﻿FLETCHER-LA 
  FLESCHE] 
  MUSIC 
  375 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  few 
  instances 
  the 
  songs 
  herein 
  given 
  have 
  been 
  interpreted 
  by 
  

   adding 
  a 
  simple 
  harmony 
  and 
  in 
  every 
  instance 
  the 
  harmony 
  given 
  

   has 
  been 
  tested 
  among 
  the 
  Omaha 
  and 
  been 
  preferred 
  by 
  them 
  when 
  

   the 
  song 
  was 
  played 
  on 
  the 
  piano 
  or 
  organ. 
  This 
  manner 
  of 
  presenta- 
  

   tion 
  has 
  been 
  chosen 
  in 
  order 
  t 
  o 
  give 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  songs 
  a 
  chance 
  

   to 
  be 
  really 
  heard 
  by 
  the 
  average 
  person, 
  for 
  only 
  the 
  exceptional 
  and 
  

   musically 
  gifted 
  can 
  discern 
  the 
  possibilities 
  that 
  lie 
  in 
  an 
  unsupported 
  

   aria; 
  moreover, 
  the 
  single 
  line 
  of 
  music 
  stands 
  for 
  a 
  song 
  that 
  is 
  

   sung 
  in 
  octaves 
  by 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  male 
  and 
  female 
  voices 
  and 
  therefore 
  

   is 
  not 
  a 
  true 
  picture 
  of 
  the 
  song 
  itself. 
  

  

  Rhythm 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  characteristic 
  of 
  Indian 
  music. 
  Most 
  songs 
  

   present 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  rhythms 
  in 
  their 
  rendition, 
  for 
  besides 
  the 
  

   rhythm 
  of 
  the 
  melody 
  with 
  its 
  rh} 
  T 
  thm 
  of 
  phrase 
  the 
  singers 
  pulsate 
  

   their 
  voices, 
  thus 
  adding 
  an 
  inner 
  rhythm, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  

   rhythm. 
  This 
  custom 
  of 
  pulsating 
  the 
  voice 
  tends 
  to 
  produce 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  uncertain 
  intonation 
  and 
  interval. 
  This 
  statement 
  is 
  based 
  

   on 
  many 
  experiments 
  with 
  different 
  singers 
  during 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   years. 
  When 
  in 
  transcribing 
  a 
  song 
  these 
  pulsations 
  were 
  noted, 
  so 
  

   that 
  when 
  the 
  song 
  was 
  played 
  on 
  a 
  piano 
  or 
  organ 
  the 
  pulsations 
  were 
  

   represented 
  by 
  rapidly 
  repeated 
  notes, 
  the 
  rendition 
  was 
  always 
  

   declared 
  to 
  be 
  incorrect. 
  In 
  every 
  instance 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  note 
  was 
  

   pulsated 
  by 
  a 
  singer 
  the 
  tone 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  represented 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  

   note 
  on 
  the 
  instrument 
  and 
  no 
  argument 
  would 
  prevail 
  to 
  permit 
  

   the 
  pidsation 
  to 
  be 
  indicated 
  by 
  rapidly 
  struck 
  notes 
  on 
  the 
  piano 
  

   or 
  organ. 
  In 
  love 
  songs, 
  which 
  frequently 
  have 
  long 
  notes, 
  the 
  

   hand 
  is 
  sometimes 
  waved 
  at 
  slight 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  break 
  the 
  continuity 
  of 
  sound 
  and 
  give 
  the 
  tone 
  a 
  wavering 
  

   character. 
  

  

  Frequently 
  the 
  aria 
  of 
  a 
  song 
  is 
  in 
  triple 
  time, 
  3/4, 
  6/4, 
  or 
  9/4, 
  while 
  

   the 
  drum 
  is 
  played 
  in 
  2/4 
  or 
  4/4 
  time. 
  In 
  these 
  songs 
  the 
  two 
  conflict- 
  

   ing 
  rhythms 
  are 
  syncopated 
  and 
  play 
  against 
  each 
  other 
  in 
  a 
  bewilder- 
  

   ing 
  manner. 
  The 
  precision 
  with 
  which 
  these 
  complicated 
  rhythms 
  are 
  

   given 
  by 
  the 
  Omaha 
  is 
  remarkable. 
  In 
  the 
  Wa'wa" 
  ceremony 
  the 
  

   movement 
  of 
  the 
  pipes 
  adds 
  another 
  rhythm, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  ear 
  and 
  the 
  

   eye 
  are 
  addressed 
  simultaneously 
  by 
  the 
  rhythm 
  of 
  the 
  melody, 
  of 
  the 
  

   drum, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  swaying 
  pipes, 
  all 
  forming, 
  however, 
  one 
  harmonious 
  

   rhythmic 
  presentation. 
  The 
  rhythmic 
  movement 
  of 
  a 
  song 
  must 
  never 
  

   be 
  altered 
  ; 
  to 
  do 
  so 
  in 
  even 
  a 
  slight 
  degree 
  blurs 
  or 
  destroys 
  the 
  song 
  

   for 
  the 
  Indian. 
  

  

  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  statements, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  mere 
  aria 
  

   can 
  not 
  portray 
  an 
  Indian 
  song 
  as 
  it 
  really 
  sounds 
  when 
  interpreted 
  

   by 
  the 
  Indian 
  singers, 
  and 
  these 
  tacts 
  seem 
  to 
  justify 
  their 
  pref- 
  

   erence 
  for 
  a 
  harmonized 
  version 
  of 
  their 
  songs 
  when 
  translated 
  on 
  

   the 
  piano 
  or 
  organ. 
  

  

  