Music 461 



Da-eng. Boys' part. 



Record A. Sung while dancing in a religious ceremony. 



There are at least two voices in this record. Possibly there were 

 three or more singers taking part, though it is not possible to distinguish 

 more than two. 



The song is cast in the pentatonic scale of A major. The notes 

 G* and D^ do not belong to this scale. At those places where they 

 are put down in the notation, they are used to better define the glissan- 

 dos. The singers pass over them rapidly, sliding from the topmost 

 note of the group to the lowest with no perceptible dwelling on any 

 of the intermediate tones. The glissandos are indicated by straight lines 

 drawn obliquely underneath such groups (see Definition of Quali- 

 ties, p. 478). • 



In each of measures 2 and 6 of verses 1, 2, and 3; and in measure 

 6 of verse 4, is shown a group of three notes with an asterisk above. 

 These groups, as shown in the notation, are B, A, G ; but in measure 

 2 of verse 4, the corresponding group is C, B, A. In those measures 

 marked *, the singers are very plainly striving to reach the tones 

 C, B, A. There is that quality of tension in the voices with the ac- 

 companying forcing of tone which is peculiar to untrained singers 

 striving for a tone near the limit of their highest range. As the tones 

 actually sounded are neither B, A, G, nor C, B, A, but are instead a 

 sort of compromise between the two, it is quite evident that the suc- 

 cession intended in each of the seven measures is the same as in the 

 eigth or odd one, viz. C, B, A. If we assume this to be the case, it 

 eliminates seven of the foreign G naturals shown in the notation. If, 

 however, this conjecture is wrong, and the performers really feel that 

 the groups in question all start on B, then the G naturals are eliminated 

 by the glissandos. The only other C is shown in measure 7 of verse 

 4. By comparing this measure with the corresponding measure in each 

 of the other three verses, it will be seen that the singers have taken 

 great pains in those verses to avoid this note which does not belong to 

 the pentatonic scale which they are using, — evidence that they do not 

 sense the tone in the fourth verse, where it is taken glissando. The D^, 

 also foreign to the scale, occurs but once. It is in measure 3 of the top 

 line. The glissando here eliminates this tone also, but, by comparing this 

 measure with the corresponding measure of each of the other verses, 

 we find the same avoidance as in the case of the C, — evidence that the 

 performers do not sense this other foreign tone. The song is there- 

 fore very markedly pentatonic in character. 



