OF peoples-German, French, Ital-
an Russian, Spanish. Norwegian,
Swedish, Eng ish, lri h, Sco:ch, We sh,
Canadial-, Polish. Hungar an Bohemian,
creek, etc, until a. the last she added
n Afro-American spiritual" to her
eoncert in which she sang nothing but
'olksongs. This was long before the
Vorld War had stimulated the almost
riversal interest in national schools
I composition. which is now vigor-
US element in musical culture
Ire example WI 'ch Nine Sem
orich set has been followed by many
singers, but the ie d has been mar
rowed by the desire on the part of
concertgoers to understand the words
Il the songs which they hear. This
IS one of the effects of the prejud ce
galnst their language created by the
diaooilcal manner in which the Ger
man people waged war. Besides, it is
manner Of folksongs with such musical
beauty as MMe Sem mrrech p rte
them. Size sang all the songs in their
ORG tongues. pro ceeding which
is essential to the full preservation Of
tkeir characteristic Clements. To
translate ol1.sonr is t. an scu,ate
it, to rub off its bloom, dissipate its
odor. That there is left large ter
rtory from which TIE fragrant wild
flowers may be gathered, however. Mr.
II Min demonstrated yesterday. There
werr twenty-five sons~S in S it, and
Of these nine were rolksongs and one
song idiom The repetitions which lie
was forced to give because of the ap-
plause which would not otherwise be
stllled were 70 K ongs ard n
numbers which he was invited to add
to his list q SO were tolksorgs
In the partiality thus shown by
the listeners there was no rehecti n
upon Mr.. Hamlins performances of the
artistic songs in his list The art dis
played in his phrasing, diction, intell-
gence and emotional evocation was
fine in the songs Of Brahms ("Die
Mainacht.' Der Mond steht uber dem
Berge," 'Liebeslied" and Die Bot
schaft." sung in effective English trans
the French songs of Pierne and Hahn
but there was the same excellent
artistic quality in his singing of the
folksongs and they went straight to
the hearts of the hearers. There were
three from Scotlar d. The Praise Of
Islay' ''Leezie Lindsay" and Turn
ie to Me-" the first two in unstrained,
effective settings by Fritz Kreisler and
Reinh0ld Warich; one. when We
We're Boy and Girl from Ireland (be-
sides Lovers Low Backed Carr and
four from the old slave country in the
United States. They were Nobody
Nuo"S, daTu rlaIS. swing Low.
Sweet Chariot" and Il Want to Be
Ready" spirtuals" arranged by H. T.
Burleigh. The song which won a
call for a repetition was Hard Trials"
and we fear that it was largely be-
cause the audience was disposed to hnd
something humorous in the incongru-
Gus text. Mr.. Burleigh might have
avoided this by better choice of
words. One stanza Of the song, as it
used to be sung forty years ago by the
FISK Jubilee Singers, runs:
Methodist Methodist is my name
Methodist till l die,
I'll be baptized on the Methodist side
And a Methodist will I die.
In place OF the third and fourth lines
Nr. Burleigh sings:
I've been received in the Methodist Church
And III die on the Episcopal side.
The sentiments of the negro spirit
uals were naively incongruous at time,
but their sincerity was pathetic. Mr.
Hamlin sang them with simplicity and
directness and we do not believe that
he meant any part of them to be con-
sidered funny. Mr.. Burleigh has quite
spoiled "Swng low, Sweet Chariot" by
mis- sophisticated harmoniZation