Music 483 



the women. The one shown in Record I (Da-eng, Boys and 

 Girls alternating) is in the boys' part. 



Changing Between Duple and Triple Rhythm. I consider this 

 quite a striking quality in these songs. Some primitive peoples 

 show little concern over such rhythmic changes, in fact, among 

 some races where percussive instruments are used to accom- 

 pany the singing, we frequently hear the two rhythms at the 

 same time fitted perfectly one against the other. This is espe- 

 cially true among our American Indians. 



While it is not uncommon to find compositions in modern 

 music using these two rhythms alternately, they are alternated 

 rather sparingly. A great many musicians have difficulty in 

 passing smoothly from one to the other, preserving perfect propor- 

 tions in the note values. 



In noting down in the table the findings under this head, 

 I have put down under each song, not the number of duple or 

 triple or quadruple groups in the song, but rather the number 

 of "changes" which occur. After one has made the transition 

 from one style of rhythm to the other, and has the new "swing" 

 established, manifestly it is no special feat to follow along in 

 that same kind of measure ; but the real test is the "change" to 

 the rhythm of the other sort. For instance, in the Song of the 

 Spirit (Record E), I find but 31 measures and parts of meas- 

 ures which are in triple rhythm, yet the singer had to change 

 his meter 47 times to execute these. On the other hand, the 

 Dang-dang-ay (Record M), has in it 21 triple-time measures 

 and triplet groups of notes, but because of the persistence of 

 the triple rhythm, when once established in the second part, 

 the song requires a changing of swing but 17 times. 



Because of the frequency of changes found throughout 

 these songs, and noting, as heard in the records, the precision 

 with which, in nearly every instance, a new rhythm is taken, 

 I conclude that the Tinguian have a remarkable grasp of dif- 

 ferent metric values, which enables them to change readily from 

 one to the other. Naturally this trait would stamp itself upon 

 their music, and I consider the use of such frequent metric 

 changes a dominant characteristic. 



Although frequent rhythmic change is also strongly char- 

 acteristic of the music of some other peoples, as I have indi- 

 cated elsewhere, it is important to tabulate it here to differen- 



