Norwich bulletin., 1921-02-08
INTERPRET NEGRO MUSIC
WITH VOICE AND PA

VIII NOlOG AND E1AGV
The February meeting of the Norwich |
Music Association was held in Slater
Hall Monday evening, when an interest,"
ing program of old and modern negro |
music was presented to the pleasure of
a large audience The selections were
as follows:
Spirituals- ,
Swing Low Sweet Chariot,
H. IT, Burieiga
Deep River, H. r. Burleigh
Reddick
Charles Fontaine, Henry La Fon-'
tame, Charles d. Geer, Horace Corn
ing.
Piano Solos
Miss Mary Bresnahan
Plantation Songs
Hard Times Come Again No More,
Stephen Collins Foster
Old Uncle Ned,
Stephen Collins Foster
My Old Kentucky Home,
Stephen Collins Foster
Quartet. @
Modern Negro Music
Onaway! Awake. Beloved,
from Hiawatha's Wedding Feast.
S. Coleridge-Taylor
Willard ". Kagwin.
Frederick W. Lester at the plano.
| Greatest Miracle of All, GuioA
Ma Little Banjo Dichmont
| When Mammy's Away, J. H. Rogers
! Mrs. Thomas Trevena.
! Mr. Lester at the piano.
Have You Been TO Lons;' c. H. BurleiEh
An Explanation, Coleridge Taylor
She Rested by the Broken Brook,
| Coleridge-Taylor
Exhortation "a negro sermon)
Will Marion Cook
| Mr. Keigwin.
! The meeting was in general charge Of
Mrs. James A Bidwell, who opened, with
a brief but comprehensive paper on negro
music, its origin, various types, and its
general influence in the musical world
The simple joy and pleasures Of planta-
! ton life, mingled with the sorrows of
slavery, are responsible for the growth
of the negro soul into expressing itself
by way Of melody. There are three
styles of songs: the lively, plaintive and
somibre. all OF them typical of this tenn
peramental people. The wild religion.
ecstacy of their hymns abound in terven'
feeling the spirituals in particular, ART
the original American folk songs Then
! there are the lisely tunes, of extreme
simplicity. to be played as on the three
banjo strings. The minor music Is per
haps best exemplifed in the poignan
sweetness of Dvorak's symphonies, fo
that great composer expressed himself a.
| being thrilled by the simple melodies o.
2 the negro. 80
l Closing her interesting paper. Mrs. Bid
well gave a brief resume Of the lives o
. H T. Burleigh, S. Coleridge-Tayior ant
i Steven Foster, three musicians who hav
made a specially of negro music an
plantation songs, intoxicating in the heart
n of people at home and abroad love 70
t the music of these simple folk whose re
/. ligious feeling is poured out in song.
: The trio Of spirituals was sung i
: splendid harmony. with a deep apprecis
e ton of the familiar words into which s
v much pathos Is written. In pleasing cor
!. trast was the group Of plantation Song
+ the old. old favorites beloved by every
J. body, which the quartet gave as thei
q second number. Miss II. Louise FullE
e furnished her usual artistic acconlpan
i ments for both spirftusls and songs.
?. Continuing the predominatins theme 4
h the evening, two piano solos, Ethiopia
r Serenade (Godowsfi) and Chant Negl
? (Kramer) were charmingly played b
!. Miss Mary Bresnahan, who interprets
! these strange, exotic composition in
i. most finished manner.
"a l. It is always great delight to listt
J. to Mr.. Keigwir, who received at this. h
third appearance in Norwich, a heart
: welcome His rendition of the Selectic
. from Hiawatha's Wedding Feast, by Il