Songs of the Copper Eskimos 



281 



Prelude 

 Pre. Ref. 



Refrain 



Phrases 



fA 



No. 79. Record IV. C. 53a 

 E minor tonality 



The interesting point about this song is that where the first verse ought to 

 be there is a long refrain and later this identical music is used for verse 3. Either 

 the refrain proper is really a verse of meaningless syllables, or the singer forgot 

 the words and substituted burden syllables (this is sometimes done), or else 

 we have the unique case of an extra refrain which is afterward utilized musically 

 for a verse coming fairly late in the song. In all other respects the song would 

 surely be classed with the ordinary pisik of prelude type. Some off-pitch tones 

 occur in A and the first part of B but become pure later in similar situations and 

 were doubtless unintentional. The song begins on the fifth degree of the minor 

 scale, on the last beat of the measure, and would end on the same tone, pre- 

 sumably, if it were finished, although actually the last tone heard is a flat tonic. 

 It is difficult to tell whether this pitch was due to faulty recording or to the 

 singer stopping breathless. From the structure of the refrain proper and the 

 extension, it seems as if an end were intended near this point, and possibly as 

 jt is actually made, it is correct. 



