652 THE CENTRAL ESKIMO. 



The adaptation of the melodies to our divisions of time and measuro 

 is also somewhat arbitrary, as they frequently consist of a mixt- 

 ure of three and four part phrases. It is for this reason that I have 

 noted down some songs without any division into bars or measures 

 and in those cases have only marked the accented syllables. 



Among the twenty melodies and rhythmic poems we find ten of 

 binary measures, five of triple measures, and sis of mixed ones. Of 

 the whole number, nine begin on the full bar, eleven on the arsis. 



The melodies move within the following range: In a fifth (No. Ill), 

 one; in a minor sixth (Nos. VII, IX, X), three; in a major sixth (Nos. 

 II, IV, XVII), three; in a seventh (Nos. XII, XIV), two; in an octave, 

 (Nos. I, II, V, VIII, XI, XVI), six; in a minor ninth (No. VI), one; 

 in a major ninth No. (XV), one; in a tenth (No. XIII), one. 



These may be divided into two very characteristic and distinct 

 groups. The first, which would coincide with our major key, con- 

 tains the following essential tones: 



The foiii'th and the sixth occur seldom, and then only as subordi- 

 nate tones. This key is identical with the Chinese and many of the 

 Indian ones. 



In the second group, which corresponds to our minor key, we fre- 

 quently find the fourth, while the sixth only appears twice and then 

 as a subordinate tone (in No. XV). We furthermore find the major 

 seventh in the lower position leading back to the beginning, i. e., the 

 key note. The essential components of this key are: 



\$^l 



Professor R. Succo calls attention to the. fact that the relation of 

 the melodies to their key note resembles that of the Gregorian 

 chants, especially the psalmodic ones among them. 



If we, in accordance withourideas, suppose the melody — No. XIII, 

 for example — to begin in C major, it nevertheless does not conclude 

 in the same key, but in E. We would say that No. XIV is written in 

 A minor; still it ends in E. We find the same in the Gregorian 

 chants. They also resemble the songs of the Eskimo in the retention 

 of the same note during a large number of consecutive syllables. 



On the whole the melodies, even to our musical sense, can be traced 

 to a key note. However, changes often occur as well (see No. VI). 

 A very striking construction appears in No. XIII, where the oft- 

 repeated E forms a new key note, while at the conclusion the melody 

 leaps back without any modiilation to C through the peculiar inter- 

 val, b, c. 



