24 ' BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 6i 



greater in tlie modem songs. Curiously, the percentage ending on 

 the kejmote and fifth is identical in the two groups. The modern 

 songs show a smaller proportion of songs in which the final tone 

 is the lowest in the song, the whole tone and the minor third 

 below the final tone being us(»d in several instances. The propor- 

 tion of songs on the five-ton(>d scales is 32 per cent in the older 

 and 30 per cent in the more modern songs, while next in number 

 are songs containing only th<'. minor triad and fourth, which show a 

 difference of but 2 per cent in the two groups. The first important 

 point of difference is that the older songs show a much larger pro- 

 portion having a range of 12 or more tones, the percentage having 

 10 tones being the same, tlie modem group has the larger percentage 

 of songs which ar<>. harmonic in stru<'ture. This suggests less freedom 

 in musical expression as the Indian feels himself coming under the 

 restrictions of civilization and is of interest in that connection. 



A larger proportion of accidentals is found in the newer songs, the 

 tones most frequently affected being the sixth and seventh. In 

 structure the modern group shows a larger proportion of harmonic 

 songs, this features l)eing in accord with the stronger feeling for the 

 octave as an initial tone and with the reduction of the compass of the 

 songs. The modern group shows also a much smaller proportion of 

 songs with the first progression doAvnward, and we recall the steadily 

 descending trend of melody as an acknowledged characteristic of 

 ])rimitive song. Yet in total number of progressions the proportion 

 of ascending and descending intervals differs by only 1 per cent in the 

 two groups. In the older songs the average number of intervals is 30, 

 and in the more modern 31.3, a difference too slight to be of impor- 

 tance. The average interval in the modem songs is slightly the 

 larger, but the difference is less than a tenth of a semitone. The 

 smallest average interval (2.5 semitones) is that of the ''buffalo 

 hunt, council, and Chief song" group, while the largest (3.5 semi- 

 tones) is that of the ceremonial songs. The key or pitch of the 

 songs constitutes perhaps the least important of the tables; in this 

 respect we note that the groups show no marked differences, the 

 pitch of the song being somewhat a matter of adaptation to the 

 compass of the singer's voice. 



Table 15 shows a contrast which might be connected with the 

 change from the older to the modern life of the Indians, the old 

 songs having 51 per cent beginning on the accented part of the 

 measure and the new songs having 74 per cent beginning on the 

 accent. This suggests directness and the same psychological factor, 

 which may account for the increas(> of songs harmonic in form. The 

 newer group shows an increase in the proportion of songs which 

 begin in 2-4 time and a slight decrease in the percentage of songs 

 having a change of measure-lengths. Table rs shows the newer songs 



