The first of the above airs has been written in time in the work from which I have transcribed it; but the notation in mixed times which I have subjoined, appears to be the more proper one. The air of the Mandingos has three different measures :-viz.,,, and; still it is not wanting in fluency and distinctness of character, and this would undoubtedly be even more perceptible if the tempo and the manner of performance had been indicated as far as this is possible with the signs used in our notation. The third air is a boat song, which is sung by the crew while rowing. Here it has been noticed by the collector that the rowing is performed in strict conformity with the time of the song. He says, "the letters R above the stave show the moment when the oars are raised, and the letters L denote their being lowered into the water. This air, therefore, is most strictly regular as to rhythm. Whatever may be the interior changes from triple to common measure, the time which the respective changes consume must be equal; for what can be more isochronous than the movement of the oars of a well-trained boat's-crew ?"* Indeed, most of the negro tribes possess a remarkably keen susceptibility for rhythmical regularity. This is evident from their dances with the usual accom.. paniment of drums, and other instruments of percussion, executed with the greatest possible precision. Their songs, however, often consist of merely short melodies, which, like the recitative, do not possess a strictly defined symmetrical * See 'The World in Miniature,' edited by Shoberl; Africa. Vol. iv. p. 93. construction. The cause of this may be attributed to the circumstance that the negroes on many occasions are in the habit of improvising the words of their songs, and that the melodies must therefore continually undergo slight modifications demanded by the improvised poetry, which, as regards the number of the syllables, as well as the metre in general, is not always constructed precisely after the same rule, but alters according to the momentary inventions of the improvisator. All the verses of a national song are usually sung to the same melody. The number of verses is sometimes great. This is especially the case in ballads. But the number of syllables in the corresponding strophes of the several verses is not always exactly alike. Hence a slight alteration of the melody is often required in its repetition—such as a substitution of two quavers for a crotchet, the introduction of a triplet, or the adoption of one note for two of half its value. Unusual deviations of this kind are, in carefully compiled collections, generally indicated by small notes. The usual ones scarcely require to be pointed out, as they easily suggest themselves by the poetry. There are, however, instances where in one or two verses of a song the melody undergoes a complete alteration in its rhythmical construction, occasioned by the poetry. One example will suffice. It is a German ballad, in which a young knight while riding over the fields on a visit to his sweetheart, becomes gradually more and more impressed with sad forebodings, arrives at her home and finds her dead. This ballad is poetically as well as musically so beautiful that I shall give it entire with the original words. Indeed thus only can the deviations alluded to be properly understood. Moderato. 'LIEBCHENS TOD.' A GERMAN BALLAD. Es ritt ein Reuter frisch wohlgemuth, zwei Federn trug er auf P sei-nem Hut, zwei Federn trug er auf sei- nem Hut. 2. Die eine war grün, die andre war blank: "Mir ist, mir däucht, Jungfer Dortchen ist krank." 3. Und als er an die Grunhaid' kam, Hört' er die Glöcklein schon läuten. 4. "Die Glöcklein läuten so rosenroth :* Mir ist, mir däucht, Jungfer Dortchen ist todt." 5. Und als er an den Kirchhof kam, Da sah er die Gräber schon graben. 6. "Glück zu, Glück zu, ihr Gräber mein! 7. "Wir graben das Gräblein für 'ne hübsche Madam; 8. Und als er an die Hausthür kam, Da hört' er die Mutter schon weinen. 9. "Glück zu, Glück zu, Frau Mutter mein! 10. "Jungfer Dortchen macht, dass sich Gott erbarm'! 11. "Ach Mutter, machen sie das Särgelein auf! 12. "Frau Mutter, nehmen sie ihr das Kränzlein ab, 13. "Frau Mutter, machen sie das Särgelein zu; 14. Es dauerte kaum dreiviertel Jahr, Da wuchsen zwei Lilien auf ihrem Grab. 15. Was stehet denn da wohl drunter geschrieben? In the third verse the melody is altered to the words Hörť er die Glöcklein schon läuten (“Heard he the village bells ringing "). * The epithet rosenroth ("rose-red") here applied to the ominous sounds of the bells, is too characteristic to be left unnoticed. Nothing shows more forcibly the close affinity existing between the arts, than the fact that even in national songs terms and epithets are borrowed from one for describing impressions conveyed by another. The painter speaks of tone and harmony, and the musician uses expressions as colour of sound, light and shade, &c. an die Grunhaid' kam, hört' er die Glöcklein schon to the heath he came, heard he the village bells 8 läuten, hört' ringing, heard er die Glücklein schon he the village bells läuten. ringing.) The same substitution of a measure for a measure occurs in verses 5, 8, 11, 12, and 13; all the other verses being sung strictly to the melody of the first verse. The intimate agreement of this rhythmical change with the emotions expressed by the words is too obvious to require further comment. How many such delicate touches are there to be met with in national music affording valuable hints to the reflecting musician! In no kind of music do the mixed times appear so much out of place as in dances. There are, however, national dance tunes which cannot properly be written down otherwise than by changing the measure in some of the bars. Dionys Weber, in his Vorschule der Musik' (Prague, 1828), has published two old dances of this kind, belonging to the country people of Bohemia. I shall insert them here. It will be seen that the bars of different measure occur in a distinctly symmetrical order. No. 1 TWO DANCES FROM BOHEMIA. 2 No. 2. 4 The peasants in the kingdom of Bavaria have a dance which they call 'Der Zwiefache,' or 'Gerade und Ungerade' (Even and Uneven). The tempo is taken very fast, and the tune is repeated at least half a dozen times. A German gentleman who was born in the Upper Palatinate of Bavaria, and who states that in his youth he has often joined in the performance of these dances at rural festivities, has published twelve of them arranged for the pianoforte.* I shall here give three from this source. * See Cæcilia, eine Zeitschrift für die musikalische Welt. Vol. xxvii. p. 224. |