DENSiMORE] 



CHIPPEWA MUSIC 



101 



medicine and his friend placed the feather in his hair, supposing it to be an orna- 

 ment. Both men wore the feathers in their hair. After a time the disposition of 

 the elder man began to change. He grew kind and amiable toward everyone until at 

 last he was entirely cured of all his disagreeable qualities. This was the work of the 

 good medicine and the singing of the old Mide^. 



Voice J— 92 

 Drum J= 116 

 ( Drum-rhythm similar to No. 1 ) 



m^^^ 



Sg^=^ 



¥^ 



^ 



e 



^. 



-#- -#- 



[Chippewa words not transcribed] 



[Free translation] 

 I control him by means of the 

 feather so that he will lead a good 

 life 



Analysis. — It was extremely difRcult to find the metric unit of this 

 song. It was finally found in three consecutive tones which bore an 

 evident metric relation to one another. It was then discovered that the 

 same metric unit underlay the remainder of the song, and working 

 from these three tones it was possible to divide the song into note- 

 values; the notes were then grouped into measures according to the 

 accents. Having transcribed the song according to this process, the 

 rhythm, which seemed hopelessly obscure, was seen to be quite clear. 

 By tapping the rhythm of this song with a pencil one may gain an 

 idea of its peculiarity, and of the unmistakable manner in which the 

 entire song constitutes itself a rhythmic unit. The song was recorded 

 several times, the repetitions being identical in rhythm. 



The tone marked •) was given in every instance less than its 

 pro])er time. 



This song offers a distinct problem in tonality. The tones are 

 those of the fourth five-toned scale on G flat, but the first part of the 

 song affiliates only with the chords of the key of D flat and the last 

 part only with the chords of the key of G flat. Neither key is well 

 established by the melody. In this, as in similar instances, the 

 signature at the beginning of the staff should be understood as 

 affecting the tones on the lines or spaces indicated, but not as imply- 

 ing that the corresponding key is fully established by the melody. 



