26 Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18 



Sub-Group 4- Real Prelude 



The simplest example of a real prelude may be observed in No. 32 in which 

 there is one measure of real introduction followed by the usual two which form 

 the connective. The connective is repeated before each verse part but the first 

 measure is not. This song is one of four which are more or less scattered, in 

 which the refrain is peculiarly constructed. The verse part proper has two 

 phrases for each part, but the refrain instead of being a third phrase, is musically 

 inseparable from the second verse phrase. The verse phrase is extended to 

 accommodate the refrain, which, however, does not begin with the extension 

 but in the last measure of the phrase proper. In the analyses the refrain is 

 indicated by the brackets above the letters, while the measures that form the 

 extension, musically speaking, are enclosed in parentheses. Other songs with 

 refrains of a similar nature are No. 57 among the so-called atons, and Nos. 72 

 and 75 in the group which were undifferentiated by the singers. All of these 

 songs have the same general plan as most of the pisiks. 



In No. 33 the prelude is but one phrase, followed by the refrain, after which 

 the verse parts all have two phrases, the first of which is taken from the prelude. 

 This may be an example of trying over the tune, but the fact that the second 

 phrase is omitted and the whole refrain sung seems to argue that there is some- 

 thing intentional in singing the prelude. In Nos. 34 and 35 the prelude has one 

 phrase, and after the refrain the verse parts are two-phrased with the first of new 

 material and the second taken from the prelude. This custom of introducing 

 new material for the beginning of the verse part and going back to the prelude 

 for the second phrase has been found to be more or less typical of many songs 

 with preludes, not only among those which are definitely called pisiks by the 

 Eskimo themselves, but also among songs which have been classed as atons 

 and in the undifferentiated group. It is recommended that the reader glance 

 at the tabular analyses of the songs as he proceeds, without reading the songs 

 themselves or the special comments, in order that these plans of construction 

 may be clearly understood. 



There is still another variant in which the prelude is one phrase long and 

 the first verse takes its first phrase from it, but in the second part of the first 

 verse new phrases are introduced. This is a three-part verse form with three 

 different refrains for the three different parts. When, however, the first part of 

 the second verse is reached, there is no return to the A phrase which was taken 

 from the prelude for the first part of the first verse, but material from the second 

 refrain is used. This is a very irregular form which only a study of the analysis 

 will clarify. The prelude consists only in the phrase A. There is no refrain 

 until the end of the first part of the first verse. 



With No. 37 there is a prelude of two phrases, A and B. The verses make 

 no use of the A but retain the B for their second phrase and introduce D for the 

 first. Very nearly the same plan holds for No. 38. No. 39 israther irregular. 

 The prelude, an A phrase, is followed by the refrain B and C. The first verse, 

 part 1, has D for the verse phrase and the regular refrain, the second part con- 

 sists of two phrases, E and G. In the second verse both parts have F and G, 

 the third verse F and G for the first part, G and G for the second, and variants 

 of G appear in the first part of the fourth verse, where the song is cut off. The 

 same refrain serves throughout. No. 40 was unfortunately inaudible in the 

 first part except for the first few notes, but they were enough to show that the 

 beginning was somewhat different from the other phrases. 



In No. 41 we have perhaps the most distinct prelude, consisting of A and 

 B phrases, followed by the refrain C and D. The verse parts are all very different 

 and even the subsequent refrain is altered. No. 42 should have received earlier 

 place in the group for the verse parts are modelled directly on the prelude, but 

 where it has but one phrase, they have two. 



