New-York tribune., 1920-05-09

lists, five books Of Moses, six Jugs used |
at the wedding at Cana, seven sacra-
mehts, eight beatitudes, nine angelic
cholrs, ten commandments, eleven thou
SAND virgins and twelve apostles.
Equally, If not more, surprising than
this application Of the cumulative ,in-
gle Is its use in the Seder ceremony If
the Jewish Passover festival. In this
'here are two songs which have caused
not a little controversy and some fam
'astic speculation on the part of Hebrew
commentators on the Haggadah. These
songs are known as "Echod mi Yodia 2"
N"Who Knows One?" and "Had Gadyo"
CA Kid, n Kid". Folklorists ma,
think these songs mere variants Of the
characteristic songs which have been
described. but the pious commentator
will not have it so. "Who Knows One ?.
begins:
"Who knows One7
l know One; One is the God of the
world"
And it proceeds to thirteen when all
the things and personages enumerated
are repeated in inverse order-thirteen
attrlbutes of God, twelve tribes of
Israel, eleven stars of Joseph's dream.
ten commandments. nine festivals
eight lights of Hannukah, seven days
OF the week, six days of creation, five
books OF Moses, four mothers of Israel,
three patriarchs, two tables Of the
covenant, one God of the world.
"a Kid, Kid" bears a strong anal
ogy to the jingle about the old lady
and her pig. "My father" buys kid
for two pieces of money. A cat eats
the kid, dog bites the cat, a staff
beats the dog, fire burns the staff |
water quenches the fire, an OK drinks
angel of death Stays the butcher and
God destroys the angel of death. The
song was printed in Aramaic in Venice
as long ago as 1909 The symbolism
attached to the animals, elements and
their acts is quite too bewildering to
be accepted by any but highly re-
lglous imagination. For instance: the |
angel of death signifies the Turkish |
power by which Palestine was taken
from the Franks, but upon which God
will take vengeance, the Turk being
overthrown and the Jews being restored
to their land, there to live under the
government of their long expected Mes
siah. Since the British occupation of !
Jerusalem the song should have ac-
CURED increased popularity, not to say
veneration. We wonder if the Cana
dian variant of this relic Of antiquity,
for it is that, with a bit Of comment !
from DR.. Barbeau, would not have Gre
ated greater interest in the subject Of
folksong than the barnyard rigmarole
and variant which mentioned all the
articles Of dress worn by man, from
toe to top, which was sung after the
meeting, although it would have been
less diverting. The purposes Of folk
song research should be either artistic
or scientific (ethnologicaD, aimed at
the discovery of beauty or useful
knowledge. The mere singing Of ali
amusing jingle, without reference to its
almost universal analogues, does not
accomplish much or repay the labor Of
research.
Orchestration by Example
Mr.. Cecil Forsyth has hit upon
plan which is as practical as it is
ingenious for giving instruction in
orchestration to composers who know
something about writing for chorus
with organ accompaniment but lack
experience and knowledge in orchestral
composition. Through the H. W. Gray
Company (London: Novello & Coz he
mas pNDIlShcd OOOk entltIeG "ChOraI
Demonstration" in which he not only
tells about the uses to which a band |
can be put, but teaches by example. |
His method is succinctly described in
a few predatory words: The reader
is presented with a complete compost |
ton, and is then taken through it bar
by bar, almost as if in conversation |
with a friendly critic First, the musi- |
cal dlffic ultcs OF the work are consid- |
cred in large blocks, as it were; the !!
orchestral possibilities of each passage |
are then balanced one against the |
other; then, when q decision has been |
made, the details of the orchestral |
execution are taken up and explained"
The work chosen for this eminently
sensible and practical treatment is a
FESTIVAL Te Deum" composed for the |
Peace Celebration and first performed |
at Columbia University on May 5, |
1919, and Mr.. Forsyth dissects the
composition six measures at time,
placing the original copy for organ
and voices (also published by the H. w. |
Gray Company at the head of each |
left hand page of his book, with its |
orchestration on the opposite page. !
Mr.. Forsyth has published q large work |
on the general subject of orchestra
tion, which it was a pleasure to com |
mend few years ago, especially for
its lucidity of expression and it's lack |
of pedantry. Church composers will |
find this new work full of suggestion !
and instruction agreeably impaired